IonQ Agrees to Acquire Cybersecurity Startup Elisity for Up to 1.3 Billion Dollars

Quantum computing company IonQ has announced an agreement to acquire cybersecurity startup Elisity for up to $1.3 billion, a deal that signals the company's push to apply quantum technology to network security.

IonQ, which builds quantum computers using trapped-ion technology, said the acquisition would allow it to combine its quantum computing capabilities with Elisity's expertise in microsegmentation, a security technique that limits the spread of cyberattacks within a network.

Elisity's technology is used by enterprise customers to divide their networks into small, isolated segments, so that if one part is compromised, attackers cannot easily move to other systems. IonQ said quantum computing could eventually enhance this approach by enabling faster analysis of network traffic patterns and more sophisticated threat detection.

The deal is structured with an upfront payment and additional consideration tied to performance milestones, which is why the total value is described as "up to" $1.3 billion. Financial terms of the upfront payment were not disclosed.

IonQ has been working to expand beyond pure quantum hardware into applications that can generate revenue in the near term, before quantum computers reach the scale needed to outperform classical computers on most tasks. Cybersecurity is one of the areas where quantum computing is expected to have significant impact, both as a tool for defense and as a potential threat to current encryption standards.

The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in early 2027. Elisity's team will join IonQ following the close of the deal.