IonQ reaches Stage B of DARPA competition

[Lower portion of a quantum computer featuring the qubit chip.]

* IonQ (IONQ [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/IONQ]) said late on Thursday that it has reached Stage B of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Quantum Benchmarking Initiative.
* Shares fell 3.6% in premarket trading on Friday.
* The QBI has three stages: Stage A, which is focused on the technical concept of a utility-scale quantum computer; Stage B, which is focused on a research and development roadmap through 2033; and Stage C, which has companies selected to confirm that their design can be built and operated as intended.
* “We’re honored to be selected for Stage B of DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative,” said IonQ CEO and Chairman Niccolo de Masi in a statement. “With commercial deployments of IonQ quantum systems worldwide – and availability on all three of the major cloud platforms – IonQ is uniquely positioned to contribute practical insights and technical advancements to this initiative. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with DARPA to support both our national security and national economic security.”
* With its participation in the QBI, IonQ is continuing to push its quantum computing commercial and technical prowess further. Earlier this week, the College Park, Md.-based company upped its revenue forecast for the rest of fiscal 2025, as it now expects [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4516425-ionq-pops-as-it-boosts-revenue-forecast-after-q3-results] sales to be between $106M and $110M.

MORE ON IONQ

* IonQ, Inc. 2025 Q3 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4838772-ionq-inc-2025-q3-results-earnings-call-presentation]
* IonQ: Quantum Progress Meets Market Reality [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4836649-ionq-quantum-progress-meets-market-reality]
* IonQ And D-Wave Quantum Compared Amid Rumored Trump Administration Investments [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4833621-ionq-and-d-wave-quantum-compared-amid-rumored-trump-administration-investments]
* IonQ pops as it boosts revenue forecast after Q3 results [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4516425-ionq-pops-as-it-boosts-revenue-forecast-after-q3-results]
* Quantinuum's Helios brings quantum computing closer to commercial value: report [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4516310-quantinuums-helios-brings-quantum-computing-closer-to-commercial-value-report]