US President Donald Trump signed two executive orders at the White House on June 22, with the participation of Google and IBM executives. The White House described this step as the most ambitious quantum technology agenda in US history. One of the decrees aims to develop a quantum computer that can produce scientifically meaningful results by 2028, while the other pushed the federal agencies’ post-quantum cryptography calendar from 2035 to December 2031.
Quantum target pulled forward
In his statement following the announcement, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios stated that the Department of Energy will build the first quantum computer that can be used in scientific discoveries by 2028. Kratsios also stated that federal agencies are planned to deploy quantum sensors and networks within five years, and that the FBI will lead a new study to protect quantum research and intellectual property from foreign espionage activities.
Michael Kratsios said that research that has been supported for many years has now begun to turn into commercial applications, and the signed decree aims to accelerate this process even further.
The first decree, numbered 14411 and titled New Frontier in Quantum Innovation, offers a framework focused on investment and development. With this text, the Quantum Computing for Application Development and Discovery Science initiative was launched. The Commerce Department has also been tasked with expanding federal support for private quantum companies following $2 billion in capital investments announced in May.
The headline that the crypto industry pays attention to
The most striking regulation in terms of the cryptocurrency market was the second decree no. 14409, titled Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks. This step brings forward federal agencies’ transition to post-quantum cryptography by four years. Accordingly, the deadline will be December 2031 instead of 2035. Additionally, NIST was required to complete the pilot migration of federal systems by December 2027.
According to the decrees, institution heads must appoint a post quantum cryptography transition officer within 30 days. New procurement rules have also been introduced for federal contractors. These companies will be expected to use post quantum algorithms standardized by NIST by the end of 2030.
Mini dictionary: Post quantum cryptography refers to encryption methods that are intended to be resistant to attacks by classical computers as well as by sufficiently powerful quantum computers in the future. NIST, as the US institution that determines technical standards, is considered the main reference point in algorithm selection in this field.
Possible implications for Bitcoin and Ethereum
Bitcoin and most major crypto assets rely on elliptic curve cryptography to verify wallet ownership and validate transactions. According to analysts, a sufficiently powerful quantum computer could derive a private key from a public key that is clearly visible on the chain using the Shor algorithm. Although this scenario remains at a theoretical level today, it is increasingly taking place in the security planning of the sector.
The Independent Quantum Computing and Blockchain Advisory Board at Coinbase warned earlier this month that approximately 7 million BTC was currently in open addresses. The Board evaluated Satoshi-era wallets with visible public keys, as well as some active cold wallets used by exchanges, in this context.
While Google targets 2029 for the transition to post-quantum cryptography in its own systems, the US federal government has increased its target to 2031 with the decisions signed by Trump. Bitcoin developers, on the other hand, brought forward BIP 360 and BIP 361 suggestions as security measures. One of these proposals envisages new quantum-resistant Bitcoin addresses, while the other involves future freezing of coins in old and vulnerable addresses that have not been moved.
