President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Monday that put the U.S. government on a dual track: accelerating the development of powerful quantum computers while hardening federal systems against the damage those machines could eventually do to encryption. The orders have direct relevance to crypto markets, where quantum computing has become a pressing security concern.
Quantum Development and Defense
Executive Order 14411 directs the Department of Energy to host at least one large-scale quantum computer. It also mandates that the Department of Defense prioritize quantum sensor development, with a deadline to field such sensors by September 30, 2028. The order includes provisions for workforce training and supply chain development.
Post-Quantum Encryption Mandate
Executive Order 14409 addresses the defensive challenge. It orders federal agencies to complete a migration to post-quantum cryptography for key establishment by the end of 2030 and for digital signatures by 2031. The order warns that adversaries may already be collecting encrypted U.S. communications to decrypt later once sufficiently powerful quantum machines exist, a practice known as “harvest now, decrypt later.”
Implications for Crypto
For crypto markets, the timeline carries significant weight. A March paper by Google researchers, co-authored with Ethereum Foundation researcher Justin Drake and Stanford cryptographer Dan Boneh, concluded that breaking the elliptic curve cryptography behind Bitcoin and Ethereum could require fewer than 500,000 physical qubits, a 20-fold reduction from prior estimates. A separate Caltech and Oratomic paper published that same day pushed the threshold lower still. Google has set 2029 as its internal post-quantum migration deadline.
Amid the growing concern, blockchain developers are weighing their options. A Bitcoin Improvement Proposal, BIP-361, backed by developer Jameson Lopp, proposes phasing out quantum-vulnerable addresses on a five-year timeline, though the proposal has drawn sharp criticism.