History of IonQ in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: August 12, 2025

IonQ is an American quantum computing company that develops trapped ion quantum computers and related software. Headquartered in College Park, Maryland, IonQ focuses on creating general-purpose quantum computing systems designed for generating, optimizing, and executing quantum circuits. The company is a key player in the emerging quantum computing industry, aiming to advance the capabilities and accessibility of quantum computation for various applications.

2015: IonQ Co-founded

In 2015, IonQ was co-founded by Christopher Monroe and Jungsang Kim, professors at Duke University, with the help of Harry Weller and Andrew Schoen, partners at venture firm New Enterprise Associates.

2015: New Enterprise Associates Invests $2 million

In 2015, New Enterprise Associates invested $2 million to commercialize the technology Monroe and Kim proposed in their Science paper, seeding the foundation of IonQ.

2016: David Moehring joins as CEO

In 2016, David Moehring, formerly in charge of quantum computing initiatives at IARPA, joined IonQ as the company's chief executive.

November 2017: Presented a paper at the IEEE International Conference on Rebooting Computing

In November 2017, IonQ presented a paper at the IEEE International Conference on Rebooting Computing describing their technology strategy and current progress. It outlines using a microfabricated ion trap and several optical and acousto-optical systems to cool, initialize, and calculate. They also describe a cloud API, custom language bindings, and quantum computing simulators that take advantage of their trapped ion system's complete connectivity.

2017: Raised $20 million series B

In 2017, IonQ raised a $20 million series B, led by GV (formerly Google Ventures) and New Enterprise Associates.

2018: Hiring to bring offering to market

In 2017, IonQ began hiring in earnest with the intent to bring an offering to market by late 2018.

May 2019: Peter Chapman named new CEO

In May 2019, Peter Chapman, a former Amazon Prime executive, was appointed as the new CEO of IonQ.

October 2021: Public listing on the New York Stock Exchange

In October 2021, IonQ became publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange via a special-purpose acquisition company.

February 2024: Opened a dedicated research and development facility in Bothell, Washington

In February 2024, IonQ opened a dedicated research and development facility in Bothell, Washington, touted as the first quantum computing factory in the United States.