IonQ marked a high-profile milestone with its Investor Day at the New York Stock Exchange, highlighting growing institutional interest in quantum computing. The NYSE’s involvement added visibility and credibility, reinforcing IonQ’s position as a leading quantum technology company.
On Tuesday, IonQ raised its full-year 2026 revenue guidance to $450 million to $460 million, up from the $280 million to $290 million range issued in August — an increase of roughly 60%. The guidance surge is almost entirely driven by the acquisition of SkyWater Technology, the chip foundry IonQ completed on July 31 for about $1.8 billion in cash and stock. SkyWater generated $317.1 million in revenue in the first half of fiscal 2026, more than double the prior-year period. Even after accounting for intercompany sales, the foundry could contribute roughly $264 million over the final five months of the year, above the $170 million midpoint step-up implied by the new guidance.
IonQ did not update guidance for its core quantum business, which remains at an August midpoint of $285 million. Because the quantum segment is now valued at approximately 53 times guided sales after stripping out the foundry valuation, the core business became slightly more expensive on a sales-multiple basis. The company remains deeply unprofitable: its second-quarter non-GAAP EBITDA loss was $120.3 million, larger than the quarter’s entire revenue of $80.1 million.
Alongside the guidance update, IonQ unveiled its sixth-generation quantum platform, Superion 256, with chips fabricated at SkyWater. The company is accepting pre-orders, and customer deliveries are expected in 2027. B. Riley analyst Craig Ellis reiterated a Buy rating and a $100 price target, citing improved revenue visibility and projecting annualized revenue could approach $1 billion within the next four quarters. Wall Street consensus remains Strong Buy with an average price target of $69.44, implying 71.6% upside. IonQ stock rose about 2.4% to near $44, lifting its market capitalization to roughly $17 billion. In related quantum-computing action, Rigetti and D-Wave rose about 4% and 7%, respectively, after the U.S. government finalized $100 million CHIPS Act awards to each company.
