U.S. President Donald Trump holds up the document after signing an executive order on commercializing quantum computers on the 22nd (local time). Reuters/Yonhap News
The administration of US President Donald Trump will build quantum computing research systems in the federal government by 2028 and deploy quantum sensors in place of the Global Positioning System (GPS) by 2031. The move aims to accelerate quantum infrastructure development in step with Big Tech companies racing toward quantum computer commercialization. The plan is to preemptively adopt quantum computer technology as a strategic asset and avoid ceding the initiative in the US-China battle for supremacy.
Trump signed two executive orders related to quantum computers at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. The signing ceremony was attended by quantum computing industry leaders, including IBM CEO Arvind Krishna and Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer (CIO) of Alphabet, Google’s parent company.
In the first executive order, Trump directed federal agencies to deploy quantum computers by 2028 to enable quantum science research with companies and academia. He ordered the Department of Commerce and the Department of Defense to deploy quantum sensors that use quantum mechanics to replace global GPS within five years. The aim is to use quantum technology instead of GPS to maximize space exploration and combat capabilities without the threat of enemy signal jamming.
The second executive order included a directive to build a quantum-standard cryptography security system by 2031. The intent is to block hackers from accessing quantum computers to paralyze national infrastructure. The timeline Trump presented is four years ahead of the goal set by the previous Joe Biden administration. Rebecca Krauthamer, CEO of security firm QuSecure, said, “It’s significant that (the government) has set a specific timeline at a security transition point that can no longer remain theoretical.”
Quantum computers process large-scale operations simultaneously, solving complex calculations that would take supercomputers hundreds of years in just a few seconds. They are considered a next-generation advanced capability that can solve difficult problems beyond the reach of modern science and technology, such as new drug development and cryptography decryption, and pioneer new industries. This is the backdrop against which major countries, including the United States and China, are competing fiercely to dominate the quantum technology ecosystem.
Microsoft (MS) unveiled “Majorana 2,” a chip for quantum computers, on the 2nd of this month and announced it would commercialize quantum computers in 2029. Peter DeSantis, who heads Amazon’s artificial intelligence (AI), said in a CNBC interview, “The first small-scale, commercially useful quantum computers will emerge within five to seven years.”
The measure is assessed as a strategy by the Trump administration to bolster its domestic companies in the quantum computing competition with China. The US Department of Commerce announced on the 21st of last month that it would provide $2.013 billion (about 3.0968 trillion won) to nine quantum computing companies, including IBM. IBM will inject an additional $1 billion of its own funds to establish the first manufacturing facility dedicated to quantum semiconductors in the United States.
The United States is even acquiring stakes in quantum computing companies, making quantum technology a national strategic asset. GlobalFoundries, D-Wave Quantum, and Rigetti Computing will hand over part of their stakes to the government in return for government support. The Trump administration is using a strategy of acquiring stakes in private companies as a strategy to nurture advanced industries, with Intel being a representative example. The United States acquired a 9.9% stake in Intel, saying it would recreate the glory of its past semiconductor industry.
While the United States leads in AI, China has been honing top-tier technology in the quantum computer market for the past 10 years. Last month, China unveiled the world’s first “dual-core” quantum computer, a technology that reduces energy consumption using neutral atoms. China’s Zhejiang University published a paper in March implementing the world’s first “Quantum Random Access Memory (QRAM)” structure. QRAM is a key component that allows quantum computers to efficiently access existing data.
The University of Science and Technology of China has secured the superconducting “Zuchongzhi” series, comparable to Google’s Sycamore, and its satellite-based quantum communication Mozi is assessed to have entered world-class levels. In addition, Origin Quantum, a leading quantum computing startup, developed a superconducting quantum computer.
Reuters explained, “The executive orders show how much importance the Trump administration places on securing leadership in the quantum race with China,” adding that they are “measures that empower a technology field that will shake up science and cybersecurity.”