IonQ to produce 25 Evergreen-05 optical atomic clocks for DARPA, with option for 100 more

【Article Title】 IonQ to produce 25 Evergreen-05 optical atomic clocks for DARPA, with option for 100 more 【Article Body】 AI TRANSLATION This article is an AI-generated translation of the original Japanese article. For the authoritative version, please refer to the original. Read the original Japanese article → (https://quantumindex.jp/ionq-darpa-evergreen-05-atomic-clock-contract/) IonQ announced on August 6, 2026 that it has received a $28 million contract extension from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under the “It’s About Time” program. The extension covers development of a manufacturing capability and production of 25 Evergreen‑05 optical atomic clocks. Including unexercised options, the program could reach up to 125 units and a total value of $58 million. Overview The contract modifies an existing DARPA agreement. The confirmed $28 million covers development of the manufacturing capability and production of 25 Evergreen‑05 units. An unexercised $30 million option covering an additional 100 units has not been exercised as of this announcement. The Evergreen‑05 is a 5‑liter integrated optical atomic clock. IonQ states it offers time stability of 50 femtoseconds at one second and holdover performance at the nanosecond level over 10 days. Its volume is one seventy‑fifth that of an active hydrogen maser, and it is intended for applications such as radar, secure communications, and high‑precision positioning. To support deliveries, IonQ plans to invest $15 million in dedicated production space, manufacturing and test equipment, and support personnel. The underlying technology was developed by Vector Atomic with DARPA support; IonQ acquired Vector Atomic in October 2025. Key points • The confirmed contract extension is $28 million, covering development of the manufacturing capability and 25 Evergreen‑05 optical atomic clocks. • If an unexercised $30 million option is exercised, the contract could include an additional 100 units for a total of 125 units and up to $58 million. • The Evergreen‑05 is a 5‑liter device claimed to have 50 femtoseconds of time stability at one second and nanosecond‑level holdover over 10 days. • IonQ plans to invest $15 million in production facilities, manufacturing and test equipment, and personnel to enable volume production. Technical and business implications This contract extension signals a shift for Evergreen‑05 from technology development toward government production and delivery. If IonQ can mass‑produce a compact clock with the stated time stability, it could open a path to commercializing positioning, navigation, and timing capabilities beyond IonQ’s quantum computing business. However, delivery of all 125 units depends on exercising the unconfirmed option, and the performance and reliability of production units in operational environments cannot be assessed from the announcement alone. What to watch next Key near‑term items include the start of production and delivery of the confirmed 25 units, the timeline for those deliveries, and how the planned $15 million in capital expenditures is implemented. Whether the additional 100‑unit option is exercised will be an important indicator of contract scale. Equally important for technical validation will be whether production units maintain the published time‑stability figures and how they perform in land, sea, and air operational environments. ✍️ Quantum Index Analysis This announcement is not evidence of progress in IonQ’s quantum gate‑machine development. The focus is the optical atomic clock business originating from Vector Atomic, which IonQ acquired in 2025, and reflects an effort to expand into government orders for quantum sensingquantum sensingQuantum Sensing / Quantum SensingTechnology that utilizes quantum phenomena such as superposition and quantum interference to measure magnetic fields, time, gravity, and other quantities with high sensitivity.QI NoteA field of quantum technology distinct from quantum computing; practical implementations already exist. When evaluating performance, check sensitivity, resolution, and the measurement environment. and metrology beyond quantum computing. Although optical atomic clocks use atomic quantum transitions and therefore fall within quantum technology, they do not directly improve metrics central to quantum computers—such as qubitqubitQubit / Quantum Bit / QubitThe basic unit of information in a quantum computer. It can represent not only 0 or 1 but also a quantum state that is a superposition of them.QI NoteHaving more qubits does not necessarily mean higher performance. Error rates, connectivity, coherence time, and the number of logical qubits are also important. counts, gate fidelitygate fidelityGate Fidelity / Gate Fidelity / Quantum Gate FidelityA measure of accuracy that indicates how closely a quantum gate operation was performed compared to the ideal operation.QI NoteHigher is generally better, but values depend on the measurement method and differ between single-qubit and two-qubit gates. When comparing, also check the evaluation conditions., or error correction. The notable point here is that IonQ has secured a manufacturing contract for 25 devices and is committing capital to move toward a production phase for an acquired device. That said, the additional 100 units remain an unexercised option, so an order for 125 units is not confirmed. The performance figures are currently company‑published values. The business significance for IonQ lies in converting acquired technology into government contracts and a manufacturing capability. This development is of limited relevance when assessing the future prospects of IonQ’s quantum gate machines. Related articles • IonQ to produce 125 optical atomic clocks for the U.S. government under DARPA contract extension (https://en.quantumindex.jp/ionq-darpa-evergreen-05-atomic-clocks/) • Fixstars Amplify SDK gains support for Fujitsu’s superconducting quantum computer “System F” (https://en.quantumindex.jp/fixstars-amplify-sdk-system-f-support/) • IonQ and Sandia sign MOU for co‑design of national security quantum technologies (https://en.quantumindex.jp/ionq-sandia-quantum-codesign-mou/) Source Read the original announcement (https://www.ionq.com/news/updated-darpa-selects-ionq-to-produce-next-generation-atomic-clocks) If you found this article useful, please consider sharing it. ──────────────────── 【AI Evaluation Request】 Evaluate the following article critically, not based on the quality of its writing, but on its **original informational value as a specialist publication**. Do not give a high rating to summaries, paraphrases, explanations of technical terms, or generic observations such as "this will be worth watching" or "the timeline remains uncertain" if they could easily be produced by a general-purpose generative AI, even if they are well written. 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IonQ announced on August 6, 2026 that it has received a $28 million contract extension from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under the “It’s About Time” program. The extension covers development of a manufacturing capability and production of 25 Evergreen‑05 optical atomic clocks. Including unexercised options, the program could reach up to 125 units and a total value of $58 million.

