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Quantum Gold Rush [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-04-01
It’s April Fool’s Day, so this might sound like a joke. But it’s not.
It should be. Supercomputers that can crack every digital vault. Money that exists only as math—and could vanish just as fast. Sounds like the kind of prank a physicist might pull on an economist. Or the kind of scheme Donald Trump might spin into his next Get-Richer-Quick stunt. But this isn’t a prank. It’s the next phase of currency—and it’s already underway.
Here’s the thing: money has never been about what it looks like. It’s always been about what backs it.
First, it was metal. Heavy coins. Gold, silver—valuable because they were rare and hard to extract. Then came paper, but it wasn’t worthless: every bill was a promise, redeemable for actual gold. Then the gold backing vanished. Now we had money backed by nothing but trust in the government. A leap of faith, scaled globally.
Then came crypto. And crypto brought us full circle—not back to gold, but to something just as scarce. Digital coins aren’t backed by governments or vaults. They’re backed by electricity and computing power. You want a Bitcoin? You have to “mine” it—burning energy to run faster, more specialized machines that solve complex math problems. No physical coin, but a very real cost.
WARNING: The following paragraphs are oversimplified but still mind-boggling
Here’s the catch: that cost keeps going up. Bitcoin’s code is designed to increase mining difficulty over time. All Bitcoin transactions form a single “blockchain,” and every time a new block is mined, only one miner gets rewarded. Each new coin added makes the next one harder to find. The goal? Keep the pace steady—about one coin every ten minutes.
So it becomes a race. Thousands of miners compete, pouring in energy and hardware, each hoping to solve the next puzzle first. Only one wins. The rest get nothing—just a power bill and some aging gear.
Bitcoin’s market value comes from that scarcity, and the belief that its value may rise or fall. The U.S. dollar, by contrast, is influenced—at least in part—by how much the Fed decides to print. So Bitcoin ends up behaving more like gold: its value comes from the real-world cost of creation—chips, fans, electricity, and time.
And that cost keeps rising. Early on, you could mine a Bitcoin with a laptop. Now, it takes a warehouse of specialized machines and a small power plant to run them. But if you create a brand new currency, you can dust off that old laptop. Read on.
That arms race—that escalating grind—is what gives Bitcoin its scarcity. It’s what makes it digital gold.
But what happens when that effort gap disappears?
Quantum Physics: Too Strange to Be a Prank
Quantum computing is real. So is quantum physics. But you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s made up. Even Einstein thought it was nonsense—he called it “spooky action at a distance.” He wasn’t wrong. Just… uncomfortable.
The short version: classical computers use bits—ones and zeroes. Every decision is yes or no. Quantum computers use qubits, which can be one, zero, or both at the same time. Like a coin spinning in the air, heads and tails at once until you catch it.
That’s superposition. But it gets weirder.
Now, take the two spinning coins, separate them by galaxies, and flip one. The other reacts instantly. That’s entanglement. And yeah—it breaks your brain a little.
Add interference, where quantum states cancel or amplify each other, and now you’ve got a system that doesn’t test answers one by one. It explores many possibilities at once—and zeros in on the right one fast. Not just parallel computing. All paths, all at once, with the wrong ones erased by the math itself.
That’s what gives quantum machines their edge. For specific problems—like factoring huge numbers or cracking cryptographic keys—they’re not just faster. They’re absurdly faster. What might take a classical computer 10,000 years, a quantum machine could solve in minutes.
That’s not theory. That’s where we’re headed.
The Master Key Is Coming
Crypto security depends on cryptography—math problems so hard that regular computers take decades to crack. That’s what protects your wallet.
Quantum computers, once they hit scale, could solve those problems in hours.
That’s not inconvenient. That’s catastrophic. Imagine someone finding a master key that opens every vault, every safe, every encrypted file, everywhere.
Developers know this. That’s why they’re racing to create “quantum-resistant” protocols. Because when a full-scale quantum machine comes online, it won’t just be a lab demo. It’ll be a financial earthquake.
The End of Scarcity?
Quantum doesn’t just threaten security—it threatens scarcity.
Bitcoin’s value relies on mining getting harder. The code assumes everyone’s using regular machines.
Quantum doesn’t play by those rules.
A quantum computer could smash through mining puzzles in seconds. What used to take weeks and megawatts could be done before your coffee cools. It’d be like discovering a gold vein that’s already melted into bars.
Coins flood the system. Scarcity dies. Value tanks. The whole crypto economy bends—or snaps.
Not All Doom (Yet)
To be fair, quantum isn’t just a wrecking ball. It could also be the upgrade.
If used wisely, quantum tech could make blockchain faster, cleaner, and more secure. It could slash energy use, speed up transactions, and rebuild financial systems smarter.
But that future depends on timing. If the good guys don’t get there first—if early adopters or bad actors take the lead—the damage comes first. The cleanup comes later.
This isn’t science fiction. Tech giants are throwing billions at quantum R&D. “Quantum supremacy”—the moment a quantum computer outperforms a classical one—already happened. We’re not in the “maybe someday” phase.
