IonQ wins $28 million DARPA contract to deliver 125 next‑gen optical atomic clocks

Under DARPA’s “It’s About Time” program, quantum‑computing firm IonQ received a $28 million contract extension, with an optional $30 million for additional units, to scale production of its Evergreen‑05 optical atomic clocks. The company will invest $15 million in dedicated manufacturing space, equipment and staff to deliver 125 clocks to U.S. government customers for mission‑critical uses such as radar, secure communications and precision geolocation.

The Evergreen‑05 clock is a compact, 5‑liter, shoe‑box‑sized device offering timing stability of 50 femtoseconds per second and nanosecond holdover over ten days, projecting an error of less than one second over 30 million years. Its volume is about 1/75 that of a traditional hydrogen maser, providing superior phase noise and short‑term stability.

DARPA originally funded the core technology in 2019 through its Robust Optical Clock Network program, later supporting Vector Atomic, which IonQ acquired in October 2025. IonQ Chairman and CEO Niccolo de Masi said, “We added Vector Atomic to the IonQ family because their clocks and sensors are the best in the world.” DARPA director Marty Boyd added that the agency’s partnership was critical to proving the concept.