Overview

The contract modifies an existing DARPA agreement. The confirmed $28 million covers development of the manufacturing capability and production of 25 Evergreen‑05 units. An unexercised $30 million option covering an additional 100 units has not been exercised as of this announcement. The Evergreen‑05 is a 5‑liter integrated optical atomic clock. IonQ states it offers time stability of 50 femtoseconds at one second and holdover performance at the nanosecond level over 10 days. Its volume is one seventy‑fifth that of an active hydrogen maser, and it is intended for applications such as radar, secure communications, and high‑precision positioning. To support deliveries, IonQ plans to invest $15 million in dedicated production space, manufacturing and test equipment, and support personnel. The underlying technology was developed by Vector Atomic with DARPA support; IonQ acquired Vector Atomic in October 2025.

Key points

• The confirmed contract extension is $28 million, covering development of the manufacturing capability and 25 Evergreen‑05 optical atomic clocks.
• If an unexercised $30 million option is exercised, the contract could include an additional 100 units for a total of 125 units and up to $58 million.
• The Evergreen‑05 is a 5‑liter device claimed to have 50 femtoseconds of time stability at one second and nanosecond‑level holdover over 10 days.
• IonQ plans to invest $15 million in production facilities, manufacturing and test equipment, and personnel to enable volume production.

Technical and business implications

This contract extension signals a shift for Evergreen‑05 from technology development toward government production and delivery. If IonQ can mass‑produce a compact clock with the stated time stability, it could open a path to commercializing positioning, navigation, and timing capabilities beyond IonQ’s quantum computing business. However, delivery of all 125 units depends on exercising the unconfirmed option, and the performance and reliability of production units in operational environments cannot be assessed from the announcement alone.

What to watch next

Key near‑term items include the start of production and delivery of the confirmed 25 units, the timeline for those deliveries, and how the planned $15 million in capital expenditures is implemented. Whether the additional 100‑unit option is exercised will be an important indicator of contract scale. Equally important for technical validation will be whether production units maintain the published time‑stability figures and how they perform in land, sea, and air operational environments.

✍️ Quantum Index Analysis

This announcement is not evidence of progress in IonQ’s quantum gate‑machine development. The focus is the optical atomic clock business originating from Vector Atomic, which IonQ acquired in 2025, and reflects an effort to expand into government orders for quantum sensingquantum sensingQuantum Sensing / Quantum SensingTechnology that utilizes quantum phenomena such as superposition and quantum interference to measure magnetic fields, time, gravity, and other quantities with high sensitivity.QI NoteA field of quantum technology distinct from quantum computing; practical implementations already exist. When evaluating performance, check sensitivity, resolution, and the measurement environment. and metrology beyond quantum computing.

Although optical atomic clocks use atomic quantum transitions and therefore fall within quantum technology, they do not directly improve metrics central to quantum computers—such as qubitqubitQubit / Quantum Bit / QubitThe basic unit of information in a quantum computer. It can represent not only 0 or 1 but also a quantum state that is a superposition of them.QI NoteHaving more qubits does not necessarily mean higher performance. Error rates, connectivity, coherence time, and the number of logical qubits are also important. counts, gate fidelitygate fidelityGate Fidelity / Gate Fidelity / Quantum Gate FidelityA measure of accuracy that indicates how closely a quantum gate operation was performed compared to the ideal operation.QI NoteHigher is generally better, but values depend on the measurement method and differ between single-qubit and two-qubit gates. When comparing, also check the evaluation conditions., or error correction. The notable point here is that IonQ has secured a manufacturing contract for 25 devices and is committing capital to move toward a production phase for an acquired device.

That said, the additional 100 units remain an unexercised option, so an order for 125 units is not confirmed. The performance figures are currently company‑published values. The business significance for IonQ lies in converting acquired technology into government contracts and a manufacturing capability. This development is of limited relevance when assessing the future prospects of IonQ’s quantum gate machines.

Related articles

• IonQ to produce 125 optical atomic clocks for the U.S. government under DARPA contract extension
• Fixstars Amplify SDK gains support for Fujitsu’s superconducting quantum computer “System F”
• IonQ and Sandia sign MOU for co‑design of national security quantum technologies

Source

Read the original announcement