Trump Signs Executive Orders to Build Quantum Computer and Defend U.S. Encryption

TLDR

• Trump signed two executive orders on quantum computing — one to build large-scale machines, one to defend against them
• The QC-ADDS program aims to deliver a quantum computer to a Department of Energy facility for scientific use
• Federal agencies must migrate sensitive systems to post-quantum cryptography by 2030–2031
• The orders come as China ramps up its own quantum ambitions under its Five-Year Plan
• Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana are all weighing or actively building quantum defenses

Trump signed two executive orders Monday pushing the U.S. to build large-scale quantum computers while also protecting federal systems from the encryption risks those machines could create.

The move puts the U.S. government in the unusual position of racing to build a technology while simultaneously defending against it.

The Build Order

Executive Order 14411 launches a program called QC-ADDS — Quantum Computer for Application Development and Discovery Science. Its goal is to build a quantum computer large enough to “initiate the era of quantum-enabled scientific discovery.”

The order calls for at least one machine to be delivered to a Department of Energy facility and made available to the scientific community.

The Pentagon is also directed to deploy quantum sensors by September 2028. The order sets a 60-day window for the Secretary of Defense to identify at least three next-generation quantum sensor projects to prioritize.

Workforce training and supply chain development are also part of the plan.

Defending Against the Quantum Threat

Executive Order 14409 addresses what happens when quantum computers become powerful enough to break current encryption.

The order warns that adversaries may already be collecting encrypted U.S. data today, planning to decode it once quantum tools are ready. This is known as the “harvest now, decrypt later” problem.

To counter this, federal agencies must move their most sensitive systems to post-quantum cryptography for key establishment by end of 2030, and for digital signatures by end of 2031.

The Office of Management and Budget and the National Cyber Director will lead the migration.

Within 180 days, relevant agencies must also update the National Quantum Strategy to support commercial partnerships and industry development.

What This Means for Crypto

Quantum computing has been a growing concern in the crypto world. A March 2026 paper co-authored with an Ethereum Foundation researcher and a Stanford cryptographer found that breaking the elliptic curve cryptography used by Bitcoin and Ethereum could require fewer than 500,000 physical qubits. That is a 20-fold drop from earlier estimates.

Google has set 2029 as its internal deadline to upgrade to post-quantum cryptography. Ethereum and Solana have started building quantum-resistant roadmaps. Bitcoin’s community remains divided on how to respond.

The orders also come as China expands its quantum program. China’s Five-Year Plan, announced in March, targets scalable quantum computers and a space-earth quantum communication network.

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