We’re in “brace for impact.”
So What Is Money Now?
Let’s rewind.
We trusted coins because they were heavy. Then we trusted paper because it represented gold. Then just the paper, because we trusted the government. Then crypto, because it was hard to make.
But if energy becomes free, and cryptography becomes breakable… what’s left?
We might be heading toward a world where trust isn’t about governments or scarcity. It’s about who controls the physics. The first country, company, or cartel to master quantum computing and near-free energy could redefine global finance—not with bombs or interest rates, but with algorithms.
Enter Donald Trump
While most coin creators chase hype and liquidity, Trump’s playing a different game. By backing his own personal crypto, through a company tied to his family, he got in at the start—before the crowd, before the boom, before the regulations. But he didn’t stop there. He’s using state power to quietly rig the board: seizing Bitcoin, repackaging it as a national reserve, and building infrastructure that props up his coin with government muscle. It’s not just crypto—it’s politics, finance, and influence fused into a digital asset. Most founders pray the government doesn’t crush them. Trump’s using it to guarantee his win.
One Last Thought for April 1
This would all be hilarious—if it weren’t true. On a day built around pranks and gotchas, it feels strange to say: quantum physics is real. And money is about to change.
So next time someone says “Bitcoin is digital gold,” ask them how gold holds up when you hit it with a beam of quantum weirdness. Because the next gold rush isn’t underground. It’s happening in a lab.
And the next financial crisis might not start with a crash.
It might start with someone pressing “Run” on a machine the rest of us still think is a joke.
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APPENDIX
Trump’s Cryptocurrency Ventures and Government Policies: A Study in Strategic Advantage
Donald Trump’s cryptocurrency endeavors represent a case study in leveraging position for financial advantage. His foray into digital assets began shortly before his presidency with the launch of $TRUMP, a memecoin that rapidly gained value and netted early investors enormous profits.
The creation and early acquisition of cryptocurrency tokens presents significant financial benefits for founders and initial investors. When Trump launched his $TRUMP memecoin on January 17, 2025, just days before his inauguration, early investors capitalized dramatically on their timely purchases. Within minutes of Trump’s announcement, several traders made massive investments - one purchasing $1.1 million worth of tokens, others investing $500,000 and $250,000 respectively. As word spread and more investors entered the market, the coin’s value skyrocketed, with the total market cap eventually exceeding $14 billion. This rapid appreciation allowed early traders to cash out with substantial gains - the investor who had purchased $1.1 million worth of tokens ultimately netted more than $30 million in profit. This pattern illustrates the fundamental advantage of being an early participant in cryptocurrency launches, where founders and initial buyers can benefit from dramatic price appreciation as wider adoption occurs.
Trump’s memecoin exemplifies how founders maintain significant control through token distribution. Of the one billion $TRUMP coins created, 800 million remained owned by Trump-controlled companies after the initial coin offering released only 200 million to the public. This ownership structure gave Trump and his companies a theoretical valuation of over $20 billion as the coin’s price surged. A Financial Times analysis determined the crypto project generated at least $350 million through token sales and fees. This distribution model demonstrates how cryptocurrency founders can retain majority ownership while still generating substantial capital from relatively small public offerings.
The establishment of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile represents an unprecedented convergence of personal financial interests and government policy. On March 7, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order creating these reserves, positioning the United States as a leader in government digital asset strategy. The order explicitly states that “Government BTC deposited into the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve shall not be sold and shall be maintained as reserve assets of the United States”. This policy creates a government-backed source of demand for Bitcoin and potentially other cryptocurrencies, providing market support and legitimacy to assets that Trump personally holds and promotes.
The executive order articulates a strategic justification for the reserve, noting: “Because there is a fixed supply of BTC, there is a strategic advantage to being among the first nations to create a strategic bitcoin reserve”. The reserve would be capitalized with Bitcoin confiscated through government forfeiture proceedings, and the Secretaries of Treasury and Commerce were authorized to develop “budget-neutral strategies for acquiring additional bitcoin”. The implementation involves establishing dedicated offices within the Treasury Department to maintain control of these digital assets.
Ethics experts and industry observers have raised significant concerns about the intertwining of Trump’s personal cryptocurrency ventures and his administration’s policies. The cryptocurrency ventures have been “condemned by ethics experts and government watchdogs” for potentially violating constitutional provisions regarding emoluments. Critics argue that Trump’s dual role as both cryptocurrency entrepreneur and policy maker creates unprecedented conflicts of interest, with one former White House Communications Director describing it as “Idi Amin level corruption”.
Despite these concerns, Trump has continued expanding his cryptocurrency enterprises while in office. World Liberty Financial, co-founded by Trump and his sons, announced plans in March 2025 to launch a stablecoin called USD1. This marks the fourth digital currency promoted by Trump and his associates in the past year. The venture’s business structure ensures Trump receives a substantial 75 percent share of the proceeds from token sales.
