The Genesis Mission and Quantum Technologies

Editor’s Note: This is the fourth article in a four-part series exploring quantum technologies and industrial policy. Please also read the first, “America’s Quantum Manufacturing Moment,” the second, “The Supply Chain Chokepoints in Quantum,” and the third, “Igniting the American Quantum Economy.”

Manhattan. Apollo. The defining projects of American power each share one trait: urgency met with overwhelming national will. Recently, Washington signaled it’s time again.

Quantum technology is not arriving in some distant future, it is here. Major announcements in the last week buoy this assessment. On Nov. 24, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order unveiling the Genesis Mission — a national effort to leverage artificial intelligence, quantum information science, and super-computing to turbocharge the American science and technology engine. On Nov. 17, a senior defense official announced six critical technology areas essential to future American military superiority. Quantum computing, and the capabilities such systems will unlock, represent two of these areas.

In this series, we have made the case for American quantum leadership. We outlined the imperative in “America’s Quantum Moment,” mapped the vulnerabilities in “The Supply Chain Chokepoints in Quantum,” and examined the policy tools available in our third installment, “Igniting the American Quantum Economy.” As noted throughout, we’re not disinterested observers: One of us is an active quantum scientist and technologist, and an investor at deep-technology fund DCVC with portfolio companies in this space. We both regularly engage with companies across the quantum stack, dual-use technology, materials and manufacturing, space and defense, among others.

In the final article of this series, we take a look at the most important timelines of the industry and present a techno-economic policy playbook for American dominance in quantum, catalyzed by the Genesis Mission.

The Third Wave of Compute Is Here

A revolution in computing, driven by AI and quantum information, that seeks to transform how science is done and change the trajectory of technology for the next century is underway. That is the premise behind the Genesis Mission, the executive order President Trump signed on Nov. 24, launching a new national effort to use artificial intelligence to transform how scientific research is conducted and accelerate the speed of discovery. White House Science Advisor Michael Kratsios called it “the largest marshaling of federal scientific resources since the Apollo program.” The platform will connect the world’s best supercomputers, AI systems, and next-generation quantum systems with the most advanced scientific instruments in the nation. Once complete, the platform will be the world’s most complex and powerful scientific instrument ever built.

The initiative represents a deliberate convergence of the three waves of advanced computing — classical high-performance computing, AI, and quantum — into a unified national capability. Priority areas of focus include quantum information science alongside biotechnology, critical materials, nuclear fission and fusion energy, space exploration, and semiconductors. Under the discovery science pillar, AI will serve as a reasoning partner for researchers, generating and verifying new classes of quantum algorithms while scientists interpret and validate the results, bringing utility-scale quantum computing closer to reality. Through the Department of Energy’s investment and collaboration with industry, America is building the quantum ecosystem that will power discoveries — and industries — for decades to come.

Technology giants have already been working more closely with the Department of Energy. NVIDIA and Oracle announced a partnership in October to build supercomputers for Argonne National Laboratory, and Dell is developing a supercomputer for Berkeley Lab. The Genesis Mission is designed to accelerate these public-private collaborations and ensure quantum is woven into the fabric from the start.

By 2028: Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computing with Commercial Utility

The Department of Energy set an ambitious target: Deliver a first-of-its-kind fault-tolerant quantum computer capable of performing meaningful scientific calculations by 2028. Yes, that puts a utility-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer 24–36 months out. This target is within reach, and we predict an American fault-tolerant quantum computer will be online by 2028.

Speaking at the Chicago Quantum Summit in November, senior Department of Energy official Dario Gil announced renewed support for the National Quantum Information Science Research Centers, with up to $625 million in continued funding as they enter their second phase. With strategic integration of AI, classical high-performance computing, and quantum computing, America can achieve a doubling of scientific productivity within a decade. The official pointed to the Department of Energy’s track record as proof such moonshots are achievable: Leaders first envisioned the exascale computing initiative in the early 2010s with a goal to deploy the first exascale supercomputer by 2023, while achieving power consumption an order of magnitude lower than original estimates. That target was not only met but significantly surpassed. The Exascale Computing Project was completed ahead of schedule and below budget, delivering a world-leading computing ecosystem. We are now betting the quantum community can replicate and surpass that success.

