# IonQ Reports More Than 1,000 Entanglement Events Per Second

By Simon Yoon

Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/technology/29189
Published: 2026-10-09T18:04:47.000Z
Updated: 2026-10-09T18:04:47.000Z
Section: Technology

> The photonic link connected a trapped-ion qubit with silicon-vacancy quantum memory at more than four times the previous trapped-ion record.

IonQ said Oct. 9, 2026, that researchers connected a trapped-ion qubit with silicon-vacancy quantum memory at more than 1,000 entanglement events per second, advancing its work on distributed quantum systems.

The rate, equivalent to 1 kilohertz, was achieved through a photonic interconnect that transferred quantum information between the two different quantum systems. IonQ said the result exceeded the previous trapped-ion interconnect record by more than four times.

Quantum interconnects are designed to let separate processors and memory units share quantum information. The approach could connect specialized quantum processors and memory units in a distributed system rather than requiring every function to run on the same hardware.

“IonQ has crossed a pivotal milestone for memory enhanced quantum interconnects, achieving more than 1,000 entanglement events per second,” Niccolo de Masi, chairman and CEO of IonQ, said.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Heterogeneous Architectures for Quantum program is developing high-speed interconnects that link different qubit types. IonQ said its architecture could eventually support trapped-ion, neutral-atom and superconducting systems, with conversion devices for superconducting hardware. The latest demonstration involved trapped-ion hardware and silicon-vacancy memory.

“Classical data centers achieved massive scale by connecting specialized processors, memory, and networks. Quantum systems will scale in much the same way,” de Masi said.

IonQ’s announced deployments include a $7.5 million agreement with the University of Maryland dated April 13, 2026. The agreement includes deployment of a silicon-vacancy quantum memory node.

In September 2026, IonQ announced a partnership with South Korean company SDT to supply a Superion 256 quantum computer and a silicon-vacancy quantum memory module for a planned deployment in South Korea.

“This work shows that a photonic quantum interconnect need not be a bottleneck for distributed quantum computing,” Mihir Bhaskar, senior vice president and general manager of quantum technologies at SkyWater, said.