History of IonQ in Timeline

IonQ is a quantum computing company specializing in developing trapped ion quantum computers and supporting software. Located in College Park, Maryland, they aim to create general-purpose quantum computers and tools for generating, optimizing, and executing quantum circuits. Their focus is on advancing quantum computing technology 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 support of Harry Weller and Andrew Schoen from New Enterprise Associates.

2015: New Enterprise Associates invests in IonQ

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

2016: David Moehring joins IonQ as CEO

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

November 2017: IEEE International Conference presentation

In November 2017, IonQ presented a paper at the IEEE International Conference on Rebooting Computing, outlining their technology strategy, current progress, and cloud API.

2017: Series B funding round

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

2018: Hiring and Market Offering

IonQ began hiring in earnest in 2017, with the intention of bringing a market offering by late 2018.

May 2019: Peter Chapman named CEO

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

October 2021: IonQ goes public

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

February 2024: IonQ opens R&D facility

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