Quantum in the Federal Government: Mandates, Missions and Money in FY26

Quantum is no longer a single market; it’s three distinct buying motions inside the U.S. Federal Government. Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) is now a compliance-driven mandate with near-term funding, timelines and agency migration requirements. Quantum computing is a mission-specific investment area led by DOE, national labs and select defense organizations that are prioritizing applied research, simulation and early workload prototyping. Quantum networking and communications are emerging through innovation programs — DARPA, IARPA, NSF, DOD modernization pilots and multi-agency National Quantum Initiative (NQI) programs focused on experimentation and testbeds.

This webinar broke down the three paths into the federal quantum ecosystem, how each is funded, and the radically different go-to-market strategies that technology companies must adopt to gain traction.

Attendees learned where FY26 appropriations, CR dynamics, innovation programs & compliance requirements intersect and where the real opportunities are for vendors across PQC, compute, networking and emerging quantum-enabled technologies.