IonQ, a full-stack quantum platform and foundry listed on the New York Stock Exchange, has signed a definitive agreement to buy Elisity, a Zero Trust security specialist, in an all-stock deal worth as much as $1.3bn.
The transaction pairs IonQ’s post-quantum cryptography (PQC) and quantum key distribution (QKD) technology with Elisity’s enterprise Zero Trust platform. Once combined, IonQ expects to operate a broader cybersecurity offering capable of identifying and defending against both current LLM-driven threats and the quantum risks now emerging.
Elisity has consistently doubled its revenue and customer numbers each year, with no customer losses among its deployed base.
It counts more than 100 deployments worldwide and has close ties with CISOs and the wider security community. These relationships will give IonQ new routes to market for its PQC, QKD and quantum computing products across corporate and government networks, and open access to a microsegmentation market valued at more than $10bn and growing at a double-digit compound annual rate.
Organisations are currently juggling two linked challenges: stopping attacks that move at machine speed, and preparing sensitive data for future quantum threats.
Recent White House executive orders promoting quantum innovation and speeding up federal migration to PQC have added pressure, highlighting the need to secure critical systems and ready government networks for the quantum era.
Elisity’s IdentityGraph product merges native asset identity with partner-supplied context and risk data to shape least-privilege access rules for users, devices, workloads and AI agents. Security teams can test policies in simulation before restricting each identity to only the connections it requires, shrinking the attack surface and limiting how far a breach can travel.
Under a joint roadmap, IdentityGraph will gain cryptographic inventory and risk data, combining encryption safeguards with identity-based controls. The aim is to help clients manage a multiyear quantum transition while hardening defences against today’s attacks, including those involving AI agents.
After completion, Elisity will keep serving its clients under its existing leadership team, including chief executive James Winebrenner.
IonQ has built some of the world’s largest quantum-safe national communications networks, with deployments in Switzerland, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. Its layered quantum-safe portfolio covers posture management, QKD and PQC. Clients are increasingly buying several IonQ products, and the firm reported 40% year-on-year growth in multiproduct revenue in the second quarter of 2026. Both companies anticipate cross-selling complementary security tools, deepening enterprise and government relationships, and building integrated products.
IonQ chairman and CEO Niccolo de Masi said, “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. As I said first, Q-Day is coming much faster than predicted.
IonQ is offering its customers a vertically integrated full-stack quantum platform across quantum computing, networking, sensing and cybersecurity. Just as adding SkyWater Technology expanded IonQ’s capabilities in chip design, fabrication and packaging, Elisity will bring proven enterprise policy enforcement scale and deployment experience to our quantum security strategy and will give IonQ a strong growth platform to serve customers and create value for our shareholders.”
Elisity CEO James Winebrenner said, “Our customers need to prioritize post-quantum cryptography initiatives while securing existing assets to keep essential operations running. With IonQ, we will be optimally positioned to partner with them to modernize their crypto-agility programs, accelerate post-quantum cryptography capabilities while advancing their holistic Zero Trust posture and deploy hybrid-cybersecurity solutions today that are prepared for the quantum future.”
Copyright © 2026 RegTech Analyst
Copyright © 2026 RegTech Analyst
