WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump signs executive orders aimed at accelerating quantum research, laying the groundwork for federal agencies to adopt the technology and strengthen US defences against cyberattacks.
Quantum computing is a nascent sector but one with implications for national security that has the United States and China racing to assert their dominance.
Trump was joined by Alphabet Inc president Ruth Porat and International Business Machines Corp (IBM) chief executive officer Arvind Krishna. IBM shares rose 2.4% in post-market trading.
Trump said the first order would launch an effort to create a quantum computer capable of performing important scientific calculations.
White House officials, who briefed reporters ahead of the signing, said they believed a computer could be developed by 2028. The order also called on agencies to work on plans to deploy quantum-enabled sensors and networks in the next five years, the officials said. — Bloomberg
