Google has announced a 2029 deadline for migrating its products to post-quantum cryptography, marking the first time the company has set a concrete timeline for rolling out post-quantum capabilities. The company cited rapid progress in quantum computing hardware and quantum error correction as key drivers behind the urgency. Updated estimates of how quickly a quantum machine could break existing encryption standards have further accelerated the need to act.
Google warned that quantum computers will pose a significant threat to current cryptographic standards, particularly encryption and digital signatures. The company also noted that post-quantum cryptography migration is necessary for users to access authentication services securely. The 2029 target is notably earlier than some industry estimates for so-called Q-Day, the point at which quantum computers become powerful enough to break current public-key encryption.
Google’s push comes as it continues to develop its quantum chip, Willow, which operates at 105 qubits, placing it among the most powerful quantum processors in the industry. Concerns are also growing that advances in quantum computing could severely disrupt the broader cryptocurrency industry by breaking the cryptographic algorithms used to secure digital assets. Debate continues over whether only crypto wallets with exposed public keys are vulnerable or whether all coins face risk.
The Ethereum Foundation launched a dedicated resource hub called Post-Quantum Ethereum on Tuesday, aimed at protecting the blockchain from future quantum computing threats and securing the billions of dollars held on the network. The post-quantum team plans to implement quantum-resistant solutions at the protocol level by 2029, with additional measures targeting the execution layer to follow. The initiative reflects growing institutional recognition that blockchain infrastructure requires proactive quantum defenses.
In January 2025, developers working on the Solana blockchain created a quantum-resistant vault designed to protect user funds by implementing a hash-based signature system that generates new keys with each transaction. However, the feature requires users to store funds in so-called Winternitz vaults rather than standard Solana wallets, meaning it does not constitute a network-wide security upgrade. Access to the protection therefore remains limited to those who actively opt in.
The Bitcoin ecosystem remains divided on how to respond to quantum threats. Blockstream CEO Adam Back, one of the ecosystem’s prominent voices, has argued that quantum risks are widely overstated and that no action is needed for decades. In contrast, security researcher Ethan Heilman and others have proposed a new output type for Bitcoin called Pay-to-Merkle-Root through Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 360, which aims to protect Bitcoin addresses from potential quantum attacks.
Heilman told Cointelegraph in February that implementing the proposal could take as long as seven years. The divergence in opinion across major blockchain communities highlights the broader uncertainty surrounding both the timeline and the severity of the quantum threat. As hardware development accelerates, the industry faces mounting pressure to reach consensus on protective measures before quantum capabilities outpace existing defenses.
Originally reported by CoinTelegraph.
