Harvest Now, Decrypt Later: The Quantum Era's Encryption Challenge

Quantum computing is accelerating — and putting today’s encryption on a clock. John Stackhouse goes inside Xanadu’s Toronto lab with Christian Weedbrook to meet Aurora , a networked quantum computer built to push scale in the right direction and speaks with Photonic’s Dr. Stephanie Simmons about “harvest now, decrypt later,” fault-tolerant quantum, and why every organization needs a post-quantum cryptography (PQC) transition plan. It’s not all doom and gloom. Simmons also lays out what quantum could unlock as it scales: new possibilities in materials, chemistry, and discovery that are moving from theory toward real-world impact. In this episode: Inside Xanadu: Aurora and what “networked quantum” looks like in the real world What “fault-tolerant” quantum means — and why it matters “Harvest now, decrypt later” and the trust implications for institutions Post-quantum cryptography (PQC): where leaders should start Quantum upside: materials, chemistry, and faster discovery Read: Quantum Explained RBC – Thought Leadership Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Harvest Now, Decrypt Later: The Quantum Era's Encryption Challenge is an episode from Disruptors by Royal Bank of Canada.

This episode is 00:22:13 long.

This episode was published on Feb 24, 2026.

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