IonQ Deepens European Roots with $60M QuantumBasel Deal

COLLEGE PARK, MD – December 17, 2025 – Quantum computing leader IonQ has significantly deepened its strategic commitment to Europe, announcing an expanded partnership with Switzerland's QuantumBasel valued at over $60 million. The new agreement extends IonQ's on-site presence at the Swiss innovation campus through 2029 and, in a significant move, transfers ownership of a powerful quantum computer to QuantumBasel while securing a next-generation system for the hub.

The deal cements QuantumBasel’s role as IonQ's official European Innovation Center and marks a pivotal step in the race to build a practical, commercially viable quantum ecosystem on the continent. Under the agreement, QuantumBasel now owns its existing IonQ Forte Enterprise system and has secured ownership of an upcoming, more powerful IonQ Tempo system. This long-term commitment, expected to span four generations of IonQ hardware, is designed to accelerate the development of real-world quantum applications in fields ranging from artificial intelligence to life sciences.

A Strategic Foothold in Europe's Quantum Race

This expanded partnership is not an isolated move but the cornerstone of an aggressive and multi-faceted European expansion strategy by IonQ. The company has been methodically assembling a network of partnerships and acquisitions across the continent to secure a dominant position in the burgeoning quantum market. This strategy appears aimed at embedding its trapped-ion technology within key European industries and research centers, effectively challenging competitors like Quantinuum, IBM, and Rigetti.

In the past year alone, IonQ has made several high-profile moves. The company completed a controlling-stake acquisition of Geneva-based ID Quantique, a leader in quantum key distribution and secure communications, significantly bolstering its capabilities in the critical area of quantum networking. This was followed by the billion-dollar acquisition of UK-based Oxford Ionics, a move designed to fast-track its hardware roadmap by integrating patented innovations in trapped-ion systems.

Beyond acquisitions, IonQ has forged strategic collaborations targeting specific industries. In Sweden, it is working with freight mobility company Einride to apply quantum optimization to logistics and supply chain challenges. Another partnership with CCRM Nordic aims to use hybrid quantum-AI approaches to accelerate the development of next-generation therapeutics. These initiatives, combined with the establishment of IonQ Italia and other regional presences, paint a clear picture of a company building a comprehensive European footprint.

“Our extended partnership with QuantumBasel represents a cornerstone of IonQ’s global strategy,” said Niccolo de Masi, Chairman and CEO of IonQ, in a statement. “We’re growing a quantum-ready ecosystem in Europe that is capable of driving progress in material science, defense, AI, life sciences, logistics, and beyond.”

Powering the Future: From Forte to Fault-Tolerant Tempo

At the heart of the partnership is direct access to some of the world's most advanced quantum hardware. The IonQ Forte Enterprise system, which QuantumBasel now owns, boasts 36 algorithmic qubits (#AQ), a metric that reflects the number of "useful" qubits for running complex algorithms. It is a rack-mounted, data-center-ready machine designed for tackling problems in optimization and quantum machine learning.

The agreement also secures QuantumBasel a next-generation IonQ Tempo system, which represents a significant leap forward. Tempo is projected to feature 64 algorithmic qubits, a performance level that IonQ estimates will provide a computational space 536 million times larger than what is available to classical supercomputers. This jump in power is a critical step on the industry's path toward fault-tolerant quantum computing—the holy grail where quantum computers are robust enough to overcome inherent errors and solve large-scale, commercially relevant problems.

The development of Tempo is supported by IonQ's recent technical milestones, including achieving a world-record 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity. High fidelity is essential for running deeper, more complex quantum circuits, which are necessary for unlocking breakthroughs in areas like drug discovery and materials science. By placing these advanced systems directly on-site in Europe, the partnership aims to lower the barrier to entry for researchers and businesses, enabling them to test and develop applications on cutting-edge hardware.

The Basel Blueprint: A Hub for Real-World Quantum Innovation

QuantumBasel itself represents a novel approach to fostering innovation. As Switzerland's first commercial quantum computing hub, it operates on a technology-neutral, multi-vendor model, also providing access to systems from IBM and D-Wave. This strategy allows European companies, startups, and academic institutions to experiment with and compare different quantum modalities, accelerating learning and preventing vendor lock-in.

“We are excited about our partnership with IonQ to jointly explore the possibilities Quantum Computing offers today and in the future," stated Thomas Landolt, CEO of QuantumBasel. "The on-site system also serves as a catalyst for a vibrant community at uptownBasel.”

The expanded collaboration will intensify joint research efforts, with a specific focus on optimizing large language models (LLMs) and developing sophisticated hybrid quantum-classical techniques. By combining the strengths of quantum processors with classical supercomputers, researchers hope to enhance AI model performance and tackle problems previously considered intractable. This focus on near-term commercial value is critical for demonstrating quantum's utility beyond theoretical physics.

The impact is expected to ripple across Europe's most vital industries. In life sciences, access to more powerful quantum systems could revolutionize drug discovery by simulating molecular interactions with unprecedented accuracy. In logistics, as demonstrated by the Einride partnership, quantum algorithms can optimize complex routing and supply chain networks. For finance, the hardware could power more sophisticated financial modeling and risk analysis, while in materials science, it could be used to design novel materials with unique properties. By providing the tools and fostering a collaborative environment, the IonQ-QuantumBasel alliance is laying the groundwork for a quantum-ready European economy.