THIS WEEK IN AI
Candice Bryant Consulting
Strategic Intelligence & Public Affairs
QUANTUM 2.0
Quantum has been the invisible engine of the modern world for decades. Every time we use a smartphone, an MRI, or a laser, we are harnessing the first generation of quantum technology: "Quantum 1.0."
Now, we are entering "Quantum 2.0." And the rules are changing.
This week, I'm tracking a draft Executive Order on quantum and consolidation efforts at Los Alamos National Lab.
For those already across the headlines, skip to "What I'm Watching" for insights, including why 2026 is the year of quantum security.
DRAFT EXECUTIVE ORDER ON QUANTUM INNOVATION — The White House is reportedly preparing a sweeping executive order outlining a "whole-of-government" approach to quantum innovation. The text directs OSTP, Commerce, Energy, and Defense to update the National Quantum Strategy, launch a federally backed scientific quantum computer, and deepen partnerships with industry and allied nations. The order emphasizes workforce development, manufacturing capacity, and counterintelligence protections.
LOS ALAMOS CONSOLIDATES QUANTUM RESEARCH — Los Alamos National Laboratory has formed a new Center for Quantum Computing to bring together as many as three dozen researchers. Headquartered in downtown Los Alamos, the center consolidates the lab’s expertise in national security applications, quantum algorithms, quantum computer science, and workforce development.
WHAT I'M WATCHING
Scientists are calling this quantum’s "transistor moment."
Just as the transistor moved the computer out of the lab and eventually into our homes, quantum is making the leap from research to the field. The focus is shifting from just discovery to scaling and manufacturing.
But here’s the other side. Quantum sensing could make the ocean transparent—and the sky along with it. Quantum computing could break the encryption that protects critical systems. And AI and quantum are no longer separate "future" technologies; they form a feedback loop, each accelerating the other.
The race has already started. China's public quantum funding outpaces the U.S. by as much as 4-to-1. And while we have the scientists, we lack the builders. We only have one qualified candidate for every three job vacancies.
Industry hears the clock ticking. Quantum Insider has designated 2026 the "Year of Quantum Security." The countdown to "Q-Day" — the moment a quantum computer can break current encryption standards — has begun. IonQ CEO Niccolo de Masi has been out in front, warning that the West is in a race with China "to be the RSA cracker."
This is the context behind the EO and Los Alamos changes. Along with the Genesis Mission and the National Quantum Initiative, they are an attempt to bridge the gap.
But while the draft EO pushes hard on innovation, post-quantum cryptography is reportedly absent. The "harvest now, decrypt later" threat makes this urgent.
This is the core tension of Quantum 2.0. We are building the engine; we must also lock the doors.
— Candice
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