President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on quantum computing at the White House on Monday, launching what was described as a U.S. “quantum leap” plan. During the event, he singled out IBM Chief Executive Officer Arvind Krishna for praise, citing his leadership in quantum computing. The market reacted quickly: IBM shares rose 3.26% in premarket trading to $260.44. Later that evening, JPMorgan raised its price target on IBM from $270 to $291 and upgraded the stock from neutral to overweight.
White House orders put a 2028 marker on commercial quantum progress
The two executive orders focus on research funding and industrial coordination. One of the headline goals is for the United States to achieve a breakthrough in “commercially relevant quantum computing” by 2028. The measures also call for increased federal investment in basic quantum science and engineering, while encouraging joint development between technology companies and national laboratories across both hardware and software.
Trump’s remarks at the signing ceremony added to the market attention around IBM. He praised Krishna’s contribution to the field and joked that selling IBM stock when he took office had “not been a wise choice.” That comment gave traders another reason to tie the policy announcement directly to the company.
JPMorgan links the policy push to IBM’s existing lead
In its research note, JPMorgan said the executive orders could accelerate enterprise purchasing cycles for quantum computing. The bank described IBM as one of the clearest beneficiaries, pointing to its position as a pioneer in the sector and its base of more than 1,300 qubits.
Yahoo Finance reported that IBM’s quantum team operates Flamingo in Yorktown Heights, New York, a processor with 1,320 qubits described in the report as the largest quantum processor in operation globally. That scale helped reinforce the market’s view that IBM stands close to the center of the new U.S. policy push.
Policy momentum lifted sentiment, but competition remains intense
The report noted that this was not the first time Trump’s public mention of a company moved its stock. A previous reference to Dell had been followed by an intraday gain of more than 14%, feeding what some traders have treated as a short-term “presidential concept stock” effect.
Still, the gap between executive action and revenue is real. Google, Amazon and Microsoft are all committing hundreds of millions of dollars to quantum hardware, according to the source material. IBM’s commercial angle is its Quantum-as-a-Service model, which lets enterprises rent quantum computing capacity through the cloud instead of building their own systems. JPMorgan estimates the global quantum computing market could reach about $20 billion by 2028, with a 30% CAGR. If IBM holds roughly 20% market share, the bank said its quantum revenue could double over the next three years.