US President Donald Trump signed executive orders to accelerate development of quantum computing, with the aim of creating a machine capable of scientific research by 2028.

Recent progress has brought the previously futuristic technology closer to commercialization — several firms went public this year. Quantum computing is expected to speed drug discovery and materials science, but also to supercharge cyber warfare in both attack and defense; Google warned in March that firms should be ready for “post-quantum cryptography” by 2029.

The orders are part of an increasingly tech-interventionist streak in the Trump administration, which has taken $2 billion in equity in quantum firms as well as stakes in Intel, and has floated buying into frontier AI firms.