Is Your Network Ready for the 2029 Quantum Deadline?

There’s a monumental shift underway in digital technology, yet it’s all too easy to overlook that it’s even happening. Quantum computing is on track to go from a few specialized research labs to widespread commercial adoption, all within the span of a few years. In the U.S., a recent executive order is intended to accelerate quantum innovation, including the shift from research to commercialization.[1]

Today’s enterprises simply aren’t prepared for this, and the race is on to change that before it’s too late. Quantum computers can solve complex problems in minutes that would take classical computers thousands of years. This means they can easily break encryption measures built with classical computers in mind. Widespread quantum adoption will be the beginning of the end for traditional encryption algorithms like RSA and ECC.

Cybercriminals are already laying the framework to benefit from this change. They’re planning harvest now, decrypt later (HNDL) attacks, where they gather encrypted data today and wait to decrypt it using quantum computers. Businesses must also prepare themselves, and they don’t have long to do it. Many of the leading names in tech have accelerated their quantum investments, and they’re all converging on 2029 as a milestone year:

• Google introduced a 2029 timeline for their own post-quantum migration, in recognition of the fact that quantum computers present a concrete, near-term threat to current security architectures.[2]
• IBM announced funding of more than $10 billion for their quantum roadmap over the next five years. This roadmap includes the goal of delivering the world’s first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer in 2029.[3]
• Microsoft recently unveiled Majorana 2, a new quantum chip developed with help from agentic AI. The company claims that Majorana 2 is 1000x more reliable than the prior generation of chips, and that it will enable them to achieve a scalable quantum computer by 2029.[4]

To protect against HNDL attacks, enterprises must begin preparing for a post-quantum reality.

The two paths to post-quantum security: Hardware and software

To protect data in motion against the quantum threat, there are two separate but complementary technological approaches:

• Quantum communications (the hardware approach): Quantum communications is dedicated to protecting data in transit by moving it over fiber-optic networks in the form of photons of light. Any attempt to intercept the signal would irreversibly alter the quantum state of the photons, instantly revealing the attempted intrusion.
• Post-quantum cryptography (the software approach): PQC algorithms are based on incredibly complex mathematical problems that are designed to be computationally impossible for either classical or quantum computers to solve.

Enterprise should incorporate both hardware and software into their post-quantum migration strategies. However, the software approach can help move the needle quicker. Unlike quantum communications, PQC algorithms can be implemented quickly with no major infrastructure upgrades. Businesses can deploy them as software updates on top of their existing network architectures.

How the cybersecurity industry is preparing for PQC

The post-quantum migration will require years of careful planning and execution. Fortunately, that work is already well underway. PQC algorithms that were engineered specifically to resist quantum decryption already exist, and leading security vendors have already begun integrating them into their product suites.

For instance, the AWS migration plan outlines a multi-year strategy to migrate their infrastructure and services to PQC, aiming to protect customer data against future quantum computers capable of breaking today’s public-key cryptography.[5] AWS emphasizes that although such quantum computers do not exist yet, organizations should prepare now, due to the risk of HNDL attacks.

AWS is treating PQC migration as part of its shared responsibility model:

• Some protections will be enabled transparently by AWS.
• Other capabilities will require customer adoption and configuration.
• The initial priority is protecting communications over untrusted networks such as the internet.

In addition, global regulators have been working on PQC standards and migration timelines for many years now:

• In the U.S., the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) first announced the Post-Quantum Cryptography Standardization program way back in 2016. The agency then released three finalized post-quantum encryption standards in 2024.[6]
• In Europe, the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) is legally compelling enterprises to map their cryptographic risks and achieve “crypto-agility.”[7] The EU has also introduced regulations that incorporate stringent security requirements, including the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA).
• In the U.K., the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) defined a PQC migration timeline as a practical roadmap for organizations to prepare for future quantum threats. The NCSC emphasizes that PQC migration will be a multi-year technology transformation program requiring planning, governance, asset discovery, and phased implementation.[8]

This all goes to show that today’s enterprises don’t have to start from scratch when it comes to planning their PQC migrations. However, they do have to make sure they’re properly building upon the important work that others have already done, and that starts with choosing the right infrastructure and security partners.

