President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Monday aimed at accelerating U.S. quantum computing capabilities. EO 14409 focuses on securing the nation against advanced cryptographic attacks, while EO 14411 addresses ushering in the next frontier of quantum innovation. The orders establish concrete timelines, including a push for quantum sensors by September 2028 and full post-quantum cryptography (PQC) migration for federal high-value assets and high-impact systems by the end of 2031. Trump's orders come amid growing awareness of the quantum threats to the cryptography underpinning blockchains, with organizations like the Ethereum Foundation and Solana Foundation having begun R&D efforts to achieve post-quantum security.
Executive Orders Extend PQC Requirements to Federal Contractors
The orders amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to extend PQC requirements across the "entire federal contractor base," not just government agencies, according to Project Eleven CEO Alex Pruden. The orders set an explicit deadline to adopt PQC by 2031. Previously, the U.S. government had only issued guidance that classical cryptography was supposed to be deprecated by 2035, but PQC adoption was implicit versus explicit in that case, Pruden said.
The orders specifically reference NIST-standardized algorithms. NIST-standardized PQC algorithms are the official U.S. Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) designed to resist quantum attacks beginning in 2024, including ML-KEM (FIPS 203), ML-DSA (FIPS 204), and SLH-DSA (FIPS 205). Many blockchain protocols are exploring non-NIST-standardized schemes, Pruden noted. The EOs naming NIST could drive broader adoption of lattice-based systems like ML-DSA among contractors and vendors seeking compliance.
Project Eleven Emphasizes Crypto Agility Strategy
Project Eleven is emphasizing "crypto agility" — the ability to support and easily switch between arbitrary cryptographic algorithms — as a key strategy for long-term resilience, Pruden said. "For the most part, the industry is in the research and development phase. Most private firms are taking a reactive approach (waiting for the protocols) rather than a proactive one," he said.
Project Eleven raised $20 million in a Series A funding round led by Castle Island Ventures earlier this year. The firm is building tools to help Bitcoin prepare for quantum threats. Pruden said the orders could have a positive impact on switching to quantum-secure tools, though the EOs do not mention blockchains directly.
Project Eleven Estimates Q-Day Timeline and Bitcoin Risk
Project Eleven published a report arguing so-called "Q-Day," or when quantum computers are able to break modern encryption, could come as early as 2030, putting about 6.9 million bitcoins at risk. It is estimated that millions of bitcoins with exposed public addresses are at risk, as powerful enough quantum computers can use Shor's algorithm to derive their private keys.
Pruden said the live question for Bitcoin specifically is the tangible path to adoption of PQC signatures, with proposals like BIP-360 (the quantum-resistant address work) being the things to watch. This is all the more significant given Trump's earlier executive order establishing the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
FAQ
What did Trump's executive orders on quantum computing establish?
Trump signed EO 14409 and EO 14411 on Monday, establishing timelines including a push for quantum sensors by September 2028 and full post-quantum cryptography migration for federal high-value assets and high-impact systems by the end of 2031.
What are NIST-standardized PQC algorithms referenced in the orders?
NIST-standardized PQC algorithms are the official U.S. Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) designed to resist quantum attacks beginning in 2024, including ML-KEM (FIPS 203), ML-DSA (FIPS 204), and SLH-DSA (FIPS 205).
When does Project Eleven estimate Q-Day could occur?
Project Eleven published a report arguing Q-Day, when quantum computers are able to break modern encryption, could come as early as 2030, putting about 6.9 million bitcoins at risk.
