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Tempo and 2D-chip roadmap
Courtesy of IonQ · Press kit, editorial use (opens ionq.com)

Tempo and 2D-chip roadmap

by IonQUS

DeployStage 4 of 5

Tempo delivers #AQ 64. Next chips using Oxford Ionics tech are in development.

Updated 18d agoChecked 25 Sep0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · First electronically controlled 2D chip system
  1. Forte Enterprise (#AQ 36)2024Complete.
  2. Tempo achieves #AQ 64Sep 2025Complete.
  3. 99.99% two-qubit fidelity reportedOct 2025Complete.
  4. First electronically controlled 2D chip systemTarget 2026Current milestone.
  5. ~10,000 physical qubits on a chipTarget 2027Not yet reached.
  6. 2 million physical, 80,000 logical qubitsTarget 2030Not yet reached.

Most important updates

  • 18d ago
  • 8 Sep 2026
  • 31 Jul 2026
  • 26 Jan 2026
  • Oct 2025

Upcoming

  1. 2026First electronically controlled 2D chip system (next)
  2. 2027~10,000 physical qubits on a chip
  3. 2027First Superion 256 customer deliveries
  4. 20302 million physical, 80,000 logical qubits

Current obstacles

  • Keeping fidelity at scaleAccuracy shown on small devices must survive wiring and crosstalk on chips with thousands of ions.
  • Benchmark comparability#AQ is IonQ's own benchmark. Comparing it with other platforms is disputed.

Physics limits

  • Long ion chains get crowdedIons in one trap share vibration modes. As a chain grows, the modes crowd together and gates get slower and noisier, so beyond a few dozen ions machines must shuttle ions or link traps.
  • Electronic gates need steep fields close inMicrowave-driven gates need very strong magnetic-field gradients right at the ions. The currents that make them heat the chip, and that heat must be removed without disturbing the qubits.
  • Ion gates are slowTwo-qubit gates on ions take tens to hundreds of microseconds, about a thousand times slower than superconducting gates, so long error-corrected programs run for hours.

How it works

3 parts
A packaged surface ion trap from Oxford, not IonQ's: ions hover above the chip's electrodes, the approach IonQ is moving onto standard-made chips
A packaged surface ion trap from Oxford, not IonQ's: ions hover above the chip's electrodes, the approach IonQ is moving onto standard-made chipsPhoto: D. T. C. Allcock et al., University of Oxford · CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens commons.wikimedia.org)
Ions

Atomic qubits on a chip

Single ions are trapped above a chip. Their energy levels store quantum information for a long time.

Microwaves

Electronic gates

Currents in on-chip electrodes make magnetic fields and microwaves that link ions, replacing most lasers.

Fab

Standard chip factories

Because control is built into the chip, traps can be made on normal chip lines like SkyWater's.

Spec sheet

vs Forte Enterprise (#AQ 36)
SpecTempo and 2D-chip roadmapForte Enterprise (#AQ 36)Change
Algorithmic qubits#AQ 64R (reported)#AQ 36▲ 28
Best two-qubit fidelity99.99%R (reported)——no comparable change
Physical qubits target (2030)2,000,000R (reported)——no comparable change
Logical qubits target (2030)80,000R (reported)——no comparable change
Gate controlElectronic (microwave on chip)R (reported)Laser—no comparable change

R reported by the company

Papers & demos

2 items
  1. Oct 2025paper
    99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity with electronic qubit control (opens arxiv.org)First reported 'four nines' two-qubit gate, reducing the qubits needed for error correction.
  2. Sep 2025demo
    Tempo reaches #AQ 64 (opens ionq.com)Hit IonQ's own benchmark target ahead of schedule.

Update log

6 updates

Tue 22 Sep

  • Minor: PressResearch

Tue 8 Sep

  • Major: PressHardware

Fri 31 Jul

  • Major: PressManufacturing

Mon 26 Jan

  • Major: PressManufacturing

Oct 2025

  • Major: PressResearch

Mon 9 Jun 2025

  • Major: PressOther

About IonQ

The team behind Tempo and 2D-chip roadmap

IonQ

Trapped-ion computers, quantum networking, chip fab

IonQ builds trapped-ion quantum computers and was the first pure quantum company to go public (2021). Under CEO Niccolo de Masi it bought Oxford Ionics, networking firms and chip fab SkyWater. It aims for 2 million qubits by 2030.

  • Closed its $1.8B purchase of chip maker SkyWater on 31 July 2026, gaining its own fab.
  • Reported 99.99% two-qubit fidelity in October 2025 using Oxford Ionics' electronic control.
  • Raised $2B in equity in October 2025, one of the sector's largest raises.

ionq.com (opens ionq.com)Company profile →

Founded
201511 yrs
Headquarters
United States
Status
Public
Listed
IONQ (opens google.com)NYSE
Valuation
public
Raised
$3B2 rounds
Last round
Equity offering · $2BOct 2025
Works in
QuantumTrapped ionComputing
Coverage
2 programs · 11 updateslatest 18d agochecked 25 Sep
Lead investors
Heights Capital Management
Customers
AstraZeneca (opens astrazeneca.com)EPB (opens ionq.com)
Partners
Oxford Ionics (opens oxionics.com)SkyWater Technology (opens skywatertechnology.com)ID Quantique (opens idquantique.com)
People
Niccolo de MasiChairman and CEOChris Monroe (opens en.wikipedia.org)Co-founder
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