IonQ to Acquire Elisity in All-Stock Deal Valued at Up to $1.3 Billion
IonQ has agreed to acquire cybersecurity firm Elisity in an all-stock deal worth up to $1.3 billion, expanding its security portfolio as it prepares for quantum and AI threats. IonQ shares fell more than 9%.
The companies said in a press release that the move is designed to address those security risks. "With Elisity and its team as part of IonQ, we will be well positioned to help customers protect critical infrastructure and enterprise networks throughout the transition to the quantum era," Niccolo de Masi, IonQ's chairman and CEO, said in the release.
The all-stock deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter, subject to regulatory approval. Elisity will retain its current leadership, including CEO James Winebrenner.
IonQ shares fell more than 9% in afternoon trading. Other quantum computing stocks, including Rigetti Computing and D-Wave Quantum, also traded lower.
The deal extends a period of acquisitions for IonQ, whose stock has surged in recent months amid a buying spree. Most recently, the company bought semiconductor maker SkyWater Technology for $1.8 billion in July. In the past year and a half, IonQ has acquired several quantum companies, most notably U.K.-based quantum computing startup Oxford Ionics.
The acquisition follows two June executive orders from President Donald Trump aimed at building a quantum computer for scientific research by 2028 and protecting government systems from cyber threats. IonQ said in the release that the orders underscored the urgency of preparing for quantum computing threats.