DARPA has a long track record of turning moonshots into realities, from the internet to mRNA therapeutics to stealth aircraft. Now DАRPA is applying that same rigor to quantum. These programs married federal guidance and support with private-sector ingenuity to drive breakthroughs that accelerated American scientific, economic, and strategic power. The Quantum Benchmarking Initiative carries on that legacy. Launched in 2021, this initiative evaluates whether a given technical approach can deliver an economically viable, utility-scale quantum computer. The bar is high: DARPA’s program manager calls himself a “quantum skeptic.” Through a staged process that has already narrowed the field, the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative creates the feedback loop the ecosystem needs. The recent announcement is the next step: clear benchmarks, open competition, and a path from lab to commercial deployment.

Multiple silicon spin qubit companies — Quantum Motion, Diraq, and Silicon Quantum Computing — advanced to the next stage, making this “dark horse” technology a real contender (we are actively engaged with, though not invested in, these companies). PsiQuantum’s target of a million-qubit photonic system by late 2027 is aggressive but within reach. The company recently raised $1 billion, announced its Omega chipset architecture in January 2025, and moved onto the final stage of DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative.

The road to fault-tolerant quantum computing will be unglamorous. Fault tolerance requires reducing error rates below thresholds that remain difficult to achieve consistently, advances in error correction, qubit interconnects that enable modular scaling without degrading coherence, and software that can efficiently compile problems onto quantum hardware. These are hard engineering problems. Commercial adoption demands even more: demonstrable advantage over classical systems on economically valuable workloads. Early results from JPMorgan, Pfizer, and Novo Nordisk are encouraging but far from definitive. The cost-performance threshold that separates research and development curiosity from enterprise tools has not been publicly crossed. But with the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative setting the standards, the Genesis Mission, and private capital flowing at record levels, the pieces are in place. What remains is execution and the policy environment to let it happen.

Quantum Sensing: Defense-Ready by 2027, Commercial Aviation to Follow

Quantum sensing is further along the deployment curve than quantum computing — and the timelines reflect it. By 2026 or 2027, systems for defense applications will be ready, with commercial aviation to follow in 2028 and beyond.

Q-CTRL’s April 2025 flight demonstrations achieved performance adequate for military applications, validating quantum inertial navigation in contested environments where GPS denial is a real threat (Q-CTRL is a DCVC portfolio company). Critically, Q-CTRL’s system consumed just 180 watts during maritime trials aboard the Royal Australian Navy’s MV Sycamore — roughly one-tenth the power of a household toaster — demonstrating that size, weight, and power targets are achievable for operational deployment. Lockheed Martin’s Defense Innovation Unit contract to develop quantum inertial navigation system targets fielding within 24-36 months. And the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B spaceplane, launched in August 2025, carried quantum inertial sensors for orbital testing, validating the technology in a space environment where GPS is unavailable, and alternatives are limited.

The aerospace and defense sector is moving aggressively to position itself for what comes next. In November 2025, PsiQuantum and Lockheed Martin signed a memorandum of understanding to accelerate quantum computing applications for national security and aerospace technologies. The collaboration will leverage PsiQuantum’s Construct software platform to develop fault-tolerant quantum algorithms for real-world defense problems, including fluid dynamics, propulsion modeling, and stress-strain simulations that exceed the capabilities of today’s most advanced supercomputers. The focus is on identifying fieldable quantum technologies that strengthen mission-focused capabilities.

But scaling from prototypes to hundreds or thousands of deployed units requires manufacturing capacity that does not yet exist. The quantum sensing supply chain remains nascent, and the industrial base needed to produce systems at scale — with the reliability and consistency that defense procurement demands — has yet to be built.

Applications in commercial aviation face a longer timeline. The Federal Aviation Administration and European Union Aviation Safety Agency require years-long certification processes for new navigation systems. Boeing’s 2024 quantum inertial measurement unit flight test demonstrated technical feasibility, but integrating quantum sensors into commercial aircraft requires proving reliability across thousands of flight hours, extreme temperature ranges, and mechanical vibration profiles. Certification timelines will extend to 2029 or beyond unless regulators establish expedited pathways for quantum navigation systems — a decision that requires technical confidence and political will.

