IonQ to Deploy Superion 256 Quantum Computer at NVIDIA Quantum Research Center

en.Wedoany.com Reported - IonQ announced that it will deploy a Superion 256 quantum computing system at the NVIDIA Accelerated Quantum Research Center (NVAQC). The device will become the first on-site quantum processor deployed at NVAQC, with installation planned for 2027. At that time, the Superion 256 will connect directly to a GB200 NVL72 system via NVIDIA NVQLink, with quantum and GPU workloads orchestrated through the CUDA-Q platform.

This collaboration focuses on hybrid computing between quantum processors and high-performance AI infrastructure. The two parties plan to conduct joint research on hybrid software development, large-scale system prototyping, and quantum-GPU collaborative architectures, and to produce publicly available research results and references for subsequent system designs. Once the Superion 256 is connected to NVAQC, it will form an on-site quantum-classical heterogeneous computing environment together with the GB200 NVL72.

IonQ officially launched the Superion 256 on September 8, marking its sixth-generation quantum computing platform. The system features a 256-qubit architecture, with the first batch of chips already manufactured by IonQ's SkyWater, and the prototype system has already achieved ion trapping. The Superion 256 is now available for order, with first customer deliveries planned for 2027.

NVAQC plans to use the Superion 256 for quantum algorithm and hybrid computing research, with application areas including portfolio optimization and risk modeling in finance, materials science, and computational chemistry in drug discovery. IonQ and NVIDIA previously conducted joint research with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, using CUDA-Q to validate computational methods combining generative AI with distributed quantum algorithms.

IonQ is currently advancing multi-site deployments of the Superion 256 in parallel. On September 21, the company announced it would provide a Superion 256 system to South Korea's SDT; on September 24, it announced a contract with Florida International University to deploy the same model locally. The NVAQC project marks the first deployment arrangement in which the Superion 256 explicitly enters NVIDIA's quantum research infrastructure and connects directly to a GB200 NVL72.