IonQ, QuantumBasel expand long-term partnership

IonQ (IONQ) announced an expanded agreement with QuantumBasel, the quantum initiative of uptownBasel, Switzerland’s innovation campus. The extended contract grants QuantumBasel ownership of its existing IonQ Forte Enterprise system and secures ownership of a next-generation Tempo system. This new agreement brings the total deal value of the QuantumBasel and IonQ partnership to over $60M and extends IonQ’s on-site presence in Switzerland four more years, continuing through 2029. QuantumBasel is IonQ’s official Innovation Center in Europe, serving as a hub for European industry, academia, and research institutions to explore practical quantum computing applications and access IonQ’s latest enterprise-grade systems. “Our extended partnership with QuantumBasel represents a cornerstone of IonQ’s global strategy,” said Niccolo de Masi, Chairman and CEO of IonQ. “QuantumBasel continues to be a critical innovation node for our company as we expand quantum adoption. 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.” QuantumBasel and IonQ are also expanding their collaborative research efforts, with new workstreams focused on optimizing large language models and developing hybrid quantum-classical techniques for advanced computing use cases. These efforts aim to unlock near-term commercial value from quantum technologies by enhancing AI model performance and exploring novel algorithmic frameworks.