US President Donald Trump has ordered an accelerated push to develop quantum computers and expand their use across the US government.
The Department of Energy is to receive a quantum computer powerful enough for scientific discovery, Trump's White House science and technology adviser Michael Kratsios said on Monday. The target date is 2028.
The executive order itself does not name a date. It says several US agencies, including the space agency NASA, are to draw up five-year plans for the use of quantum technology.
Quantum computers are expected to be many times more powerful than today's machines and could pave the way for major scientific breakthroughs - at least that is the hope.
At the same time, there are concerns that the new technology could easily break encryption systems that are currently considered secure.
Technology companies such as Apple and Google have for years been introducing new encryption methods designed to withstand the potential threat posed by quantum computers.
Trump also ordered further steps to protect US infrastructure against attacks using quantum technology. Energy providers and water utilities are among those to be given priority protection.
Powerful quantum computers are still under development. Google, one of the leading players in the field, hopes to build practical quantum computers by the end of the decade.
