President Trump signed two executive orders on Monday aimed at accelerating US quantum computing development and preparing the country’s cryptography for the quantum era.
The first order takes a “whole-of-government approach” to speed up quantum computing deployment and commercialization. It directs federal agencies to update the National Quantum Strategy within 180 days and establishes a national initiative called QC-ADDS — Quantum Computer for Application Development and Discovery Science — aimed at building a quantum computer powerful enough to enable new scientific breakthroughs.
The timing isn’t coincidental. China announced its latest Five-Year Plan in March with specific targets for quantum leadership and an integrated space-earth quantum communication network. The US clearly doesn’t want to fall behind.
The second order is more focused on defense: protecting US systems against quantum-assisted cryptographic attacks. It puts the Office of Management and Budget and the National Cyber Director in charge of an accelerated nationwide migration to post-quantum cryptography.
“We’re going to be investing in American quantum leadership like never before to stay ahead of the pack,” Trump said.
The order acknowledges a real threat — large-scale quantum computers, especially in adversaries’ hands, could break widely used cryptographic systems. That’s not theoretical anymore; it’s a matter of when, not if.
The crypto world’s already paying attention. Ethereum and Solana have started working on post-quantum roadmaps. Bitcoin developers are still debating how to protect old coins from quantum attacks, with proposals ranging from freezing vulnerable addresses to upgrading signature schemes.
Both orders signal that the US government is taking quantum readiness seriously — not just as a technology race, but as a national security imperative.
