# IonQ Agrees to Acquire Elisity

IonQ has agreed to acquire Zero Trust cybersecurity firm Elisity in an all-stock transaction valued at up to $1.3 billion, including up to $150 million in performance earnouts. The deal is expected to close in Q4 2026, subject to regulatory approval and other customary conditions, and would combine Elisity’s identity-based network access controls and microsegmentation with IonQ’s post-quantum cryptography and quantum key distribution offerings. For federal agencies and their contractors, the transaction is a market-development signal, not an announced solicitation or government contract award. Its relevance comes amid agency post-quantum migration deadlines of 2030–2031 under EO 14412 and a proposed rule that may extend NIST-approved standards to covered contractors.

- Contractors can assess cryptographic inventories, identity and system dependencies, network access controls, and applicable FIPS requirements to understand potential migration needs.
- The combination could expand offerings for identity mapping, network segmentation, and post-quantum migration support; companies should evaluate the integration roadmap when assessing future capabilities or teaming options.
- The proposed contractor requirements are not described as a finalized rule, and no specific government bid opportunity is identified in these signals.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Information Technology
**Topics:** Cybersecurity, Regulatory Compliance
**Published:** October 14, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. federal agencies
- Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR Council)
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

### Vendors
- IonQ (acquirer)
- Elisity (acquisition target)

### Key Quotes
> You need to understand whose authority it is exercising, what it needs to reach right now and when that access should end.
> — James Winebrenner, CEO of Elisity

### Sources
- [IonQ to acquire Zero Trust cybersecurity firm Elisity for up to $1.3 bn](https://beinsure.com/news/ionq-to-acquire-elisity) - Beinsure
- [IonQ to Buy Elisity in Deal Worth Up to $1.3B](https://www.govconwire.com/articles/ionq-elisity-acquisition-zero-trust-quantum-security) - GovCon Wire
- [IonQ to buy zero-trust security firm Elisity in deal valued at up to $1.3 billion | CyberScoop](https://cyberscoop.com/ionq-acquires-elisity-1-3-billion-quantum-security) - CyberScoop