President Donald Trump signed executive orders Monday aimed at accelerating quantum research, laying the groundwork for federal agencies to adopt the technology and strengthen US defenses against cyberattacks.
The orders would boost the US “as the world leader in this very important emerging field,” Trump said at the White House. “We’re already the leader by a lot, and we’re going to be now the leader by a lot more.”
Quantum computing is a nascent sector but one with implications for national security that has the US and China racing to assert their dominance. Trump was joined by Alphabet Inc. President Ruth Porat and International Business Machines Corp. Chief Executive Officer Arvind Krishna. IBM shares rose 2.4% in postmarket trading.
Trump said the first order would launch an effort to create a quantum computer capable of performing important scientific calculations. White House officials, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity ahead of the signing, said they believed a computer could be developed by 2028.
The order also calls on agencies to work on plans to deploy quantum-enabled sensors and networks in the next five years, the officials said. The order also supports coordination with allies to protect quantum intellectual property and bolster supply chains.
A second order seeks to accelerate US deployment of algorithms that can resist quantum-powered cyberattacks, with migration to those standards — called post-quantum cryptography — set for 2031 at the latest for high-value assets at agencies. Quantum technologies remain mostly theoretical for now and are unproven at scale, but could one day be powerful enough to break the standard encryption standards used to keep a wide swath of information, such as bank payments, private.
The Commerce Department in 2024 said it approved three algorithms, which can already run on classical computers, as resistant to potential quantum-powered cyberattacks. The US has long sought a way to protect itself from such strikes and one office at Commerce has searched for techniques to mitigate risks since at least 2016.
Senior White House officials declined to identify companies the US will be working with to implement the orders, but they include a directive for the government to partner with domestic industry players, according to a fact sheet. That could present a broad boost to the quantum industry. Valuations of quantum computing companies have soared this year, riding the wave of interest in artificial intelligence as some investors bet on the next potential tech breakthrough.
Officials said the Energy Department would set the technical specifications for building a research-relevant quantum computer, but cautioned it would just be a step toward more capable quantum systems. The computer is set to be delivered to a national lab or other Energy Department facility.
The Trump administration has positioned itself to benefit from the industry’s success. In May, the Commerce Department announced it would offer more than $2 billion in funding in exchange for non-controlling equity stakes in a group of quantum computing firms including IBM and Globalfoundries Inc.
Technologists and physicists have tried for decades to harness the mind-bending mechanics of quantum physics into making so-called supercomputers that would be exponentially more powerful than conventional machines. The industry has made some breakthroughs but is still working to overcome the challenges of making the technology work at scale.
The order for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration along with the departments of Commerce, Defense and Energy to deploy quantum-enabled sensors and networks could stoke demand for companies making those products. Officials said agencies can use existing funding, in coordination with the Office of Management and Budget, for quantum tech adoption and to build the research-focused quantum machine.
Among the directives Monday are initiatives to better protect the quantum industry from espionage and expand the pool of workers through apprenticeships and other means, according to a fact sheet.
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