Quantum computing company IonQ said Monday it would acquire cybersecurity firm Elisity in an all-stock deal valued at up to $1.3 billion, as it seeks to expand its quantum security business.
IonQ said the acquisition would expand its channels for bringing quantum offerings to enterprise and government customers, helping them address current threats and prepare for attacks from future quantum computers.
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According to IonQ, Elisity, founded in 2019, has more than 100 customer deployments worldwide and has doubled its revenue and customer base year over year. The deal value includes up to $150 million in earn-outs tied to Elisity’s performance. The number of IonQ shares to be issued will be calculated at a price between $33.07 and $49.61 per share.
Elisity CEO James Winebrenner will continue to lead the business after the deal closes. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approval.
“With Elisity and its team as part of IonQ, we will be well positioned to help customers protect critical infrastructure and enterprise networks throughout the transition to the quantum era. As I said first, Q-Day is coming much faster than predicted,” said Niccolo de Masi, chairman and CEO of IonQ.
“IonQ is offering its customers a vertically integrated, full-stack quantum platform across quantum computing, networking, sensing and cybersecurity,” he added.
Winebrenner said, “Our customers need to prioritize post-quantum cryptography initiatives while securing existing assets to keep essential operations running. With IonQ, we will be optimally positioned to partner with them to modernize their crypto-agility programs, accelerate post-quantum cryptography capabilities while advancing their holistic Zero Trust posture and deploy hybrid-cybersecurity solutions today that are prepared for the quantum future.”
Earlier this year, IonQ completed its acquisition of chipmaker SkyWater Technology to bring semiconductor manufacturing in-house and boost the development of its next-generation quantum processors.
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“Just as adding SkyWater Technology expanded IonQ’s capabilities in chip design, fabrication and packaging, Elisity will bring proven enterprise policy enforcement scale and deployment experience to our quantum security strategy and will give IonQ a strong growth platform to serve customers and create value for our shareholders,” de Masi said.
IonQ and Elisity expect to identify opportunities to cross-sell complementary security solutions, expand relationships with enterprise and government customers, and develop integrated offerings, according to an IonQ blog post.