IonQ said it will acquire cybersecurity company Elisity in an all-stock deal worth up to $1.3 billion. The company's shares fell more than 9%. The deal would expand IonQ's cybersecurity portfolio.
The quantum computing company IonQ will acquire cybersecurity company Elisity in an all-stock deal worth up to $1.3 billion, it said on Monday. The price includes up to $150 million in performance-based earnouts.
Shares of IonQ fell more than 9% in afternoon trading. Other quantum computing stocks, including Rigetti Computing and D-Wave Quantum, also traded lower.
What the deal is meant to do
The companies said the move is designed to defend against and uncover attackers targeting generative AI large-language models and AI agents, and to protect against emerging quantum threats. IonQ Chairman and CEO Niccolo de Masi said in the release that the company will be "well positioned to help customers protect critical infrastructure and enterprise networks" through the transition to the quantum era.
The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter, subject to regulatory approval. Elisity will retain its current leadership, including CEO James Winebrenner.
A string of acquisitions
The deal comes amid a buying spree. IonQ bought semiconductor maker SkyWater Technology for $1.8 billion in July, and over the past year and a half it has acquired several quantum companies, most notably U.K.-based startup Oxford Ionics.
The Elisity deal also follows two June executive orders from President Donald Trump. They aim at building a quantum computer for scientific research by 2028 and protecting government systems from cyber threats, and IonQ said the orders underscored the urgency of preparing for quantum computing threats.
Source: CNBC
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