IonQ announced that it will be the first on-premise quantum computing deployment at the NVIDIA Accelerated Quantum Research Center (NVAQC). The NVAQC is designed to address the fundamental challenges of scaling quantum processors into a new class of accelerated quantum supercomputers. Connecting IonQ’s full-stack quantum systems directly with NVIDIA AI infrastructure will help drive the new breakthroughs needed to turn qubits into useful, large-scale quantum supercomputers capable of solving the world's hardest problems.
As part of the partnership, an IonQ Superion 256 system will be installed at the NVAQC and directly linked with an NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 system via NVIDIA NVQLink, with workloads orchestrated by the open NVIDIA CUDA-Q platform. The joint research program will focus on hybrid software development and large-scale system prototyping, generating open results and a guide for future AI use cases and quantum-GPU co-design.
"Deploying our Superion 256 into cutting-edge environments, such as NVIDIA’s NVAQC will lead to developments allowing our partners to benefit from our scalable architecture and robust manufacturability,” said Niccolo de Masi, IonQ Chairman and CEO. “We see this as the beginning of an exciting era of hybrid quantum-classical computing. This era will be unlocked by multiple generations of Superion systems and NVIDIA’s industry-leading AI platforms.”
De Masi continued, “Our Superion quantum computing platform is robust and research-center ready. Our roadmap to 10,000 qubits and full fault tolerance is accelerating through vertical integration of our SkyWater CMOS foundry. We are excited by the possibilities our groundbreaking partnership with NVIDIA will yield."
At IEEE Quantum Week earlier this month, the companies published joint research with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee. The award-winning study introduced a framework combining generative AI with distributed quantum algorithms to solve complex combinatorial optimization challenges. That research ran on the NVIDIA CUDA-Q platform.
“Every supercomputer will become a quantum supercomputer,” said Timothy Costa, vice president and general manager for quantum at NVIDIA. “As the first quantum processor to sit alongside the NVAQC’s GB200 NVL72 system, IonQ’s Superion 256 will help make breakthroughs allowing the global ecosystem to integrate QPUs with AI infrastructure, build using open models and open-source software, and advance toward scientifically useful quantum supercomputers,”
Alongside quantum-GPU integration, joint research is expected to target quantum algorithms portfolio optimization and risk modeling in financial services; materials science; and computational chemistry for drug discovery. These types of complex use cases will benefit from research conducted using the Superion 256 system.
IonQ introduced its sixth-generation Superion quantum computing platform on Sept. 8, 2026. The Superion 256 system is available to order now, with first customer deliveries expected in 2027. Installation at NVAQC is scheduled for next year.
