IonQ makes Oxford global R&D hub after USD $1B deal
IonQ has completed its acquisition of Oxford Ionics, establishing Oxford as the global research and development hub and the EMEA headquarters for the quantum computing company.
The acquisition has been cleared by the UK's Investment Security Unit, and follows IonQ's announcement that its new UK presence supports a broader strategy to expand into Europe, Asia, and other global markets. The deal is part of a USD $1 billion commitment and forms a central element of the recently announced tech partnership between the United Kingdom and the United States.
Oxford as a global hub
IonQ's expansion will create high-skilled jobs in Oxford and aims to increase UK quantum technology exports. The company highlighted the significance of the merger for both countries, with IonQ positioning Oxford as the focal point of its engineering and research operations worldwide. IonQ stated that Oxford Ionics brings a team of scientists and engineers, as well as patented innovations in ion trap quantum systems, that will now complement IonQ's existing hardware and software capabilities.
"The acquisition of Oxford Ionics marks a pivotal step for IonQ as we continue to advance more powerful and scalable quantum systems, with unit economics that will underpin standardization on our ecosystem. Oxford Ionics' talented team and intellectual property strengthen our technology and accelerate our roadmap toward fault tolerant quantum computing and broad quantum advantage," said Niccolo de Masi, Chairman and CEO of IonQ.
IonQ will integrate Oxford Ionics' ion trap technology, which is based on manufacturing using standard semiconductor chips, into its own quantum systems. The goal is to develop quantum architectures optimised for both computational and networking applications.
UK–US tech collaboration
This move signals what IonQ describes as increased bilateral trust in the growth of deep technology sectors. According to the company's statements, the merger aligns both the UK and the US in efforts to scale quantum computing technologies in a responsible and secure way, contributing to advances across sectors such as defence, artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals, and climate science.
Discussing future plans, IonQ reiterated its commitment to delivering quantum systems with two million physical qubits by 2030. This is part of the company's technology roadmap, which it says will support the development of practical quantum solutions to address global challenges.
"Together, we'll continue pushing the boundaries of what's possible to deliver practical quantum solutions to real-world challenges. We're confident that our shared vision of quantum computing will not only be commercially impactful for customers worldwide in the near term, but transformative for society in the long term," said Dr. Chris Ballance, Co-founder and CEO of Oxford Ionics.
Recent business developments
The acquisition of Oxford Ionics follows IonQ's previous strategic business moves, including its minority stakes and acquisitions in companies such as ID Quantique, Qubitekk, Capella Space, and Lightsynq Technologies. These deals form part of IonQ's efforts to consolidate its position in quantum computing and networking.
According to company materials, IonQ provides systems such as the IonQ Forte and IonQ Forte Enterprise to customers and partners including Amazon Web Services, AstraZeneca, and NVIDIA. IonQ also has ambitions to achieve further advancements in quantum networking by building what it describes as the quantum internet.
Recognition for IonQ's recent progress includes listings on Newsweek's 2025 Excellence Index 1000, Forbes' 2025 Most Successful Mid-Cap Companies list, and Built In's 100 Best Midsize Places to Work in Washington DC and Seattle. The company's current systems are available to customers through major cloud providers.
The company stated that it will continue to pursue a roadmap towards developing more powerful and commercially viable quantum solutions aimed at global markets. The Oxford site will now coordinate global research and development activities as IonQ progresses toward its announced technical milestones.
