Executive orders seek to hasten quantum computing—and guard against its use One directs a "national effort" toward a useful quantum computer; the other sets deadlines for quantum-resistant encryption. Two two executive orders on Monday aim to hasten the arrival of useful quantum computers while protecting U.S. systems from them. “Innovation and security have to be balanced,” National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross said during the White House signing ceremony on Monday. As expected, the orders address different aspects of the burgeoning quantum information sciences and technology landscape. One, “Ushering In The Next Frontier Of Quantum Innovation,” launches “a national effort” to create a quantum computer that can perform basic operations and improve quantum sensors. It directs the creation of a "Quantum Computer for Application Development and Discovery Science Effort" at in a Department of Energy facility, while other provisions support quantum computing supply chains, foster workforce development, and explore private sector and international partnerships. The order also expands the Quantum Information Science and Technology Counterintelligence Protection Team to study threats to domestic quantum-computing efforts. The other order, Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks,” pushes the government to move to cryptographic standards that can withstand quantum computers. It puts several agencies in charge of the effort, including the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Homeland Security, the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency, and the National Security Agency. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has helmed the effort to identify and test new encryption algorithms. The order sets a deadline of 2030 to update key elements of critical infrastructure, and of 2031 for "high-impact environments." Garfield Jones, the executive vice president of Strategy and Research at QuSecure, said the executive order on post-quantum cryptography is an "unambiguous signal" of the need. "The 2030 deadline for key