IonQ and the University of Cambridge have opened an IonQ Quantum Innovation Centre at the Ray Dolby Centre, the new home of the university’s Cavendish Laboratory. IonQ says it is the “first-ever university-based” centre of its kind. It gives a physical home to what the company describes as the university’s “largest corporate research partnership”, which the two first announced on 11 March 2026.
IonQ, the US quantum computing company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, announced the opening on Thursday, 15 October 2026.
What the centre will do
According to IonQ, research at the centre spans quantum computing, networking, sensing and security. It includes co-developing new quantum network nodes and sensing capabilities with the university, and strengthening the existing Cambridge-to-Bristol quantum network.
The centre’s first work programme consists of nine research projects, chosen by a Joint Steering Committee of business and scientific leaders from both organisations. IonQ says the projects combine Cambridge’s research expertise with its own work in trapped-ion quantum computing, quantum networking and device engineering. Trapped-ion machines use individual charged atoms, held in place by electromagnetic fields, as qubits, the basic units of a quantum computer.
The projects fall into two broad groups:
- Experimental projects aimed at capabilities needed to build larger quantum systems. One will develop microscopic mirrors designed to collect light from trapped ions more efficiently, which IonQ says lays the groundwork for optical connections between quantum processors.
- Computational projects looking at how quantum algorithms could tackle hard problems in chemistry, materials science, finance, engineering and medicine. Examples IonQ highlights include building investment portfolios that maximise expected returns at a given level of risk, modelling how engineering structures respond to forces, and studying biological networks to find potential targets for cancer therapies.
The programme draws on Cambridge’s Departments of Physics, Engineering, and Computer Science and Technology, as well as the Milner Therapeutics Institute and Cambridge Judge Business School.
The hardware coming to Cambridge
IonQ says it “will deploy a Superion 256-qubit quantum computer and an entanglement-distribution quantum network” at the university. Superion is the company’s newest generation of quantum computer. The on-campus network will consist of two Quantum Networking Data Centres and three Quantum Networking Nodes, according to IonQ.
The technology will support related work on quantum memory chips and frequency-conversion technologies, and researchers will also get access to IonQ quantum computers through the IonQ cloud. The release does not say when the Superion system or the network will be installed.
As part of the collaboration, IonQ says Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, will provide access and computing time for the National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) over three years.
What the partners say
“The opening of the IonQ Quantum Innovation Centre turns a landmark agreement into a working home for quantum research inside one of the world’s most storied physics laboratories,” said Niccolo de Masi, IonQ’s chairman and chief executive. “This is a long-term commitment to the United Kingdom, built for researchers, start-ups, and industry alike.”
Professor Mete Atatüre, Head of the Cavendish Laboratory, called the launch “an exciting milestone in our partnership with IonQ, which will help Cambridge and the UK stay at the forefront of the quantum revolution.”
Jordan Shapiro, IonQ’s President, Quantum Platform, said the centre is where “new quantum network nodes, sensing techniques, and the intellectual property behind them are developed side by side,” adding: “That work feeds directly into our platform roadmap.”
Why it matters
For Cambridge, the partnership supports new academic positions, postdoctoral fellows and PhD students, and IonQ says it aligns with the UK National Quantum Strategy. Students and researchers across the projects will gain experience linking fundamental research with technology development, according to the company.
For IonQ, the centre deepens its presence in the UK and ties academic research directly to its product roadmap, as Shapiro’s comments make clear. The focus on networking, linking quantum processors with light and distributing entanglement between sites, reflects a theme in IonQ’s recent research announcements, including its work linking a trapped-ion qubit to a solid-state memory.
The UK has been building up its quantum sector, with government funding for quantum firms and networks and new commercial machines installed in London this month.
What’s still unknown
IonQ has not disclosed the financial value of the partnership or a timetable for installing the Superion computer and campus network. Its performance claims for the hardware are the company’s own.
What to watch
Watch for the installation date of the 256-qubit Superion, the first results from the nine projects, and whether the Cambridge-to-Bristol network upgrade produces published research.
What this means
- A physical base. The March partnership now has a dedicated centre at the Cavendish Laboratory.
- Nine projects to start. Work spans hardware, networking and quantum algorithms.
- Hardware promised, no date. A 256-qubit Superion and campus network are planned.
Sources
- IonQ, “IonQ and the University of Cambridge Open the IonQ Quantum Innovation Centre at Cavendish Laboratory’s Ray Dolby Centre”, Business Wire, 15 October 2026. https://investors.ionq.com/news/news-details/2026/IonQ-and-the-University-of-Cambridge-Open-the-IonQ-Quantum-Innovation-Centre-at-Cavendish-Laboratorys-Ray-Dolby-Centre/default.aspx
Related stories
- IonQ Prices a $2.0 Billion Equity Offering at $40 a Share, Plus Warrants for 100 Million More Shares
- IonQ Agrees to Buy Zero Trust Security Firm Elisity in an All-Stock Deal Worth Up to $1.3bn
- IonQ Says It Linked a Trapped-Ion Qubit to a Solid-State Memory at More Than 1,000 Entangled Pairs a Second
- ORCA Computing Launches PT-3 Photonic Quantum Computer at Digital Realty’s London Lab
- New York City Awards NYU $29.2 Million for Quantum Fabrication Facility QFab
- UK Backs Quantum Firms With a Share of £50 Million, Plus £20m for Quantum Networks and £8m for Apprentices
