QC Ware has demonstrated a hybrid quantum-classical chemistry workflow using its Promethium platform and IonQ's Forte quantum computer via Amazon Braket. The test modelled the heme active site of cytochrome P450nor, an enzyme in the superfamily responsible for most human drug metabolism. The workflow calculated electrostatic interaction energy within 0.5 kcal/mol of classical benchmarks, meeting the 1 kcal/mol threshold for chemical accuracy. This represents more than double the accuracy of standard classical methods. Promethium preprocessed a 115-atom model containing over 1,000 molecular orbitals, isolating it to a 4-orbital active space mapped onto 8 qubits for measurement. IonQ Forte's all-to-all qubit connectivity enabled complex entangling gates without routing overhead. The demonstration shows how more accurate binding energy predictions at metal centres could help pharmaceutical researchers better rank drug candidates and identify metabolic risks earlier in development.

IonQ has appointed Dr Eric Ball and Timothy Baxter to its board of directors. Ball brings nearly 40 years of financial experience from companies including Oracle, where he served as Senior Vice President and Treasurer for 10 years, arranging $52 billion of financing and participating in over 100 acquisitions. Baxter served as Chairman of SkyWater Technology's board until IonQ's recent acquisition of the company. He has over 40 years of technology leadership experience, including roles at AT&T, Sony, and Samsung, where he was CEO of Samsung North America. The appointments support IonQ's expansion plans as it scales quantum computing manufacturing and integrates its quantum platform components. The company describes itself as the world's leading quantum platform and foundry, with operations across North America, Latin America, EMEA, and APAC.

Skyloom Global, an IonQ company, has successfully deployed additional optical communication terminals (OCTs) on orbit, bringing the total to 84 installations. The OCTs were launched on 16 July 2026 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The terminals are aboard York Space Systems satellites supporting the Space Development Agency's Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. This follows the initial Tranche 1 mission deployment in September 2025. IonQ's President of Quantum Platform, Jordan Shapiro, said the milestone reflects years of industrialisation and commitment to strengthening space-based communications infrastructure. The OCTs provide the backbone for resilient, data-rich mesh networks designed to deliver high-throughput, low-latency communications for national defence.