Washington D.C. (GNP): US Quantum Computing Executive Orders 2026 were signed by President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, marking a landmark moment in America’s push to secure and accelerate its leadership in one of the most strategically important technologies of the coming decades.
Google Quantum AI was among the leading technology companies represented at the signing ceremony, with the company expressing its honour at participating and its enthusiasm for continued collaboration with the United States government in advancing quantum innovation.
President Trump signed two separate executive orders covering different but closely linked aspects of the quantum technology landscape. The first order launches a major national effort to develop the most powerful quantum computer ever built, capable of performing important scientific calculations and driving quantum enabled scientific discovery.
The second order directs federal agencies to begin transitioning their computing systems to post quantum cryptography standards, with key deadlines set for 2030 and 2031, to protect government infrastructure from future quantum based cyberattacks.
Trump described the US Quantum Computing Executive Orders 2026 as a big step forward, saying the United States is already the global leader in quantum technology by a significant margin and that these orders will extend that lead even further.
He was surrounded at the signing ceremony by technology industry leaders including the president of Google and the chief executive of IBM, signalling the close partnership between the federal government and the private sector in driving quantum progress forward.
Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, described the moment as one where research is finally starting to pay off into commercial applications, and said the executive orders would turbocharge that transition.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright described quantum computing as the third great pillar of future computing technology alongside artificial intelligence and advanced semiconductors, expressing confidence that scientifically relevant, error corrected quantum computing would be achieved during the current administration.
US Quantum Computing Executive Orders 2026 Build National Capability
The first of the US Quantum Computing Executive Orders 2026 establishes a new national effort known as the Quantum Computer for Application Development and Discovery Science, which will pursue the development of a quantum computer at a scale intended to begin the era of quantum enabled scientific discovery. At least one such system will be delivered to a Department of Energy facility and made available to the broader scientific community, giving researchers across the country access to cutting edge quantum hardware for the first time.
The order also directs an update to the National Quantum Strategy, which has not been formally revised since 2018, to reflect the significant advances in the technology and the changing global competitive landscape. Relevant government departments and agencies will be required to submit summaries of steps taken to align with the updated strategy within 30 days of its publication.
The order also focuses on strengthening the domestic quantum workforce through the expansion of registered apprenticeships, credentials, and new national quantum workforce programmes. It calls for increasing domestic supply chain capacity for quantum infrastructure and materials, ensuring that the United States has the industrial base needed to build and sustain advanced quantum systems over the long term.
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The second executive order addresses the urgent need to protect government computing systems from the security threat that powerful quantum computers will eventually pose to current encryption standards. It directs that key establishment and digital signature systems within critical infrastructure and high impact environments be migrated to post quantum cryptography standards by 2030 and 2031 respectively.
National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross described the two orders as pairing innovation and security in a way that will address both the opportunities and risks of the quantum era as the United States moves forward into this new technological frontier.
