Santa Clara (CA), US – June 26, 2025 – Element Six (E6), a world leader in synthetic diamond innovation and part of De Beers Group, celebrates the acquisition of Lightsynq, a US-based start-up focused on quantum interconnect solutions in which synthetic diamonds play a key enabling role, by IonQ, a leader in enterprise-grade quantum computing and networking.
This milestone marks a significant step forward in the strategic roadmap for quantum networking and computing, reinforcing the strategic vision behind Element Six’s early investment in Lightsynq, as announced last year.
Founded by Harvard PhD’s and former research leads at the AWS Center for Quantum Networking (CQN), Lightsynq has pioneered photonic interconnect and quantum memory technologies that are essential to scaling quantum systems. Since its initial investment, E6 has proudly supported Lightsynq’s mission to unlock the full potential of these novel technologies through its engineered synthetic diamond solutions.
“From the outset, we recognized Lightsynq’s bold vision and technical excellence,” said Siobhán Duffy, CEO of Element Six. “Its acquisition by IonQ is a testament to the strength of Lightsynq’s innovation and the growing importance of diamond photonics and quantum devices for our future. We are thrilled to continue supporting Lightsynq’s journey as its strategic partner, helping shape the future of scalable, fault-tolerant quantum systems.”
Element Six’s advanced synthetic diamond materials have played a critical role in enabling Lightsynq’s photonic platforms, offering unmatched stability and performance for quantum interconnects.
The partnership between Lightsynq and Element Six, as well as Lightsynq’s recent acquisition by IonQ, demonstrate how fundamental science and engineering expertise can converge to accelerate progress in quantum technologies - one of the most transformative sectors of our time.
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About Element Six
Element Six, part of the De Beers Group, is a world-leader in the design, development and production of synthetic diamond advanced material solutions. The company operates worldwide with primary manufacturing facilities in US, UK, Ireland, Germany, and South Africa.
For seventy-nine years, Element Six has harnessed the extreme properties of synthetic diamond to open up new possibilities in areas such as photonics, acoustics, power transmission, water treatment, thermal management and sensors. The company’s advanced material solutions are used in a wide range of applications across multiple industries including manufacturing in the automotive and consumer electronics industries, cutting and drilling in the oil and gas industry, and in components for mining, road, construction and agriculture applications.
About IonQ
IonQ, Inc. is a leading commercial quantum computing and networking company, delivering high-performance systems aimed at solving the world’s largest and most complex commercial and research use cases. IonQ’s current generation quantum computers, IonQ Forte and IonQ Forte Enterprise, are the latest in a line of cutting-edge systems and represent the forefront of the company’s technological roadmap as it advances toward its goal of building quantum computers with 2 million physical qubits by 2030. The company’s innovative technology and rapid growth were recognized in Newsweek’s 2025 Excellence Index 1000, Forbes’ 2025 Most Successful Mid-Cap Companies list, and Built In’s 2025 100 Best Midsize Places to Work in Washington DC and Seattle, respectively. Available through all major cloud providers, IonQ is making quantum computing more accessible and impactful than ever before. Learn more at IonQ.com.
About Lightsynq
Lightsynq is a quantum interconnect company developing technology to link quantum computers, addressing key challenges related to qubit scaling.
Founded by Harvard quantum networking experts and former AWS research leads Dr. Mihir Bhaskar (CEO), Dr. Bart Machielse (CTO) and Dr. David Levonian (CPO), Lightsynq’s mission is to develop the world’s best optical quantum interconnects, enabling hardware providers to link quantum processors and overcome the limitations of single-system scaling.
Media enquiries
E6 Press Office: Gabriella.Sciarrone@e6.com
US: elementsix@havasformula.com
UK & ROW: E6@speedcomms.com
