IonQ (IONQ) Expands Quantum Push with U.S. Air Force Security Program and Cambridge Hub

IonQ IONQ -2.09% ▼ announced it signed two new deals this week aimed at growing both its technology work and its ties with key research groups in the U.S. and the U.K.

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The firm said it will work with the University of Maryland’s Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS). The work is part of a U.S. Air Force-backed plan known as SEQCURE. The goal is to study how to build strong security rules for future quantum computing systems. The work will focus on the Zero Trust security model. In this model, all users and all parts of a system must prove they have the right to gain access each time they try to use it.

IonQ said the plan will use rules from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, also known as NIST. These rules aim to move security away from a fixed wall-type system toward one in which all access is checked at all times.

Niccolo de Masi, chair and chief executive of IonQ, said the move is key as quantum tech grows in use. “As quantum systems shift into the bedrock of nat infra, the move from old wall sec to a Zero Trust arch is a key step,” he said.

The work could help guide how future quantum tech is used in the government and federal agencies. IonQ said the plan will study sec across hw, sw, data, and cloud use. The deal adds to IonQ’s past work with gov labs, which also includes ties with DARPA and the Air Force Res Lab.

Meanwhile, IONQ shares dropped 2.09% on Tuesday, closing at $35.12.

IonQ Opens New Quantum Hub with Cambridge

A day prior, IonQ announced it had signed a deal with the University of Cambridge in the U.K. to launch a new IonQ Quantum Innovation Centre on the school’s site. The new center will host IonQ’s chip-based 256-qubit quantum computer system. The site will also give staff and students access to IonQ’s quantum cloud tools.

In turn, the work aims to help move new quantum tech from the lab to real use. It will also help grow new IP that both sides may share under set terms of use.

Deborah Prentice, vice chancellor of the University of Cambridge, said the plan marks a key step for the U.K. tech scene. “It’s not just a new site for Cambridge. It’s one for the whole of the U.K., and it will help train the next generation of lead minds in quantum science,” she said.

IonQ said the new hub will also host joint work in fields such as chemistry, materials science, security, and communications technology. Taken as a whole, the two deals show IonQ’s push to grow both its gov ties and its role in the fast rise of the global quantum tech field.

Is IONQ Stock a Buy?

On the Street, IonQ holds a Moderate Buy consensus rating. The average IONQ stock price target stands at $64.40, implying a 83.37% upside from the current price.

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