IonQ Wins DARPA HARQ Contract and Demonstrates Trapped-Ion Interconnect
IonQ won a DARPA HARQ contract to build photonic interconnects linking trapped-ion, neutral-atom and superconducting quantum processors, after demonstrating an interconnect between two trapped-ion units. It also formed research partnerships with University of Maryland, Cambridge and Chicago to boost hardware networking and commercialization.
1. DARPA HARQ Contract Award
IonQ has been awarded a DARPA Heterogeneous Architectures for Quantum (HARQ) contract to develop high-speed photonic interconnects capable of joining trapped-ion, neutral-atom and superconducting quantum processors. This initiative follows its successful demonstration of an interconnect between two independent trapped-ion units and aims to scale quantum systems for advanced computational tasks with potential national security and commercial applications.
2. University Partnerships Strengthen R&D
IonQ has launched research collaborations with University of Maryland, University of Cambridge and University of Chicago to advance hardware networking, photonic integration and commercialization of interconnected quantum platforms. These alliances leverage leading academic expertise to accelerate development of scalable quantum systems and expand IonQ’s presence across global research hubs.