IonQ has announced its intention to install the 256-qubit Superion 256 system at the NVIDIA Accelerated Quantum Research Center (NVAQC). This marks the first deployment of an IonQ quantum processor (QPU) at Nvidia's facility.
The NVIDIA Accelerated Quantum Research Center (NVAQC) will host its first on-premise quantum computing deployment: an IonQ Superion 256 system.
— IonQ (@IonQ_Inc) September 23, 2026
“We view this as the start of an exciting era for hybrid quantum-classical computing," stated CEO @NiccoloDeMasi.
The NVAQC is… pic.twitter.com/lYi4WxV0vT
This deployment will be part of a collaborative effort between the two companies to develop next-generation hybrid quantum-classical systems.
The Superion 256 system will be directly linked to the NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 infrastructure via NVIDIA NVQLink, with workload management facilitated by the open NVIDIA CUDA-Q platform. This setup is expected to explore the integration of quantum processors within AI and GPU-accelerated computing environments to tackle problems that conventional supercomputers cannot.
In this partnership, IonQ and Nvidia will focus on developing hybrid software, prototyping large systems, and producing open results for future applications of quantum computing combined with AI and GPUs. Priority areas include portfolio optimization and risk assessment in finance, materials science, and computational chemistry for drug discovery.
IonQ's CEO Niccolo De Masi emphasized that the deployment of Superion 256 at Nvidia’s center will expedite the transition to hybrid computing and demonstrate the capabilities of the company's scalable architecture. He noted that IonQ's roadmap towards 10,000 qubits and full fault tolerance is advancing through vertical integration with SkyWater CMOS manufacturing.
Nvidia highlighted that its collaboration with IonQ reflects a broader trend: future supercomputers will incorporate quantum computing as part of a unified infrastructure. According to Timothy Costa, Nvidia’s vice president for quantum technologies, placing the Superion 256 alongside the GB200 NVL72 system should accelerate the global ecosystem's progress toward creating scientifically beneficial quantum supercomputers.
IonQ unveiled the Superion platform on September 8, with the system now available for order and initial deliveries expected in 2027, coinciding with the deployment at NVAQC.
In July, researchers from Nvidia, AWS, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and NASA proposed a model for assessing the interaction between QPUs and classical supercomputers.
Follow ForkLog on social media
Telegram (main channel) Facebook X