IonQ Agrees to Buy Cybersecurity Firm Elisity for Up to $1.3 Billion in All-Stock Deal

Quantum-computing company IonQ has agreed to acquire privately held cybersecurity firm Elisity in an all-stock transaction valued at up to $1.3 billion, the companies announced Monday. The deal includes as much as $150 million in performance-based earnouts tied to Elisity's future results. The exchange ratio for IonQ shares is pegged to a reference price ranging from $33.07 to $49.61 per share, with IonQ stock having closed the prior Friday at $39.89, giving the company a market value of roughly $16 billion.

Elisity's platform is designed to stop hackers and ransomware from spreading across corporate networks, a capability that fits into IonQ's broader push to build out quantum security offerings. IonQ Chairman and Chief Executive Niccolo de Masi framed the deal as a response to growing cybersecurity risks as quantum computing and artificial intelligence systems become more capable. The acquisition is intended to accelerate what IonQ calls zero-trust security for the quantum era, protecting organizations against AI-assisted attacks and emerging quantum threats.

The deal marks another step in what analysts have characterized as an acquisition spree by IonQ as the Maryland-based company works to broaden its commercial platform beyond pure quantum computing hardware and services.