IonQ, a company specialising in trapped ion quantum computing that went public in late 2021 through a SPAC, has just announced that it has acquired Entangled Networks, a Toronto-based startup that aids industrial and academic users in the construction and optimization of multi-quantum-processor solutions. The purchase price was kept confidential by the two firms.

This is IonQ’s first purchase and follows on the heels of the firm landing a $13.4 million deal to supply quantum solutions to the USAF Research Laboratory. IonQ, located in Maryland, claims that the addition of the Entangled Networks team would aid its work on next-generation quantum architectures and that the purchase will give it a presence in Canada.

“By purchasing the Entangled Networks assets, IonQ will get access to not just some of the leading specialists in quantum architecture, but also to software tools that we expect to deploy to generate major speed-ups in our system’s performance,” stated IonQ president and CEO Peter Chapman. We are also thrilled to see IonQ Canada open its doors. With this growth, we’ll be able to better serve the growing quantum computing community in Canada and deepen our relationships with IonQ’s partners and clients.

OurCrowd, an investing platform located in Jerusalem, has been supporting Entangled Networks despite the fact that the company has never disclosed any institutional fundraising round. Microsoft, Nvidia, and IBM Quantum are just some of the companies listed as partners on the company’s webpage.

Since its inception, Entangled Networks has been dedicated to establishing connections between different quantum computers, a trend that has lately been picked up by the industry at large; for instance, Amazon has just launched a new effort that is specifically focused on quantum networks. At least initially, multi-processor networks will likely be necessary to realise some of the potential benefits of quantum computing. Due to the nature of quantum computers, entangling qubits between cores is conceivable, but only with a certain form of network.

IonQ claims their quantum networking technology is in the works, and the company plans to unveil a prototype system by 2023 that links two quantum computers. The IonQ Aria is the company’s current flagship quantum computer, and it has 25 algorithmic qubits; the next Forte system will have up to 32.

“We feel IonQ is a clear market leader, both commercially and in system performance,” said Aharon Brodutch, co-founder and CEO of Entangled Networks. We’re eager to improve IonQ’s quantum computing offerings so that you may access even more potent software solutions: “We’re ready to work on amplifying IonQ’s quantum computing solutions.”