IonQ claims to have achieved a significant quantum breakthrough, successfully demonstrating the frequency conversion of photons from visible to telecom wavelengths.

The breakthrough, achieved during tests conducted with the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), could provide a crucial step toward connecting quantum computers over long distances using existing fiber optic infrastructure.

The demonstration saw visible light transformed into telecom wavelengths in order to transmit quantum information over long-haul fiber optic cables. The tests were part of IonQ's ultimate goal of creating a “quantum internet” – where distributed quantum computers can communicate across vast distances.

“We will soon connect two quantum computers over standard wavelengths, opening the floodgates for broadly networked quantum devices using commercial fiber infrastructure,” IonQ CEO Niccolo de Masi noted.

No paper or publication was provided to outline the work. IonQ has, however, been working on quantum network technologies for some time. Its EPB Quantum Network is already commercially available, powering secure workloads for public and private sector researchers.

The breakthrough follows IonQ’s recent delivery of a trapped-ion quantum computer with an integrated photonic interface at AFRL’s site in Rome, New York, having already deployed quantum systems in Washington, D.C; San Francisco; and Basel, Switzerland; among other cities.

IonQ has been working with the Air Force lab, having signed a $13.4 million contract in September 2022. In addition to networking and trapped ion systems, the pair are also exploring development of quantum algorithms and applications.

The latest news comes after IonQ launched a federal division to bring its quantum computing and networking technologies to government customers. IonQ Federal will target the U.S. government and “its allies," with former National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency director Robert Cardillo leading the unit as executive chair.