IonQ opens Boulder quantum research lab

The latest: IonQ held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new 22,000-square-foot facility at 1685 38th St.

• The site will serve as a testing ground for IonQ quantum computer technology and is expected to employ more than 100 people once it's fully up and running.

"This is a big bet for us," chair and CEO Niccolo de Masi said.

Zoom in: The company considered multiple cities before choosing Boulder, said Chris Ballance, IonQ's president of quantum computing.

• Proximity to the University of Colorado Boulder and federal labs like the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was a big selling point.
• "Our ability to tap into this ecosystem is key to our success," Ballance said.

Flashback: IonQ co-founder Chris Monroe worked at NIST in the 1990s.

• There, he and Nobel Prize-winning physicist David Wineland demonstrated the world's first quantum logic gate in 1995 — a breakthrough in the modern field of quantum computing.

Between the lines: Colorado has spent years positioning itself as a quantum tech leader.

• The state was declared a quantum tech hub in 2023.

• In 2025, Boulder established a CHIPS Zone — a specific economic development area spanning parts of Boulder and Gunbarrel aimed at attracting advanced manufacturing.

What they're saying: Colorado's status as a quantum hub and IonQ's historical ties to Boulder through Monroe made Boulder "a natural home," for a lab, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said.

• Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett added, "In so many ways, we see IonQ's decision to choose Boulder as the site for this facility as a reflection of the community's longtime commitment to innovation, entrepreneurship and emerging industries."

What's next: IonQ expects to wrap construction the summer, with its first quantum computer slated to arrive from the company's manufacturing facility in England by year's end.