Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) on Tuesday set a 2029 deadline for migrating its entire infrastructure to post-quantum cryptography, warning that quantum frontiers “may be closer than they appear.”
The target is more aggressive than the U.S. federal government’s 2035 mandate and the NSA’s 2031 deadline, and it may carry serious implications for Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC).
Google’s VP of Security Engineering Heather Adkins and Senior Staff Cryptography Engineer Sophie Schmieg cited faster-than-expected progress in quantum hardware, error correction, and factoring resource estimates.
Two Threats, One Deadline
Google flagged two distinct risks.
The first is already happening: “store-now-decrypt-later” attacks, where adversaries harvest encrypted data today to crack it once quantum capability arrives.
The second targets digital signatures, the cryptographic proof underpinning online authentication and every blockchain transaction.
Google said it has adjusted its internal threat model to …