IonQ Partners with Element Six to Create Quantum-Grade Diamond Films

College Park, Maryland — Niccolò de Masi, Chairman and CEO of IonQ, announced on September 4, 2025, that the company has partnered with Element Six, a member of the De Beers Group, to produce quantum-grade synthetic diamond films. These films can be made compatible with standard semiconductor foundries, facilitating the integration of diamond onto silicon and silicon nitride substrates.

This partnership marks a significant achievement for IonQ’s aim of creating two million qubits by 2030. The newly developed films enable scalable manufacturing of quantum memories and photonic interconnects, which are essential components in IonQ’s technology roadmap. By utilizing Element Six’s expertise in synthetic diamond materials, the companies aim to boost the deployment of quantum networks.

“This breakthrough allows us to combine diamond-based devices with conventional electronics,” said de Masi, highlighting the potential for new on-chip architectures. Such architectures could speed up the development of quantum networks across industries.

The quantum-grade films meet stringent purity and defect-free requirements, which are crucial for quantum devices. The innovative process bonds diamond layers to traditional substrates using standard semiconductor equipment, paving the way for mass production. This approach maintains the optical and spin-coherence properties of diamond while streamlining costs.

Siobhán Duffy, CEO of Element Six, echoed de Masi’s sentiments, calling this a pivotal step toward scalable systems. The high-volume production capability allows for large-scale development of quantum-grade diamond devices, which can coexist with classical components.

The announcement complements IonQ’s recent acquisition of Lightsynq, positioning the company to accelerate its roadmap for photonic interconnects. As the potential applications of quantum-grade diamonds expand, their use is anticipated not only in computing but also in various high-technology sectors.

Overall, this collaboration enhances IonQ’s strategic position in the quantum computing market, aligning its production capabilities with the growing $1 trillion semiconductor ecosystem.