IonQ signs $300M DARPA agreement for quantum initiative

IonQ announced on October 7, 2026, that it has advanced to Stage C of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Quantum Benchmarking Initiative. The company signed an agreement with DARPA with a potential value of up to $300 million to validate its quantum computing architecture.

Funding beyond DARPA's initial obligation depends on future government appropriations and funding actions. IonQ is among the first companies selected for Stage C, which runs through 2029.

The advancement follows IonQ's completion of Stage A, which defined the technical concept, and Stage B, which developed a detailed research roadmap. During Stage C, DARPA will conduct independent testing on multiple generations of IonQ's Superion quantum systems, including the sixth-generation Superion 256, to assess utility-scale performance.

IonQ reported that in 2025 it achieved a world record of 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity. The company stated it will continue scaling manufacturing and customer deployments while undergoing the agency's evaluations.