Trump’s cryptocurrency ventures demonstrate how founders and early investors can leverage their position for significant financial advantage, while his government policies establishing cryptocurrency reserves illustrate how official actions can potentially protect and enhance the value of these digital assets. The unprecedented overlap between personal financial interests and government policy-making raises substantial questions about conflicts of interest and the appropriate boundaries between public service and private enterprise in the digital asset space.
The Impact of Quantum Computing on Economics, Financial Markets, and Cryptocurrency
Quantum computing is poised to revolutionize economics, financial markets, and cryptocurrencies through its unprecedented computational capabilities. Recent research by Oxford Economics predicts that quantum computing could boost the UK’s productivity by up to 7% by 2045, potentially adding £212 billion to the nation’s GDP. On a global scale, Boston Consulting Group projects that quantum computing will generate between $450 billion and $850 billion in economic value by 2040, creating a substantial market for hardware and software providers.
In the financial sector, quantum computing promises transformative applications across multiple domains. Financial institutions are exploring quantum solutions for portfolio optimization, where quantum algorithms can analyze countless variables simultaneously to maximize returns while minimizing risk. JPMorgan Chase has already begun replacing traditional Monte Carlo simulations with quantum algorithms to enhance investment portfolio management. Beyond portfolio management, quantum computing offers advancements in risk assessment, fraud detection, and financial modeling. The technology enables real-time processing of complex datasets with higher accuracy, potentially revolutionizing how financial institutions identify fraudulent activities. McKinsey research indicates that finance will likely be among the first industries to benefit from quantum technology
Quantum computing presents both challenges and opportunities for cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin’s security framework, built on digital signatures and hash functions, could become vulnerable to quantum computing advances. Quantum algorithms like Shor’s algorithm theoretically possess the capability to break traditional cryptographic systems that secure blockchain technologies. However, experts like Professor Korok Ray from Texas A&M University believe that cryptocurrencies, particularly Bitcoin, will adapt to quantum threats through their open-source frameworks and proactive developer communities. Researchers are already exploring quantum-resistant algorithms like Lamport signatures to counter potential vulnerabilities.
The development of quantum computing in finance is expected to progress through three phases, as outlined by BCG: noisy intermediate-scale quantum until 2030, broad quantum advantage from 2030 to 2040, and full-scale fault tolerance after 2040. Despite a 50% decline in overall tech investments, quantum computing attracted $1.2 billion from venture capitalists in 2023, demonstrating strong investor confidence. Major financial institutions including Goldman Sachs, HSBC, and JPMorgan are already partnering with quantum technology providers to explore practical applications in areas such as derivatives pricing, optimization, and risk management. This ongoing investment suggests that quantum computing will continue to reshape economic models and financial systems in the coming decades.
REFERENCES
IBM. 2025 Quantum-Centric Supercomputing Roadmap. January 1, 2024.
https://www.ibm.com/roadmaps/quantum/2025/.
The Guardian. “Trump Launches ‘TrumpCoin’ Days Before Inauguration.” The Guardian, January 17, 2025.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/17/trump-launches-trumpcoin-days-before-inauguration.
Novotech IP. “CES 2025: Quantum’s $2 Trillion Economic Impact Forecast.” January 17, 2025.
https://novotechip.com/2025/01/17/ces-2025-quantum-highlights.
ORF Online. “Willow Processor: Google’s Path to Practical Quantum Computing.” February 10, 2025.
https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/willow-processor-2025.
Microsoft Quantum Research Team. “Majorana 1: A Topological Qubit Architecture for Scalable Error Correction.” Nature (February 19, 2025).
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/quantum/2025/02/19/majorana-1.
White House. “Executive Order: Establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.” WhiteHouse.gov, March 7, 2025.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2025/03/07/executive-order-establishing-strategic-bitcoin-reserve/.
CoinDesk. “Crypto Experts Question Trump’s Digital Asset Policies.” CoinDesk, March 10, 2025.
https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2025/03/10/crypto-experts-question-trumps-digital-asset-policies/.
Bloomberg Crypto. “World Liberty Financial Announces USD1 Stablecoin.” Bloomberg, March 15, 2025.
https://www.bloomberg.com/crypto/story/world-liberty-financial-announces-usd1-stablecoin.
Financial Times. “Memecoin Mania: How Early Investors Made Billions.” Financial Times, March 20, 2025.
https://www.ft.com/content/trump-coin-analysis-2025.
Aaronson, Scott, Shih-Han Hung, and Quantinuum-JPMorganChase Collaboration. “Certified Randomness Generation via 56-Qubit Quantum Supremacy.” Nature (March 26, 2025).
https://phys.org/news/2025-03-quantum-milestone-qubit-random-generation.html.
Medium. “Amazon Just Changed The Quantum Game — And No One Is Ready”, Quantum Information Review, March 29, 2025.
https://medium.com/quantum-information-review
Genius: Einstein. Created by Kenneth Biller and Noah Pink. Directed by Ron Howard. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2017.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/tv/shows/genius
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