This contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) will cover a four year period and will focus on research for creating hardware that can scale, network, and deploy multiple quantum systems. Part of the company’s strategy is to scale larger quantum systems by using photonic networking and optical switching technologies to connect multiple computing modules together. It is the largest quantum contract awarded in the U.S. in 2024.
Specific technologies included in this research include down conversion to convert the wavelengths of light used internally inside a quantum computer to a different wavelength more compatible with standard telecommunications equipment for transmission while still preserving entanglement. Another technology that will be included in this contract is fast switching technology for routing the signals between different quantum processors. These technologies will need to be developed for environments of interest to the Air Force and will require miniaturization, modularity, availability, and ruggedization. This work will build upon previous research performed by IonQ including progress in achieving Ion-Photon entanglement which the company announced earlier this year.
This contract represents a continue relationship between IonQ and AFRL. In September 2022, the company received a $13.4 million contract to supply quantum computing hardware to AFRL. And in September 2023, the company received a $25.5 million contract to deploy two barium-based trapped ion quantum computing systems at the lab. Overall, the company has been growing revenue by nearly 225% and growing bookings by almost 100% over the past three years.
A press release announcing this contract has been posted on the IonQ website here.
September 27, 2024
