Google Says Quantum Computers Could Break All Internet Encryption by 2029

The Google team issued a stark warning on March 25, 2026: quantum computers could break the internet's current encryption by 2029. The company is expediting its transition to post-quantum algorithms and has set that year as the deadline for its own systems.

In an official blog post, the tech giant explained that recent advances in quantum hardware, error correction, and factoring resource estimates have changed the landscape. What once seemed distant now demands urgent action. This message is for everyone: banks, governments, and companies need to act fast too.

The threat is not just theoretical. Hackers could already be capturing encrypted data now, following a "steal now, decrypt later" approach. When a powerful quantum computer emerges, it will be able to break classical algorithms like RSA and ECC, which currently protect emails, bank accounts, HTTPS connections, VPNs, and even Bitcoin transactions.

Heather Adkins, Vice President of Security Engineering, and Sophie Schmieg, Senior Cryptography Engineer, authored the post. They note that Google has been working with post-quantum cryptography since 2016, but recent progress has forced a timeline revision. The new target is 2029, six years earlier than the U.S. government's 2035 goal.

In practice, this means changing security keys across the company's entire infrastructure, including cloud services, Chrome, and other products. Google has already started expanding support for quantum-resistant algorithms in its browser and cloud. Now, the pressure is on for the entire sector to keep pace.

The announcement serves as a call to action. Companies handling sensitive data, especially in the field of artificial intelligence, need to start planning their transition now to prevent valuable information from being exposed in the coming years.