The US White House released a memorandum outlining policies and initiatives related to quantum computing. It identifies key steps needed to maintain US competitive advantage in quantum information science (QIS), while mitigating the risks of quantum computers to cyber, economic, and national security. It directs specific actions for agencies to take as the US begins the multi-year process of migrating vulnerable computer systems to quantum-resistant cryptography.
Quantum computers hold the potential to drive innovations across the American economy, from fields as diverse as materials science and pharmaceuticals to finance and energy. While the full range of applications of quantum computers is still unknown, it is nevertheless clear that America’s continued technological and scientific leadership will depend, at least in part, on the Nation’s ability to maintain a competitive advantage in quantum computing and QIS.
Yet alongside its potential benefits, quantum computing also poses significant risks to the economic and national security of the United States. Most notably, a quantum computer of sufficient size and sophistication — also known as a cryptanalytically relevant quantum computer (CRQC) — will be capable of breaking much of the public-key cryptography used on digital systems across the United States and around the world. When it becomes available, a CRQC could jeopardize civilian and military communications, undermine supervisory and control systems for critical infrastructure, and defeat security protocols for most Internet-based financial transactions.
In order to balance the competing opportunities and risks of quantum computers, it is the policy of the Administration to:
- maintain US leadership in QIS, through continued investment, partnerships, and a balanced approach to technology promotion and protection; and
- mitigate the threat of CRQCs through a timely and equitable transition of the Nation’s cryptographic systems to interoperable quantum‑resistant cryptography.