Subnet Session with Bob Wold from Quantum Compute: Subnet 48

In this episode, Bob from Subnet 48 (quantum compute) gives a grounded overview of quantum computing: huge long-term promise (materials, batteries, drug simulation), but today’s machines are still “NISQ” (noisy, intermediate-scale, not error-corrected at useful scale). Subnet 48’s pitch is essentially “Airbnb for quantum computers”—miners run real quantum workloads, users submit quantum circuits, and the network executes them cheaper than traditional access. Bob shows OpenQuantum.com as the front-end marketplace, listing multiple hardware providers (IonQ, Rigetti, IQM, AQT) with current machines in the ~20–50 qubit range, and explains that most jobs on OpenQuantum are being executed via Subnet 48.

The conversation then veers into the big scary question: quantum risk to crypto. Bob distinguishes SHA-256 (mining) from elliptic curve cryptography (ownership/signing) and argues the nearer-term threat isn’t quantum “mining Bitcoin faster,” but breaking signature security unless chains migrate to post-quantum schemes. He mentions industry roadmaps and research suggesting timelines could be tighter than people assume, and plugs Subnet 63 (Enigma)—a prize-driven subnet designed to incentivize public breakthroughs in cryptography rather than vague claims.