Notably, the PQC migration timelines established by regulators typically call for migrations to be completed no later than 2035. This may not be aggressive enough. Organizations that want to be prepared for 2029 should take the initiative to start their migrations as soon as possible, instead of waiting until they’re legally compelled to do so.

Building the quantum security ecosystem with Equinix and Sparkle

No enterprise can protect against HNDL attacks by working alone. It requires collaboration with an ecosystem of partners, linked by private connectivity. In my work with Equinix customers, I’ve heard from many enterprise leaders that are looking for partnership and guidance on how to navigate PQC, but the demand is particularly pronounced in regulated sectors like financial services and telecom.

Equinix provides the ideal infrastructure foundation for enterprises looking to execute their PQC migrations, and that’s largely because of our extensive partner ecosystem. Enterprises that deploy at Equinix will have on-demand access to leading security providers throughout the world. For instance, Telecom Italia Sparkle recently announced they were expanding their quantum-safe connectivity footprint directly within Equinix data centers.

By implementing PQC algorithms across key international network links, this partnership demonstrates how to harden critical communication vectors between global digital hubs, enabling data transit routes that are protected against future quantum decryption capabilities.

This is only one example of the kinds of security capabilities that enterprises can find inside the Equinix partner ecosystem.

Enterprises can build their post-quantum roadmaps with hybrid multicloud infrastructure

Preparing for a post-quantum future is all about optimizing infrastructure flexibility today. That’s because modern workloads like AI are increasingly distributed across complex hybrid multicloud environments.

According to the results of a recent Equinix survey, organizations are using 36 different cloud and SaaS providers on average. They need reliable connectivity to move data across all of them, and into their own on-premises data centers and edge nodes. From a cybersecurity standpoint, they must ensure that sensitive data never crosses the public internet, where it would be exposed to attackers.

Equinix provides the vendor-neutral infrastructure foundation that enterprises need in order to:

• Connect to thousands of ecosystems partners on demand, including all major clouds, cybersecurity vendors and network service providers
• Integrate PQC algorithms at the point of interconnection via private connectivity solutions like Equinix Fabric® and Equinix Network Edge
• Prepare their operations and keep up with evolving international standards with the flexibility to add new cryptographic algorithms easily

The 2029 timeline does not leave room for a slow start. Enterprises that begin testing PQC algorithms now, on infrastructure built for change, will spend the next few years refining their approach instead of scrambling to build one. At Equinix, that infrastructure and the partners to help implement it are already available.

To see how PQC migration fits into a broader hybrid multicloud strategy, read the Equinix research paper, “Connectivity as the competitive edge: The state of hybrid multicloud networking.”

[1] The White House, Ushering in the Next Frontier of Quantum Innovation, June 22, 2026.

[2] Heather Adkins and Sophie Schmieg, Quantum frontiers may be closer than they appear, Google blog post, March 25, 2026.

[3] IBM Commits More Than $10 Billion to Quantum Computing, Funding Its Roadmap from Today’s Leading Systems to the World’s First Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computers, IBM press release, June 2, 2026.

[4] Introducing Majorana 2, Microsoft press release, June 2, 2026.

[5] Matthew Campagna, Melanie Goldsborough and Peter O’Donnell, AWS post-quantum cryptography migration plan, AWS Security blog post, updated April 23, 2026.

[6] NIST Releases First 3 Finalized Post-Quantum Encryption Standards, NIST press release, August 13, 2024.

[7] A Coordinated Implementation Roadmap for the Transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography, European Commission press release, June 23, 2025.

[8] National Cyber Security Centre, Timelines for migration to post-quantum cryptography