IonQ (NYSE: IONQ) has announced the inauguration of the first production facility for quantum computing in the United States. The facility is situated in Bothell, Washington, a suburb of Seattle. The business also revealed an amazing 105,000 square feet of additional space at its Seattle facility, bringing its total area up to 65,000 square feet.
In addition to serving as IonQ's main production engineering site in the United States, the facility will serve as the company's second quantum data center, giving IonQ clients cloud access. Along with housing the company's growing manufacturing and R&D teams, it will also house the teams working on the impending release of the IonQ Tempo and IonQ Forte Enterprise systems of the next generation.
This is the first factory in the United States dedicated to producing repeatable and deployable quantum computers for use in customers' data centers. By using the talented workforce currently residing in the area, the new quantum factory intends to generate thousands of new employment opportunities over the next few years, cementing the Pacific Northwest's position as a center for technological innovation and production.
Peter Chapman, CEO of IonQ, said that the company's dedication to commercializing quantum technology and putting quantum computers in the hands of consumers is palpable with the opening of the Seattle facility. “IonQ is not just constructing a manufacturing facility; we're also making investments in the neighborhood, bringing talent and influential people to Seattle, and providing cutting-edge quantum capabilities to local organizations.”
During IonQ's ribbon-cutting event, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington State, a steadfast supporter of science and technology research and the primary Senate negotiator of the CHIPS and Science Act in 2022, commended the firm for its dedication to quantum innovation.
Quantum computing can be a game changer; it can help us develop new medications and combat illness, accelerate the use of clean energy sources, and enhance food production,” said Sen. Cantwell. “Our region’s perfect ecosystem of top-notch businesses, universities, labs, and skilled laborers is contributing to the growth of quantum computing.”
Collaboration with Amazon Braket
With this announcement, IonQ has achieved a number of commercial and technical milestones, including obtaining an extension of its collaboration with Amazon Braket to introduce IonQ Forte to the Amazon Braket Direct Program and attaining #AQ35 one year ahead of schedule.
Currently, the firm applies quantum computing to complicated business issues for multinational organizations including GE Research, Airbus, and Hyundai Motor Corporation. Additionally, the business has partnered with QuantumBasel to deploy two quantum systems in Basel, Switzerland.
Additionally, IonQ has obtained a $25.5 million project to install two cutting-edge quantum computing systems at the US Air Force Research Lab's (AFRL) Rome, New York, facilities. IonQ offers its quantum systems not just as on-premises solutions but also via direct API access and on all three of the main cloud providers: Amazon Braket, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud.