Strategic Capital: Equity Stakes and Quantum’s Industrial Base

Supply chain resilience is critical to American dominance in quantum technologies, as we have written previously. The Trump administration has deployed a new tool in its industrial policy arsenal: direct equity stakes in companies critical to national security. Since July, the government has acquired ownership positions in Intel (9.9 percent), MP Materials (15 percent), Lithium Americas (10 percent), Trilogy Metals (10 percent), and a “golden share” in U.S. Steel. The strategy is explicit: reduce dependence on China by putting taxpayer capital — and government skin in the game — behind domestic production of semiconductors, rare earths, lithium, and strategic minerals. As MP Materials Chief Executive Officer James Litinsky put it, “Self-sufficiency, allied resilience, and national industrial champions are no longer optional. They are the front lines of security.” The Trump administration is now reportedly in discussions with quantum computing firms and larger foundries about similar arrangements.

This approach could prove transformative for quantum supply chain resilience. The chokepoints we have identified — dilution refrigerators, helium-3, lithium niobate crystals, isotopically pure silicon — are precisely the kind of strategic vulnerabilities that equity stakes are designed to address. A government position in cryogenics or a quantum-grade materials foundry would do more than provide capital: It would signal long-term commitment, de-risk private investment, and align corporate strategy with national priorities. The model has precedent: The Defense Department’s stake in MP Materials included not just equity but guaranteed purchase agreements for rare earth production. Applied to quantum, similar arrangements could anchor domestic manufacturing capacity for cryogenics, specialty materials, and quantum semiconductor fabrication, turning supply chain vulnerabilities into strategic assets. This specific tool in economic statecraft is still being developed and should continue to be stress-tested and refined. Such a tool, however, can and should be complemented by other actions such as targeted deregulation, existing federal purchase authorities, and — as always —private capital allocation.

Research Security and Quantum: A Careful Balancing Act

Safeguarding quantum computing research and development is just as much of a priority as deploying the technology in the first place. The National Security Presidential Memorandum 33, issued in January 2021 by the first Trump administration, directs federal agencies to enhance research security at institutions receiving federal funding. But implementation has lagged over the last few years. Then there is the National Science Foundation’s TRUST pilot program. Launched in 2024, it focuses on quantum, attempts a case-by-case review of research proposals to assess national security risks, and negotiates mitigation plans with universities.

But TRUST’s case-by-case model risks inconsistency and delay. Each quantum research proposal undergoes multi-stage review to determine whether investigators have concerning foreign affiliations, then negotiates institution-specific mitigation plans. This works if reviewers have quantum expertise and act quickly. It fails if reviews drag on for months or if risk assessments vary arbitrarily based on which program officer handles the file. By contrast, the Department of Defense uses a simpler risk matrix: Research projects involving investigators with connections to proscribed entities simply do not receive funding. Canada’s approach is similar, maintaining a list of entities of concern and declining to fund projects where principal investigators have active collaborations with listed organizations. These models sacrifice flexibility but gain speed and consistency.

Accelerating the implementation of National Security Presidential Memorandum-33 requires deciding whether the United States prioritizes comprehensive case-by-case assessment (slower, more nuanced) or categorical rules (faster, simpler, potentially more restrictive). Neither approach is perfect. What does not work is the current state: slow implementation, inconsistent application, and confusion among researchers and universities about what activities are permitted. To ensure private capital continues supporting quantum companies and research opportunities, greater certainty around government evaluations, as well as consistency in the enforcement of export controls should be priorities for policymakers. Learning lessons from previous failures or middling outcomes, while iterating on successes, harkens back to the earlier days of the American science and technology engine.

Conclusion

Manhattan delivered the atomic age. Apollo delivered the moon landing. Both succeeded because America treated them not as science experiments, but as industrial mobilizations: urgency met with overwhelming national will. Quantum demands the same.

American scientists invented the transistor and watched Asia dominate semiconductor manufacturing for decades. We cannot repeat that mistake with quantum. The scientific foundations are in place. The engineering is underway. What remains is the hardest part: building the factories, securing the supply chains, and training the workforce to turn laboratory breakthroughs into deployed systems.

The Genesis Mission is the starting gun. Now comes the race. The nation that manufactures quantum at scale will command the next century of computing, communications, and conflict. That nation should be the United States. If leaders, technologists, and executives remember what Manhattan and Apollo taught us — not just how to discover, but how to build — then it will be.

Prineha Narang, Ph.D., is an American scientist, engineer, and entrepreneur. She is a professor at UCLA, operating partner at DCVC, and a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation.

Joshua Levine is a research fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation.

**Please note, as a matter of house style, War on the Rocks will not use a different name for the U.S. Department of Defense until and unless the name is changed by statute by the U.S. Congress.

Image: U.S. Department of Energy via Wikimedia Commons.