Quantum computing company IonQ announced Monday it will acquire zero-trust cybersecurity firm Elisity in an all-stock deal valued at up to $1.3 billion. The acquisition aims to combine post-quantum cryptography with network access controls.
Quantum computing platform IonQ announced on Monday that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire cybersecurity company Elisity in an all-stock transaction valued at up to $1.3 billion. The deal includes up to $150 million in performance-based earnouts and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approval.
The acquisition is designed to integrate IonQ’s hardware-level post-quantum cryptography (PQC) and quantum key distribution (QKD) technologies with Elisity’s software-defined Zero Trust policy framework. According to the companies, the combined entity will help customers detect and defend against AI-driven cyberattacks and protect against emerging quantum threats.
Elisity, founded in 2019, provides a software policy layer that governs communication between users, devices, workloads, and AI agents. The company reports more than 100 global deployments and states that revenue and customer counts have doubled year over year with no churn among deployed customers.
Niccolo de Masi, IonQ’s chairman and CEO, stated in a release that the move positions the company to help customers "protect critical infrastructure and enterprise networks throughout the transition to the quantum era." De Masi also noted, "Q-Day is coming much faster than predicted," referring to the point at which quantum computers could break current encryption technology.
The deal addresses what the companies describe as a two-front problem: conventional attacks operating at machine speed and the risk that encrypted data could be retained until quantum decryption becomes practical, a concept known as "harvest now, decrypt later."
Following the closing, the combined entity plans to extend Elisity’s IdentityGraph engine with cryptographic inventory and risk data. This integration aims to enable enterprise and government clients to manage vulnerabilities while maintaining least-privilege network access controls during multiyear PQC migrations.
Elisity CEO James Winebrenner wrote in a blog post that customers need to "contain attacks today, put AI to work safely, and prepare for quantum risk." Elisity will retain its current leadership, including Winebrenner, and will operate as a subsidiary.
IonQ shares fell more than 9% in afternoon trading on Monday. Other quantum computing stocks, including Rigetti Computing and D-Wave Quantum, also traded lower. Investor's Business Daily noted that the all-stock deal will dilute existing equity.
This acquisition continues IonQ’s recent strategy of acquiring foundational infrastructure and networking assets. In July, IonQ bought semiconductor maker SkyWater Technology for $1.8 billion. Over the past year and a half, the company has also acquired Oxford Ionics, Vector Atomic, Lightsynq, Capella, ID Quantique, and Qubitekk.
The deal follows two June executive orders from President Donald Trump aimed at building a quantum computer for scientific research by 2028 and protecting government systems from cyber threats. IonQ stated that these orders underscored the urgency of preparing for quantum computing threats. The Trump administration recently directed federal agencies to move up internal timelines for migrating to PQC encryption from 2035 to 2030.
The acquisition highlights the convergence of quantum computing and cybersecurity as governments and industries accelerate timelines for quantum-ready encryption. By combining IonQ’s quantum hardware capabilities with Elisity’s zero-trust software, the companies aim to address immediate AI-driven security threats while preparing for the future risk of quantum decryption breaking current encryption standards.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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