Inside the Trump administration’s $2 billion push to build the world’s first useful quantum computer

The White House Quantum Summit convened last month, bringing together quantum policy officials and industry leaders from various sectors, including the Departments of Commerce, Defense, and Energy, as well as the National Science Foundation. The summit aimed to address the urgent task of building a fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2028, a goal set by the Trump administration, to become the first nation to achieve this feat.

While experimental quantum computers currently exist, the global race is focused on developing a quantum computer that is "industrially useful," meaning it can solve problems that classical computers find challenging due to quantum mechanics principles.

Gregg Bartlett, GlobalFoundries' chief technology officer, shared insights on scaling quantum physics to industrial scale and the importance of building a robust semiconductor ecosystem. Despite acknowledging some skepticism regarding meeting the 2028 deadline, Darío Gil, undersecretary for science at the U.S. Department of Energy, expressed confidence in the industry's potential to accelerate progress.

Victor Peng, CEO of quantum computing startup PsiQuantum, highlighted the heightened sense of urgency surrounding American leadership in quantum computing.

The quantum computing sector has seen significant investments, with $12.6 billion allocated to startups in 2025, a 6.3 times increase compared to 2024, according to McKinsey & Company. The U.S. government has also contributed, with the Department of Commerce announcing a $2 billion investment across nine quantum-focused companies, including IBM and GlobalFoundries.

As the quantum computing industry transitions from research labs to practical applications, technology futurist Daniel Burrus suggests that hybrid computing, combining quantum systems with AI, will be crucial for solving today's complex challenges in sectors like drug discovery, energy, and security.