IonQ has launched a new laboratory suite in Boulder, Colorado that will house quantum computing R&D and semiconductor chip testing facilities that will be used to develop and refine technologies central to future generations of its leading quantum computing systems.
Company chairman and CEO Niccolo de Masi said IonQ is delivering on the promise of using our advanced quantum technologies to solve the world’s most complex problems, aiding communities and businesses in everything from improving lives with faster pharmaceutical development, to enhancing reliability of infrastructure and optimizing manufacturing processes.
“IonQ is proud to partner with Governor (Jared) Polis, the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade, and the city of Boulder to continue to drive Colorado’s reputation as a leader in quantum innovation,” said de Masi.
Chris Ballance, IonQ’s president of quantum computing, touted the company’s approach to building trapped-ion quantum computers using electronics, instead of lasers — enabling mass manufacturability via the standard semiconductor supply chain.
Ballance said that through this innovation, IonQ has achieved world record quantum performance at a fraction of the cost and complexity of competing approaches, enabling a scalable production technique that will empower the company to accelerate through the milestones on its development roadmap to fault-tolerant quantum computing.
“Through city and state incentives and initiatives like the CHIPS Zone Program, we are continuing to build on the conditions that make Boulder an ideal place for innovative companies to thrive. This milestone also highlights the strength of Boulder’s collaborative ecosystem, where universities, government, industry and economic development partners work together to advance our community as a global hub for innovation,” said City of Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett.
The new laboratories — which are planned to have a first quantum computer fully installed later this year — will enable IonQ to design, test, and iterate on new generations of its semiconductor ion trap chips, under the direction of IonQ’s Quantum Computing VP Science David Allcock, who presided over the ribbon cutting ceremony.
The 22,000 square feet of new laboratories that IonQ is outfitting occupy two floors in Boulder 38, a 9.3 acre Class A research and innovation campus developed by Breakthrough Properties.
