At IonQ, we’re focused on solving the most pressing challenge facing quantum computers–scalability. We have always maintained that, to achieve scale, quantum computing companies will need to connect networking multiple processors together into a single system.
We’re excited to announce that in keeping with that vision we have acquired Entangled Networks Ltd., a Toronto-based company building advanced networking technologies that link quantum systems together to achieve far greater scale. As part of the deal to acquire the company’s assets, the team at Entangled Networks is joining IonQ to build IonQ Canada, strengthening IonQ’s already growing international presence.
This is our first corporate acquisition since going public in 2021 and shows our leadership amid a challenging economic environment where many other technology players have needed to decelerate over the past year.
To achieve maximum scale, quantum systems will need to be linked together using sophisticated compiler software to distribute workloads across multiple machines. Since its inception, Entangled Networks has been dedicated to working solely on this problem, developing expert tools and technology to build distributed, modular systems that allow for immense gains in performance.
Aharon Brodutch, Co-Founder and CEO of Entangled Networks, told us he was drawn to IonQ in part because our founders, Dr. Jungsang Kim and Dr. Chris Monroe, were among the first to recognize the importance of building distributed quantum designs. Joining our company allows the Entangled Networks team to continue developing their work on real-world, industry-leading quantum systems.
Brodutch considers IonQ’s trapped ion technology the best-suited for creating distributed, modular quantum designs – particularly after running simulations on other quantum architectures that presented clear scalability challenges. Other technologies, including superconducting qubits, are hard to network because they transmit information via microwave (which is difficult to convert to optical frequencies) and the entire system must be kept cold.
Entangled Networks has long recognized the advantages of trapped ion quantum computers. Now, with the company on board and with our expanding global footprint, we anticipate great progress in the months and years ahead. We’re wasting little time, as we plan to demonstrate an early version of a quantum network between two quantum computers later this year.
This acquisition comes on the heels of a strong 2022 for IonQ in which we adjusted our performance benchmark, the Algorithmic Qubit, and demonstrated industry-leading performance of 25 algorithmic qubits with our Aria system.
We’re excited about what the future holds and the significant performance gains that Entangled Networks will eventually yield for our customers, for whom we have already made incredible progress. Some of that includes work to optimize the composition of batteries for electric vehicles, and more.
Stay tuned for more exciting announcements in 2023, including around the quantum network!