The digital world as we know it is about to undergo a seismic shift. According to a new report by India’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), the global economy is transitioning from digital to quantum and the change is happening faster than many realize. The report, created with cybersecurity firm SISA, makes it clear quantum computing is no longer science fiction but an imminent reality with massive implications. Quantum computers, which operate using quantum mechanics principles, are already moving from research labs into practical applications. Major tech players are leading the charge. Google made waves in December 2024 with its Willow chip, achieving a key error correction milestone using 105 qubits. Not to be outdone, Microsoft entered the arena in February 2025 with its Majorana-1 processor, designed to eventually scale up to a staggering one million qubits. IBM has set its sights on building fault-tolerant quantum systems by 2029, while Quantinuum boasts a 56-qubit trapped-ion quantum computer with unprecedented precision. Even telecom giant Nokia is diving into quantum networking, proving this revolution spans across industries. The timing of this report is significant. The United Nations has declared 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, reflecting global recognition of this paradigm shift. The supporting ecosystem from semiconductors to system software is rapidly evolving to meet quantum computing demands. But with great power comes great risk, and here the report strikes a cautionary note. Quantum computers can solve problems exponentially faster than classical machines, which spells trouble for current encryption standards. Widely used algorithms like RSA could be rendered obsolete overnight. Imagine a scenario where financial transactions, secure messaging, digital signatures and blockchain systems suddenly become vulnerable. The potential for chaos is enormous. CERT-In highlights an especially troubling threat called harvest now, decrypt later attacks. Cybercriminals could steal encrypted data today and simply wait for quantum computers powerful enough to crack it tomorrow. This puts everything from bank details to medical records and cryptocurrency wallets in jeopardy. The report identifies another critical issue many organizations face today they lack full visibility into their own cryptographic systems. In a world requiring post-quantum cryptography, such blind spots could have catastrophic consequences.
