IonQ Awarded $21.1M Quantum Networking Project

Quantum technology company IonQ will work with the United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) on a $21.1 million project to establish quantum networking capabilities via recently acquired quantum networking company Qubitekk.

The project will support AFRL’s Quantum Information Science and Technology Branch at the Information Directorate and its quantum networking and computing research. Under this effort, IonQ will develop a network with high-performing access points to drive the interoperability of quantum computers and networked devices, deliver networking hardware to expand compatibility with existing telecommunication infrastructure, and collaborate with AFRL to create new capabilities in establishing free-space optical links from ground stations to uncrewed aerial systems.

The project with AFRL builds on recent contracts such as the $54.5 million agreement signed in September 2024 with AFRL and the contract with the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) to design a first-of-its-kind, networked system for blind quantum computing.