Quantum computers are speeding towards cryptographic relevancy: The time to prepare is now.

Quantum hardware and algorithms are maturing, shrinking the projected quantum computing power required to break today’s standard encryption and putting the cryptographic systems that protect sensitive data today on a finite clock.

Quantum risk will materialize asymmetrically, meaning some cryptographic systems will fail earlier than others, depending on algorithm design and key size.

Unlike Y2K, there won’t be a single moment when everything breaks at once; rather, quantum risk will be realized over time, spanning multiple years as different cryptographic systems become vulnerable at different times.

IBM’s contributions extend beyond individual enterprises to shaping multiple government national post‑quantum cryptography (PQC) strategies and convening industry consortia to accelerate large‑scale PQC transformation.

Remediate: Migrate current cryptography, legacy cryptography, applications and data to post-quantum cryptography, where available, and minimize impact where remediation isn’t possible.