World record 99.99% two-qubit gate performance marks an inflection point for IonQ’s leadership and further accelerates IonQ’s leading quantum computing roadmap

IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), the world’s leading quantum company, today released the technical papers that demonstrate 99.99% two-qubit gate performance, setting a new quantum computing world record.

The performance of quantum computers today is limited by the error rate of its two-qubit gates, called “two-qubit gate fidelity.” This single number largely defines quantum computing performance – measuring the accuracy of quantum operations. As fidelity improves, fewer errors must be addressed and more complex algorithms can be run.

In a landmark technical result, IonQ has achieved the world’s highest two-qubit gate performance, with fidelity exceeding 99.99% – the first and only quantum computing company to cross the ‘four-nines’ benchmark. The demonstration released today, achieved using IonQ’s proprietary Electronic Qubit Control technology (EQC), surpasses the previous world record of 99.97% set in 2024 by Oxford Ionics, now part of IonQ.

This new world record represents a critical technical milestone that advances IonQ’s leading quantum technology roadmap. By engineering qubits with record-level fidelity, IonQ has now achieved the hardware performance required for it to scale to millions of qubits by 2030. This is a historic achievement that positions IonQ well ahead of its competitors.

IonQ’s ultra-high qubit performance accelerates the company’s path to large-scale fault-tolerant systems and unlocks major advantages:

• Error-corrected performance improves dramatically: IonQ’s unparalleled qubit performance means customers will be able to run applications with a 10¹⁰ (10,000,000,000x) performance increase over the previous gold standard of 99.9% on the same size device*
• Complex, break-through use cases can be addressed: High-performing qubits enable complex algorithms that lower-performance systems simply cannot address
• Products can be delivered faster: Fewer physical qubits are needed to build large-scale fault-tolerant quantum systems and IonQ’s time to market decreases due to fewer errors per operation.

IonQ’s qubit performance result was achieved using prototypes in its R&D labs, which will form the basis for its 256-qubit systems that will be demonstrated in 2026. These devices rely on the company’s novel EQC technology, which uniquely uses precision electronics instead of lasers to control its qubits. By integrating all qubit-control components onto classical semiconductor chips, IonQ can manufacture its quantum computers via existing semiconductor fabrication – yielding systems that are easier to scale, more stable to operate, and significantly more cost-effective to build.

“Reaching four-nines fidelity is a watershed moment for IonQ’s quantum leadership,” said Niccolo de Masi, Chairman and CEO of IonQ. “This level of quantum performance has been the industry’s north star for decades and crossing it brings fault-tolerant quantum systems years closer to mass market adoption. For our global customers, it means unlocking more value from quantum computing sooner, while dramatically lowering the cost and complexity of large-scale systems.”

“This is a pivotal moment for the quantum computing industry, as we have now hit world-record quantum computing performance on mass-manufacturable technology,” said Dr. Chris Ballance, co-founder of Oxford Ionics, an IonQ company. “In exceeding the 99.99% threshold on chips built in standard semiconductor fabs, we are now on a clear path to millions of qubits whilst unlocking powerful new commercial applications sooner.”

IonQ is already delivering quantum advantage for industries in areas such as drug discovery, with a 20x speed-up in quantum-accelerated drug development announced in June this year and an up to 12 percent performance improvement compared to classical computing in computer aided engineering unveiled in March. IonQ has also announced the development of quantum applications in areas such as object detection for autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence.

For more information about this seminal result, read more on IonQ’s blog.

For more information about IonQ’s technology and roadmap, visit www.ionq.com

*IBM Quantum (2024). High-threshold and low-overhead fault-tolerant quantum memory. Nature, [online] 627(8005), pp.778–782. doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07107-7.

About IonQ

IonQ, Inc. [NYSE: IONQ] is the world’s leading quantum company delivering solutions to solve the world’s most complex problems. IonQ’s current generation quantum computers, IonQ Forte and IonQ Forte Enterprise, are the latest in a line of cutting-edge systems that have been helping customers and partners such as Amazon Web Services, AstraZeneca, and NVIDIA achieve 20x performance results.

The company is accelerating its technology roadmap and intends to deliver the world’s most powerful quantum computers with 2 million qubits by 2030 to accelerate innovation in drug discovery, materials science, financial modeling, logistics, cybersecurity, and defense. IonQ’s advancements in quantum networking also position the company as a leader in building the quantum internet.

The company’s innovative technology and rapid growth were recognized in Newsweek’s 2025 Excellence Index 1000, Forbes’ 2025 Most Successful Mid-Cap Companies list, and Built In’s 2025 100 Best Midsize Places to Work in Washington DC and Seattle, respectively. Available through all major cloud providers, IonQ is making quantum computing more accessible and impactful than ever before. Learn more at IonQ.com.

IonQ Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Some of the forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words. Statements that are not historical in nature are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include those related to the IonQ’s quantum computing capabilities and plans; and the scalability, fidelity, efficiency, viability, accessibility, effectiveness, importance, reliability, performance, speed, impact, practicality, feasibility, and commercial-readiness of IonQ’s offerings. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections, and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: IonQ’s ability to implement its technical roadmap; changes in the competitive industries in which IonQ operates, including development of competing technologies; IonQ’s ability to deliver, and customers’ ability to generate value from IonQ’s offerings; IonQ’s ability to deliver services and products within currently anticipated timelines; You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company’s filings, including but not limited to those described in the “Risk Factors” section of IonQ's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and reports on Form 10-Q. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and IonQ assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. IonQ does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations. IonQ may or may not choose to practice or otherwise use the inventions described in the issued patents in the future.

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