Few topics illustrate why FIPS ‘n’ Chips 2026 is happening at exactly the right time better than post-quantum cryptography.
For decades, much of the security of the Internet has relied on a combination of asymmetric cryptography, such as RSA, Diffie-Hellman (DH), and Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH), and symmetric encryption such as AES. A sufficiently powerful quantum computer could fundamentally change that security model. Shor’s algorithm could break the mathematical problems underlying widely deployed RSA, DH, and ECDH, while Grover’s algorithm could significantly reduce the effective security strength of symmetric cryptography. The threat also begins before such a quantum computer exists: adversaries can collect encrypted information today under a “store now, decrypt later” strategy, preserving sensitive data in the hope of decrypting it once sufficiently capable quantum systems arrive. At the same time, advances in quantum computing, increasingly aided by AI in areas such as research, optimization, and system development, add uncertainty to predictions about when that “Q-Day” might occur. This is why the transition to post-quantum cryptography cannot wait for Q-Day itself. Cryptographic security must be rebuilt throughout the technology stack, from protocols and software down to the chips and hardware that implement and protect cryptographic operations. That makes FIPS ‘n’ Chips 2026 particularly timely: the post-quantum transition is no longer simply a question for future research, but an engineering, assurance, validation, and deployment challenge that organizations need to address today.
At FIPS ‘n’ Chips 2026, the 60-minute panel “The PQC Countdown: Preparing for the Post-Quantum Era” will bring together experts from academia, the government and industry to examine what organizations should be doing now. The discussion is particularly timely following the White House’s recent issuance of Executive Order 14412, Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks, which establishes a coordinated federal strategy for the transition to post-quantum cryptography (PQC).
Four Perspectives on the PQC Countdown
The panel will be moderated by Jon Rolf, former Director of the National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP), bringing extensive experience in government security evaluation and assurance.
He will be joined by an exceptional group of panelists:
Scott Aaronson, Professor at The University of Texas at Austin, brings a leading research perspective on quantum computing and the difficult question of how quickly quantum capabilities may develop.
Lily Chen, former NIST Fellow, brings decades of experience in cryptographic standards, including important work on post-quantum cryptography and crypto agility.
Murugiah Souppaya, Distinguished Technologist at HP, contributes the enterprise and implementation perspective and, together with Lily Chen and other experts, has helped develop NIST guidance on crypto agility.
Fernando Lobato Meeser, Cryptography Engineer at Google, brings the perspective of implementing and reviewing cryptography at hyperscale, including security reviews, contributions to Tink, and storage encryption at cloud scale.
Why This Conversation Matters Now
The PQC transition sits at the intersection of many of the communities that FIPS ‘n’ Chips 2026 is designed to bring together: researchers, government experts, standards developers, technology companies, testing laboratories, certification bodies, and security practitioners.
No single group can solve the migration challenge alone.
That makes The PQC Countdown more than a discussion about when a sufficiently powerful quantum computer might arrive. It is a discussion about what the security community needs to accomplish before it does.
With policy, standards, validation programs, and industry roadmaps evolving simultaneously, FIPS ‘n’ Chips provides a timely forum to connect these developments and turn them into practical strategies.
The PQC countdown has begun. FIPS ‘n’ Chips 2026 is where we can talk about what comes next.
Learn more about the panelists and other speakers at FIPS ‘n’ Chips 2026.