The U.S. Department of Energy has launched the Quantum Genesis Q Competition, a milestone-based program offering up to $215 million to domestic commercial entities developing the world’s first fault-tolerant, scientifically relevant quantum computer. The program seeks systems with at least 100 logical qubits and hundreds of millions of fault-tolerant operations, with deployment targeted by 2028. Phase I offers up to $1.5 million per awardee, while Phase II includes a $100 million pool for systems reaching 100 logical qubits and two $50 million pools tied to 150- and 200-logical-qubit demonstrations. DOE expects up to 10 Phase I awardees and set Oct. 19 as the deadline for submissions. A separate $45 million national-laboratory program will independently test hardware performance, logical-gate fidelities, control-stack integration and algorithm execution times across superconducting, trapped-ion, neutral-atom and photonic systems. The initiative provides a more concrete benchmark for the quantum sector, but the 100-logical-qubit threshold remains below estimates of roughly 1,200 to 1,450 logical qubits needed to break Bitcoin’s cryptography with Shor’s algorithm. Bitcoin developers are considering BIP 360 and BIP 361 to reduce public-key exposure and support a transition to safer signature schemes.