A White House official said fragmented and underfunded supply chains remain one of the biggest obstacles to advancing U.S. quantum technologies.
Speaking during an industry webinar, Brad Blakestad, director of the National Quantum Coordination Office, said quantum computing, sensing and networking each rely on different hardware platforms and components, creating multiple interconnected supply chains that are difficult to secure and scale.
Blakestad said the quantum industry is nearing broader commercialization but lacks sufficient private-sector funding to build resilient supply chains. He pointed to the Trump administration’s recent quantum executive order, which calls for strengthening domestic quantum supply chains through research, manufacturing and private-sector collaboration, while warning that securing future quantum encryption capabilities remains another key challenge.
Donald McFarlane, Advisory Board Member, Xcape, Inc. had this comment:
“The national security implications extend well beyond today’s research pipeline. If a cryptographically relevant quantum computer becomes practical, strategicadvantage won’t come from building the first one: it will come from being able to manufacture, deploy, sustain, and improve them at scale. This is as much about surge capacity as it is about supply chains.
“The administration’s emphasis on domestic quantum manufacturing reflects that reality. The United States has long excelled at fundamental research, but technological leadership ultimately depends on the ability to translate breakthroughs into resilient domestic production. The relevant question isn’t simply whether we can build a sufficiently capable quantum computer, it’s whether we can rapidly build many of them, along with the cryogenic infrastructure, control electronics, specialized manufacturing, and skilled workforce needed to support them.
“This planning should already be well under way. Building surge capacity for quantum technologies can’t begin after a breakthrough has occurred. The industrial base, manufacturing capability, and supporting infrastructure must be developed in parallel so they are ready when they’re needed, not years later.
“Leadership in quantum won’t be determined solely by scientific discovery; it will also be determined by who can industrialize, scale production, and sustain operational capability when national security demands it.
Aaron Colclough, VP of Operations, Suzu Labs adds this comment:
“Blakestad’s right that this isn’t one supply chain. Computing, sensing, and networking pull different parts, and even within computing the machines are built different ways, with different parts. That means several intertwined bills of materials to secure and scale, not a single national stack.
“The June order tries to fix that by mapping the supply chains, cutting manufacturing friction, and incentivizing the buying of parts. But that only works if there’s money and the order doesn’t invent a budget by itself.
“Encryption is the part most companies can act on now. You don’t need a working quantum computer to start swapping out today’s public-key crypto for NIST’s post-quantum algorithms. Find where you encrypt and sign today, then plan the cutover. Waiting for “Q-day” is how you leave old traffic sitting around for someone to decrypt later.”
Resilient supply chains are a today problem. Thus every organization needs to treat them as such today.
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This entry was posted on July 30, 2026 at 3:06 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags White House. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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White House cites quantum supply chain as major challenge
A White House official said fragmented and underfunded supply chains remain one of the biggest obstacles to advancing U.S. quantum technologies.
Speaking during an industry webinar, Brad Blakestad, director of the National Quantum Coordination Office, said quantum computing, sensing and networking each rely on different hardware platforms and components, creating multiple interconnected supply chains that are difficult to secure and scale.
Blakestad said the quantum industry is nearing broader commercialization but lacks sufficient private-sector funding to build resilient supply chains. He pointed to the Trump administration’s recent quantum executive order, which calls for strengthening domestic quantum supply chains through research, manufacturing and private-sector collaboration, while warning that securing future quantum encryption capabilities remains another key challenge.
Donald McFarlane, Advisory Board Member, Xcape, Inc. had this comment:
“The national security implications extend well beyond today’s research pipeline. If a cryptographically relevant quantum computer becomes practical, strategicadvantage won’t come from building the first one: it will come from being able to manufacture, deploy, sustain, and improve them at scale. This is as much about surge capacity as it is about supply chains.
“The administration’s emphasis on domestic quantum manufacturing reflects that reality. The United States has long excelled at fundamental research, but technological leadership ultimately depends on the ability to translate breakthroughs into resilient domestic production. The relevant question isn’t simply whether we can build a sufficiently capable quantum computer, it’s whether we can rapidly build many of them, along with the cryogenic infrastructure, control electronics, specialized manufacturing, and skilled workforce needed to support them.
“This planning should already be well under way. Building surge capacity for quantum technologies can’t begin after a breakthrough has occurred. The industrial base, manufacturing capability, and supporting infrastructure must be developed in parallel so they are ready when they’re needed, not years later.
“Leadership in quantum won’t be determined solely by scientific discovery; it will also be determined by who can industrialize, scale production, and sustain operational capability when national security demands it.
Aaron Colclough, VP of Operations, Suzu Labs adds this comment:
“Blakestad’s right that this isn’t one supply chain. Computing, sensing, and networking pull different parts, and even within computing the machines are built different ways, with different parts. That means several intertwined bills of materials to secure and scale, not a single national stack.
“The June order tries to fix that by mapping the supply chains, cutting manufacturing friction, and incentivizing the buying of parts. But that only works if there’s money and the order doesn’t invent a budget by itself.
“Encryption is the part most companies can act on now. You don’t need a working quantum computer to start swapping out today’s public-key crypto for NIST’s post-quantum algorithms. Find where you encrypt and sign today, then plan the cutover. Waiting for “Q-day” is how you leave old traffic sitting around for someone to decrypt later.”
Resilient supply chains are a today problem. Thus every organization needs to treat them as such today.
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This entry was posted on July 30, 2026 at 3:06 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags White House. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.