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title: IonQ Receives $7.5 Million from AFRL for Quantum Networking
description: IonQ has received $7.5 million in Phase 2 funding from the Air Force Research Laboratory to expand a quantum network in Rome, New York. The award sits within a...
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og:description: IonQ has received $7.5 million in Phase 2 funding from the Air Force Research Laboratory to expand a quantum network in Rome, New York. The award sits within a...
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# IonQ Receives $7.5 Million from AFRL for Quantum Networking

**[The Quantum Insider](https://daily.dev/sources/thequantuminsider)** · 3 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

## Summary

IonQ has received $7.5 million in Phase 2 funding from the Air Force Research Laboratory to expand a quantum network in Rome, New York. The award sits within a previously announced $21.1 million collaboration from January 2025 and is not a supplemental grant. Upgrades include free-space optical links with automatic pointing and tracking, two quantum frequency converter modules, on-premises automated control software, and upgraded quantum network interface cards. The work aims to connect different quantum systems over standard telecom infrastructure and open air for metropolitan and defense use.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://thequantuminsider.com/2026/10/28/ionq-7-5-million-afrl-full-stack-quantum-networking>

## Questions this post answers

### What did IonQ get Phase 2 AFRL funding for in quantum networking?

IonQ received $7.5 million in Phase 2 funding from the Air Force Research Laboratory to expand a quantum network previously built in Rome, New York. The upgrades add free-space optical links with automatic pointing and tracking, two quantum frequency converter modules, upgraded network hardware, and automated control software to connect different quantum systems over telecom infrastructure and open air.

_Those tracking defense and quantum networking funding rounds can follow deals like this on daily.dev._

### Is IonQ's $7.5 million AFRL award a new deal or part of an existing contract?

It is not a new or supplemental deal. IonQ originally announced a $21.1 million collaboration with AFRL in January 2025, and this $7.5 million Phase 2 award was already contemplated within that originally announced amount.

_Anyone sizing up quantum computing funding announcements can track the details on daily.dev._

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---

Tags: [#quantum-computing](https://daily.dev/tags/quantum-computing)

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