History of IonQ in Timeline

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.