Quantum Physicist at Fiber Connect: Fiber Optics Is the Nervous System That Carries It
A quantum computer could break the encryption protecting most bank accounts and government systems by 2029.
ORLANDO, May 21, 2026 — A quantum computer capable of breaking the encryption protecting most digital communications could exist within three years, theoretical physicist Michio Kaku said Wednesday. Speaking here at Fiber Connect 2026, Kaku argued that “fiber infrastructure is the nervous system” through which quantum computing will eventually reach society.
Kaku, a professor at the City University of New York and co-founder of string field theory, delivered a keynote in conversation with Ryan Harring, director of partnerships and alliances at IonQ, the publicly traded quantum computing company. Together they traced quantum computing from its current early stages to what both said will be a fundamental reshaping of global commerce, communications, and infrastructure.
