Google urges policymakers to prepare for quantum-era cryptography transition

Google has updated its post-quantum cryptography (PQC) progress and urged policymakers to take five concrete actions to prepare for the quantum era.

• Main announcement: Google says it is on track to complete a PQC migration safely within NIST’s current guidelines, has begun rolling out PQC within its infrastructure and products, and will share research on timelines and resource requirements for breaking public-key cryptography. It notes it has been preparing since 2016 and references NIST’s first set of PQC standards (2024).
• Background and recommendations: Google highlights risks like “store now, decrypt later” attacks and a potential Cryptographically Relevant Quantum Computer (CRQC); it issues five policy recommendations including driving society-wide momentum for critical infrastructure (energy, telecommunications, healthcare), ensuring AI is built with PQC in mind, promoting cloud-first modernization (citing Google Cloud), and reducing global fragmentation by adopting NIST standards.