IonQ is preparing to acquire Skyloom Global, a specialist in space-based optical communications, in a deal aimed at accelerating the company\u2019s expansion across quantum computing, networking, and sensing technologies.<\/p>\n
The planned acquisition \u2014 revealed by Chairman and CEO Niccol\u00f2 de Masi during an interview on CNBC \u2014 is positioned as a major step toward building a global quantum key distribution (QKD) system that spans ground infrastructure and satellites.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe entered an agreement just recently to acquire a company called Skyloom,\u201d de Masi said on CNBC. He added that the company\u2019s growing portfolio, which now includes Capella Space and ID Quantique, is designed to support QKD networks \u201cnot just on the ground, but also up into space with satellites.\u201d<\/p>\n
The move continues IonQ\u2019s rapid acquisition streak as it seeks to become a full-stack quantum technology leader. Over the past year, the company has purchased Qubitekk, ID Quantique, Lightsynq Technologies, Capella Space, Vector Atomic, and announced a $1.1 billion deal for the UK\u2019s Oxford Ionics.<\/p>\n
Skyloom brings deep expertise in optical communication terminals designed for real-time data transfer in orbit. Founded in 2017 in Colorado, the company has spent nearly a decade developing what it describes as \u201cfiberless internet\u201d for Earth \u2014 a network capable of moving massive volumes of data across low-Earth orbit, geostationary orbit, and ground stations.<\/p>\n
Skyloom has completed several milestones, including participation in the Space Development Agency\u2019s Tranche 0 program, successful laser-communications demonstrations with the Naval Research Laboratory, deployment of a LEO optical terminal in 2023, and a geostationary node launch in late 2024.<\/p>\n
Integrating Skyloom\u2019s optical transport capabilities would help IonQ extend quantum networking beyond terrestrial fiber links and into space, a critical requirement for secure global QKD systems.<\/p>\n
IonQ has also been building physical nodes for quantum networks. The company recently partnered with EPB in Chattanooga to establish a quantum-networking and computing hub, and launched an initiative with the University of Chicago to install a campus-based quantum computer with an entanglement distribution network.<\/p>\n
De Masi said IonQ now offers quantum technologies \u201cin the ocean, under the ocean, on land, in the air, up in the sky,\u201d as the company positions itself to dominate all layers of the emerging quantum ecosystem.<\/p>\n
Financially, IonQ remains one of the few firms in the sector with nine-figure revenue. De Masi said the company has raised its 2025 revenue guidance to $110 million, continuing a multiyear trend of doubling annual revenue since going public in 2021.<\/p>\n
He added that IonQ has raised roughly $3.5 billion so far this year \u2014 including $2 billion in the past six weeks \u2014 to support development of fault-tolerant quantum systems and global quantum-secure communications.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to be the market share leader in all things quantum,\u201d de Masi said, noting that IonQ is only at the beginning of its long-term plan to create an integrated, secure, and scalable quantum infrastructure.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
IonQ is preparing to acquire Skyloom Global, a specialist in space-based optical communications, in a deal aimed at accelerating the company\u2019s expansion across quantum computing, networking, and sensing technologies. The planned acquisition \u2014 revealed by Chairman and CEO Niccol\u00f2 de Masi during an interview on CNBC \u2014 is positioned as a major step toward building […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20445,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[6017,259,6348,6848,6849,881],"class_list":["post-20441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-acquisition","tag-funding","tag-ionq","tag-niccolo-de-masi","tag-skyloom-global","tag-space-development-agency"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20441"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20441"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20441\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}