Quantum Leap Forward
Trump Launches Whole-of-Government Quantum Push, Targets 2028 Global Computing Leadership
Anonymous
Key Points
1
The executive orders broaden the scope of QIST from computing to explicitly include quantum sensing and networking, expanding the national strategy to cover a wider set of quantum technologies.
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Interagency governance for the initiative is described as cross-cutting, naming the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology (APST), the Secretary of War, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Energy, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), the Director of the NSF, and the SCQIS (Subcommittees on Quantum Information Science) as coordinating bodies.
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The policy emphasizes working with allies to protect sensitive QIST technologies and to deter adversaries from using quantum advances to undermine national security.
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Private-sector engagement is highlighted by attendance from Alphabet and IBM executives at the signing ceremony, signaling strong industry involvement in the administration’s quantum push.
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The orders build on the National Quantum Initiative Act of 2018 and call for doubling federal investment in QIST research and development, reinforcing a long-term goal to establish U.S. leadership across research, manufacturing, commercialization, and application.
President Trump signed two executive orders on June 22, 2026, to push the United States to the front of the global quantum race. The goal: build the world's first quantum computer capable of powering advanced scientific research by 2028, according to The Epoch Times.
Trump called the move "a matter of ultimate national survival" at the Oval Office signing. He was flanked by the CEOs of Alphabet and IBM — a signal that the government plans to lean heavily on private industry to hit that two-year deadline, Yahoo Finance reported.
From Basic Research to Deployment in Two Years
The two orders update the National Quantum Initiative, a program first launched under the National Quantum Initiative Act of 2018. That law put about $1.2 billion into academic labs and basic physics over five years. The new orders shift focus from curiosity-driven science to real-world deployment and commercialization, according to Mirage News.
The 2028 target is widely seen as a direct response to China's quantum advances. U.S. intelligence has reportedly warned that the window for American dominance is closing faster than expected. The Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation issued a joint memo on June 22 committing to hit the milestone within 24 months.
Seven Agencies Now Share the Quantum Wheel
The orders name seven coordinating bodies to run the effort together. They are: the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology (APST), the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of War, the Director of National Intelligence, the NSF Director, and the Subcommittee on Quantum Information Science. The APST described the shift as moving from "curiosity-driven research" to "mission-driven deployment."
The orders also call for a 180-day update to the National Quantum Strategy. That update is expected to include a plan to migrate federal systems to post-quantum cryptography — encryption that can resist attacks from future quantum computers — faster than the previous 2035 target, per Yahoo Finance.
IBM and Alphabet CEOs Push for Qubit Scale-Up
IBM CEO Arvind Krishna told The Wall Street Journal that the orders give the private sector the "regulatory certainty and capital infusion" needed to scale quantum hardware from hundreds to thousands of logical qubits. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai was also at the signing, underlining tech industry buy-in for the push.
The orders call for doubling federal quantum R&D spending. If the 2025 baseline was roughly $1.1 billion, that puts the annual target above $2.2 billion. CNBC reported a moderate uptick in quantum-related stocks — including IonQ and Rigetti — after Trump spoke about doubling the investment.
Security Fears and Congressional Budget Battles Loom
The Director of National Intelligence cited the threat of "harvest now, decrypt later" attacks — where adversaries collect encrypted data today and crack it once quantum computers are powerful enough — as a core reason to accelerate, per The Epoch Times. The orders also expand the strategy beyond computing to cover quantum sensing and networking, technologies with major defense uses like GPS-free navigation.
But hurdles remain. Doubling federal investment requires Congress to approve new spending. That money will compete with AI and semiconductor budgets in a tight fiscal year, The Wall Street Journal noted. Yahoo Finance also reported that some safety advocates worry that racing to commercialize quantum tech without advancing post-quantum encryption protections is "like building a faster car without brakes."
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