# Federal Contractors Plan Post-Quantum Encryption

The article recommends that federal contractors begin planning for post-quantum cryptography now, as finalized NIST standards create near-term implementation and validation work. It advises inventorying RSA and ECC use, piloting hybrid ML-KEM with X25519 for TLS, and tracking composite-key standards for certificates and messaging. Draft NIST IR 8547’s proposed 2030 and 2035 transition dates are planning signals, not settled requirements; no specific solicitation, award, or contract value is identified.

- Contractors can start by identifying where RSA and ECC are used, then assess pilot options for hybrid ML-KEM and X25519 in TLS.
- Cryptography, certificate, and messaging suppliers may see implementation and validation needs as organizations prepare to use finalized NIST standards.
- Google Cloud, Cloudflare, and SEALSQ are cited as examples of providers or products reporting post-quantum capabilities; the article does not identify them as government awardees.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Information Technology
**Topics:** Cybersecurity
**Published:** October 25, 2026

### Government Entities
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

### Vendors
- Google Cloud (cloud load-balancer service provider; reported hybrid ML-KEM deployment)
- Cloudflare (reported provider of a hybrid post-quantum key-management service)
- SEALSQ (secure-element hardware supplier; VaultIC409 reportedly supports post-quantum and classical algorithms)

### Sources
- [Quantum-Resistant Encryption: 3 Rollout Paths [2026]](https://shattered.io/quantum-resistant-encryption-hybrid-pure-composite-ml-kem-2026) - shattered.io