NIST draft sets 2030 and 2035 dates for leaving vulnerable encryption
12 NOVEMBER 2024, GAITHERSBURG
NIST Internal Report 8547, "Transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography Standards," appeared as an initial public draft. It sets out a proposed schedule for leaving quantum-vulnerable public-key cryptography, with 2030 and 2035 as the dates that a Yahoo Tech article of 14 May 2026 repeats. The 2035 date matches the goal in National Security Memorandum 10 of 2022.
Federal agencies and contractors are affected first, since NIST guidance governs federal use. Regulated entities and vendors that follow NIST algorithm transitions as a baseline are also affected.
The draft has become a reference point for industry planning. The Yahoo Tech article reports survey figures showing that only 5 percent of organizations have a defined quantum strategy and only 5 percent have implemented quantum-resistant encryption. It repeats the 2030 and 2035 dates and describes migration as a present-tense compliance obligation.
The document in question is a draft, so its dates are a proposal and not yet a final NIST schedule.
Why it matters. Boards and CISOs now have two planning dates, 2030 and 2035, drawn from NIST's draft and consistent with the 2035 goal in the 2022 national security memorandum. Because the schedule is a draft, organizations should expect it to change, but the survey figures suggest most firms have not yet started. This suggests that organizations that begin inventories early will face less pressure when final deadlines arrive.