COLLEGE PARK, Md., July 23, 2025 — IonQ, a leading commercial quantum computing and networking company, today announced a strategic collaboration with Emergence Quantum, an Australian research and development company focused on quantum hardware innovation. This initiative builds on IonQ’s momentum in Australia and reinforces its commitment to advancing quantum innovation through strategic global partnerships.

The Emergence Quantum team has decades of experience, strong public and private sector relationships, and a deep understanding of the Australian and U.S. quantum tech landscapes. Former members of Microsoft’s quantum team created the company to better harness their combined expertise in systems engineering, quantum control, and hardware integration.

Prof. David Reilly, Emergence Quantum CEO and co-founder, has held various positions at the University of Sydney, Harvard University, and the University of New South Wales. Prior to his current position, Prof. Reilly spent the previous eight years as a senior leader in Microsoft’s quantum group. Co-founder Thomas Ohki, Emergence Quantum CTO/CSO, led the quantum group at Raytheon/BBN Technologies, joining with Reilly at Microsoft for several years prior to establishing Emergence.

As part of the collaboration, IonQ and Emergence Quantum will expand on existing advances in ion trap technology by co-developing next-generation electronics and materials. This includes the design and simulation of application-specific integrated circuits for qubit control. The teams will also work to reduce hardware complexity while scaling system capacity. Additionally, they will explore new materials and deposition techniques to enhance ion trap performance.

“This collaboration furthers IonQ’s efforts to tap into one of the world’s most promising quantum talent pools while contributing meaningfully to Australia’s growing quantum industry,” said Dr. Dean Kassmann, SVP of IonQ’s Engineering and Technology division. “Our work with Emergence Quantum is part of a broader strategy to engage local experts and institutions around the world in advancing scalable, high-performance quantum computing and networking. This initiative will give IonQ significant access to a world-class team of Ph.D. quantum scientists that brings forward decades of experience in cryogenic electronics and quantum engineering.”

This work builds on IonQ’s ongoing work in the region, including its collaboration with the Australian National University, and reflects the company’s continued momentum in engaging with leading quantum research and talent ecosystems worldwide.

“We see tremendous demand in Australia for quantum technology so we are delighted to partner with IonQ to advance quantum innovation in the country,” said Prof. Reilly. “The challenge in Australia has always been how to bring in international investment, without losing the key know-how and talent that we have here. Collaborating with IonQ allows us to accelerate the pace of Australia’s quantum development and growth.”

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About IonQ

IonQ, Inc. (NYSE: IONQ) is a leading commercial quantum computing, quantum networking, and quantum applications company, delivering high-performance systems aimed at solving the world’s most complex problems. IonQ’s current generation quantum computers, IonQ Forte and IonQ Forte Enterprise, are the latest in a line of cutting-edge systems that have been helping customers and partners such as Amazon Web Services, AstraZeneca, and NVIDIA achieve 20x performance results.

About Emergence Quantum

Emergence Quantum is a team of globally recognised scientists and engineers delivering integrated hardware platforms and the foundational technology underpinning quantum, future energy-efficient computing, and advanced sensing interfaces, with a focus on integration and co-designed solutions. Expertise spans the fundamental physics of semiconductor and superconducting devices to the engineering challenges of complex, scaled-up computing and sensing platforms. A central theme of Emergence Quantum’s work is the use of integrated cryogenic electronics to address critical challenges in scaling quantum computers, as well as enabling new computational and sensing modalities.

Source: IonQ