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IonQ (NYSE: IONQ) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Sandia National Laboratories to jointly explore accelerated co-design of quantum information science technologies for U.S. national security missions, deepening a partnership with historic roots in trapped-ion hardware.
Historic Pedigree, Expanded Scope
Sandia fabricated the ion traps that powered IonQ's earliest quantum processing units. What is new, according to IonQ Federal chief scientist Rick Muller, is the scope: IonQ hardware and application teams will now sit alongside Sandia's expertise in trapped-ion fabrication and silicon photonics — the two areas that most directly determine how fast quantum computers scale and how well they interconnect.
Work At The Quantum Demonstration Facility
The collaboration is anchored at Sandia's Quantum Demonstration Facility in New Mexico, a public-private research and commercialization hub that offers impartial third-party verification for pathways toward utility-scale quantum computers. The MOU covers system optimization, device development, characterization and testing, expanding a growing federal ecosystem that includes IonQ's recent work with DARPA on 125 Evergreen-05 optical atomic clocks and its $15M Tennessee quantum communications center with EPB.
Growing Federal Quantum Footprint
IonQ chairman and CEO Niccolo de Masi likened the alignment to previous public-private technology pushes, from the Manhattan Project to the Space Race. Sandia's Toby Townsend, associate laboratories director for deterrence, science and energy, said the partnership aims to translate cutting-edge research into practical solutions for government missions. The MOU also expands IonQ's operating footprint into New Mexico, following IonQ's record $80M Q2 2026 revenue.
Reporting based on coverage from IonQ and Sandia National Laboratories.