Trump signs orders to build powerful quantum computer by 2028

On June 22, 2026, President Donald Trump signed two executive orders targeting quantum computing advancement and national security hardening. The first order tasks the federal government with building a research-grade quantum computer by 2028, while the second accelerates the transition to post-quantum cryptography by setting a new deadline of 2031. Together, these directives establish a timeline, allocate funding, and introduce a novel government investment structure that raises significant questions.

The first executive order, as reported by NBC News, calls for a machine “powerful enough for scientific research” within two years, followed by “commercially relevant” quantum computers by the end of Trump’s term. However, the administration has not yet defined what “powerful enough for scientific research” means. The Department of Energy will later set the threshold based on scale, leaving the headline target without a concrete benchmark until that standard is published.

Funding details are more specific. The administration plans to award $2 billion in grants across nine quantum companies, with the U. S. government taking equity stakes in return. This arrangement ties directly to the 2028 commercial relevance goal. According to reports, the largest portion, roughly $1 billion, would go to IBM, with $375 million to GlobalFoundries and $100 million each to D-Wave Quantum, Rigetti Computing, and Infleqtion. These per-company figures come from reporting rather than the White House text and should be treated as allocated estimates.

This equity-for-grants model marks a departure from traditional federal research funding, which typically involves grants with no claim on profits. Here, the government positions itself as a shareholder alongside private investors, betting that funded firms will eventually turn a profit it can share. This also gives the administration a direct stake in companies it publicly champions, a dynamic that often invites scrutiny later. The approach mirrors a pattern seen across the chip and AI economy this year, where public or private funding is exchanged for ownership rather than outright grants, echoing larger equity bets reshaping the AI supply chain with the government on the cap table.

The second executive order, quieter but arguably more consequential, focuses on national security. As reported by CyberScoop, it accelerates the government’s migration to post-quantum cryptography, encryption designed to withstand quantum computers capable of breaking today’s standards. The new deadline of 2031 pulls forward a transition that agencies had been planning at a slower pace. This migration is no small task. It requires re-engineering algorithms that protect classified communications, financial systems, and critical infrastructure, all against a machine that may not yet exist but could arrive within the decade the order is planning for.

According to Nextgov, the same package was expected to direct intelligence agencies to shield domestic quantum research from foreign threats, reflecting concerns that whoever achieves a useful quantum computer first gains a decryption advantage over those still relying on classical encryption.

Taken together, these orders represent a dual bet: that American firms can be pushed toward a working quantum computer faster with federal money and ownership stakes, and that the government can armor its own systems before anyone else gets there. This government-as-investor instinct has been visible in the wider chip-policy scramble, where strategic technology and public funding have grown harder to separate.

What happens next largely rests with the Department of Energy, which must convert “powerful enough for scientific research” into a measurable standard before anyone can determine whether the 2028 target was met, missed, or quietly redefined. Until that threshold lands, the orders set a direction and a budget, leaving the scoreboard for later.