diff --git a/WORKSPACE b/WORKSPACE
index 23a1e507b3..5b3e1a48f4 100644
--- a/WORKSPACE
+++ b/WORKSPACE
@@ -148,9 +148,9 @@ install_notebook_deps()
 # This statement defines the @com_google_protobuf repo.
 git_repository(
     name = "com_google_protobuf",
-    patches = ["//patches:protobuf-v26.1.patch"],
+    patches = ["//patches:protobuf-v28.3.patch"],
     patch_args = ["-p1"],
-    tag = "v26.1",
+    tag = "v28.3",
     remote = "https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf.git",
 )
 # Load common dependencies.
diff --git a/patches/BUILD.bazel b/patches/BUILD.bazel
index 60d072770f..901dac9f92 100644
--- a/patches/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/patches/BUILD.bazel
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ exports_files([
     "abseil-cpp-20240722.0.patch",
     "highs.patch",
     "protobuf-v26.1.patch",
+    "protobuf-v28.3.patch",
     "pybind11_abseil.patch",
     "pybind11_bazel.patch",
     "pybind11_protobuf.patch",
diff --git a/patches/protobuf-v28.3.patch b/patches/protobuf-v28.3.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..331e026797
--- /dev/null
+++ b/patches/protobuf-v28.3.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
+index 807ef014..8937d5eb 100644
+--- a/CMakeLists.txt
++++ b/CMakeLists.txt
+@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ else (BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
+ endif (BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
+ option(protobuf_BUILD_SHARED_LIBS "Build Shared Libraries" ${protobuf_BUILD_SHARED_LIBS_DEFAULT})
+ include(CMakeDependentOption)
+-cmake_dependent_option(protobuf_MSVC_STATIC_RUNTIME "Link static runtime libraries" ON
++cmake_dependent_option(protobuf_MSVC_STATIC_RUNTIME "Link static runtime libraries" OFF
+   "NOT protobuf_BUILD_SHARED_LIBS" OFF)
+ set(protobuf_WITH_ZLIB_DEFAULT ON)
+ option(protobuf_WITH_ZLIB "Build with zlib support" ${protobuf_WITH_ZLIB_DEFAULT})
+@@ -160,24 +160,16 @@ endif()
+ 
+ set(_protobuf_FIND_ZLIB)
+ if (protobuf_WITH_ZLIB)
+-  find_package(ZLIB)
+-  if (ZLIB_FOUND)
+-    set(HAVE_ZLIB 1)
+-    # FindZLIB module define ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRS variable
+-    # Set ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES for compatible
+-    set(ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES ${ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES} ${ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRS})
+-    # Using imported target if exists
+-    if (TARGET ZLIB::ZLIB)
+-      set(ZLIB_LIBRARIES ZLIB::ZLIB)
+-      set(_protobuf_FIND_ZLIB "if(NOT ZLIB_FOUND)\n  find_package(ZLIB)\nendif()")
+-    endif (TARGET ZLIB::ZLIB)
+-  else (ZLIB_FOUND)
+-    set(HAVE_ZLIB 0)
+-    # Explicitly set these to empty (override NOT_FOUND) so cmake doesn't
+-    # complain when we use them later.
+-    set(ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES)
+-    set(ZLIB_LIBRARIES)
+-  endif (ZLIB_FOUND)
++ if (NOT TARGET ZLIB::ZLIB)
++   find_package(ZLIB REQUIRED)
++ endif()
++ set(HAVE_ZLIB 1)
++ # FindZLIB module define ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRS variable
++ # Set ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES for compatible
++ set(ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES ${ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES} ${ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRS})
++ # Using imported target if exists
++ set(ZLIB_LIBRARIES ZLIB::ZLIB)
++ set(_protobuf_FIND_ZLIB "if(NOT ZLIB_FOUND AND NOT TARGET ZLIB::ZLIB)\n  find_package(ZLIB REQUIRED)\nendif()")
+ endif (protobuf_WITH_ZLIB)
+ 
+ # We need to link with libatomic on systems that do not have builtin atomics, or
+@@ -279,7 +271,6 @@ else (MSVC)
+ endif (MSVC)
+ 
+ include_directories(
+-  ${ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES}
+   ${protobuf_BINARY_DIR}
+   # Support #include-ing other top-level directories, i.e. upb_generator.
+   ${protobuf_SOURCE_DIR}