Small business to Slovakia
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When following IonQ, one can see many things reflecting from 80 years ago to the present moment. I watched a documentary on Yle Areena called ‘Manhattan Project in Color’. Link to the program below.
IonQ’s long-term customer has been Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. From the aforementioned program, a few image excerpts from the city of Oak Ridge:
The city of Oak Ridge was founded from scratch in 1942, and in an instant, it had 80,000 people. It used more energy than New York, and at the end of the war, it consumed 1/7 of the entire US electricity production.
The phrase on the sign “MAKE CEW COUNT – PROTECT PROJECT INFORMATION” was thus a slogan for the workers. CEW was related to the Manhattan Project in that it was an abbreviation for Clinton Engineer Works (code name) – the official name for the Oak Ridge production facilities in Tennessee. The sign encouraged workers to push hard now, even if they didn’t know what the work was related to. The project was highly secret. But for some reason, there is still a lot of film and photographic material.
Below is a picture showing the operation of an electromagnetic separation device. Everyone monitors the gauges and then turns levers or presses buttons. The purpose is to enrich Uranium.
Even today, in the same city founded in 1942, ORNL and IonQ collaborate, at least concerning US energy grids, for which public information exists. In the US, national security structures have remained very stable for 80 years. Back in 1942, this project was also managed by the War and Energy Departments. ORNL is still funded by the Department of Energy. I personally think that some projects are public, but others remain hidden from the public due to security classifications.
In that YLE program, it was well told that already in the 1930s, the British knew the Germans were planning an atomic bomb. Werner Heisenberg had received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1932. British physicists were key in ensuring the situational awareness reached the White House. The program stated that the British were at the forefront of quantum mechanics theory in the late 1930s, perhaps right behind Heisenberg. But the Americans had the will, the means, and the ability to implement things. Just like today. From the University of Oxford, a world record has been set in quantum computing accuracy, meaning Oxford Ionics, acquired by IonQ, achieved a 99.99% accuracy rate. Thus, in the merger of IonQ and Oxford Ionics, the US culture of doing and achieving combines once again with high British research expertise. So now, and 80 years ago, things happen in the same way.
Stock investing also broadens one’s perspective of the world. Perhaps for me, 80 years is a very long time span, but it is not a long time span in the development of nations and cultures. Does this story of mine relate to IonQ’s stock in some way? Yes, it does for me. In the past 80 years and the present moment, there are many similar phenomena in different layers of the story. China is in Germany’s place. There are so many signs in the air that IonQ could be among those that will receive even growing orders from the federal government in the coming years related to power grid optimization, encrypted quantum networks, quantum computing, etc. All that has been discussed here in this thread. But it’s not certain. I have IonQ in my portfolio with a 16% weighting, so I don’t need to worry about my portfolio if valuations melt down and IonQ is not chosen for Golden Dome. Then it just happens. I am not involved with IonQ specifically because of Golden Dome. But because IonQ is a holding company that manages significant patents and companies in an industry that I believe will, among other things, revolutionize AI computing in the coming years (computing will significantly speed up and energy consumption per AI computing event will significantly decrease). So, just a mundane end-game goal like that.
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Quantum computing is the next industrial revolution. Pistoia speaks (IonQ Italia)
By Lorenzo Santucci
Of course, there’s a slight feeling that with the recruitment of 100 people, IonQ could have a role in the Michelangelo project.
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New article on Golden Dome, Board Appointments, and Defense Contracts:
“Emerging aerospace technology and quantum computing companies have also proven to be worthy of the Pentagon’s commercial partnerships in recent months. Some companies that have received contracts added board directors who are alums of a major space initiative from Trump’s first term: the U.S. Space Force”
"Similarly, Gen. John W. Raymond, known to many in the industry as the “Father of Space Force,” joined quantum computing company IonQ in September, following the recommendation of its nominating and corporate governance committee.
At the time, the company said Raymond’s appointment is one of a group of strategic industry hires, reflecting IonQ’s continued investment in advancing quantum technologies that support the evolving needs of government, defense and space partners, according to a press release.
IonQ currently has multiple ongoing Pentagon contracts for quantum computing, totaling more than $100 million, which CEO Niccolo de Masi announced also in September along with the launch of the company’s government arm, IonQ Federal.
A spokesperson for IonQ told Agenda that Raymond will be an asset in complementing the company’s vision to build the first global “quantum Internet,” which would be a network that will connect quantum computers.
“His perspective helps guide us in accelerating the deployment of quantum technologies from the lab into the field, moving with the speed that modern defense and commercial partners now expect,” wrote an IonQ spokesperson in an email.
He declined to comment on whether Raymond’s appointment might help the company win any additional federal defense contracts going forward."
https://x.com/CHB1284/status/1995655307775590424?t=w8b8GI2BwMMP5qqwVotaJw&s=19
Elikkä Pentagonin kanssa sopimukset on nyt karkeasti noin 2025 liikevaihdon verran. Oletettavasti tuleville vuosille jakaantuu nämä joiltain osin
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The Western world’s best-known defense systems against hypersonic and ballistic missiles and, for example, drone swarms are the USA’s Golden Dome, Israel’s Iron Dome, and, new to me, Italy’s Michelangelo Dome, which @timontti brought up earlier. In fact, Michelangelo appears to be Europe’s most central defense platform against missile and drone threats.
The old truth is that war and the threat of war increase innovation. IonQ’s solutions are already currently defense dome-capable. I.e., it’s not about having to wait here for IonQ to make qubit gates faster in addition to achieving 99.99% error-free operation. The aforementioned is related to accelerating AI. But I tasked AI with creating a diagram showing the roles of quantum technology in missile defense (sensors, computation, cryptography, navigation). This is what the overall architecture of a missile defense system looks like from the perspective of quantum technologies:
IonQ, to my understanding, now has the capabilities for all four of the aforementioned areas. And it is quite logical that a general is at the forefront of IonQ’s missile dome services sales – broad understanding and practical experience with weapon systems and their interoperability are needed.
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Norges Bank established a new position in IonQ by purchasing 2,670,872 shares in Q2 (~$114.8M), representing about 1.02% of the company at quarter-end.
Smells like bankruptcy
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What do you think that NBIM investment in the company says? In the latest 13F filing, IONQ ended up as an investment among 1706 other US companies. For context, they also bought AMC earlier this year and Gamestop last year.
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Probably not much, the exit already happened at the end of Q3.
But this is interesting, an investment in another top company in the software sector
Massinen is a busy man now
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For me, Horizon is interesting because it’s the first software company I’ve noticed that aims to productize software libraries between quantum HW and applications. The market niche is new, growing significantly, and absolutely necessary. I need to follow Horizon already in the SPAC phase.
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Did I understand correctly that IONQ is investing in a SPAC sponsored by IONQ’s CEO’s own firm?
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Uncle Marco’s ramblings among others. Even as background noise for Monday’s workday
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A small opening move into the EU
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