Why IonQ Stock Keeps Going Up

By Rich Smith – Apr 15, 2026 at 11:04AM ESTKey PointsIonQ won a DARPA contract this week.It also promised to report earnings in three weeks.Meanwhile, Nvidia has big news for the entire quantum computing sector.For the fourth day in a row, IonQ (IONQ +17.87%) stock is flying. Shares of the biggest name in quantum computing systems (IonQ is worth more than $13 billion, nearly as much as Rigetti Computing (RGTI +11.71%), D-Wave Quantum (QBTS +19.92%), and Quantum Computing (QUBT +13.38%) combined) soared 16.2% through 10:50 a.m. ET Wednesday on a slew of good news. Image source: Getty Images. First up: DARPA As my fellow Fool Keith Noonan pointed out yesterday, IonQ just won a contract to develop advanced quantum-computing systems for the U.S.

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA -- the Pentagon's mad scientists division). IonQ didn't say how much the Heterogeneous Architectures for Quantum (HARQ) program will be worth to it, and admittedly, DARPA contracts can be very small to start with. They can also get very big over time, however. DARPA, if you recall... invented the Internet. Next up: Nvidia The other big news moving IonQ stock this week comes straight out of Nvidia (NVDA +1.76%), which yesterday unveiled its Nvidia Ising AI model for controlling quantum computers. Nvidia says its new AI can correct quantum computer output errors up to 3x faster than traditional approaches. ExpandNYSE: IONQIonQToday's Change(17.87%) $6.39Current Price$42.15Key Data PointsMarket Cap$13BDay's Range$37.46 - $42.2552wk Range$23.48 - $84.64Volume2.8MAvg Vol22MGross Margin-2267.11% What does this mean for IonQ stock? Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's goal is to make Nvidia's AI semiconductor chips "essential to making quantum computing practical," and thereby shoehorn Nvidia into a quantum computing market estimated to be worth $11 billion annually by 2030. That's good news for Nvidia investors. But if Nvidia Ising can also reduce errors and make quantum computing more reliable, it may be great news for quantum stocks like IonQ as well. Tune in to find out just how good things may get after market close on May 6, when IonQ is due to report its Q1 2026 earnings. Read NextApr 15, 2026 •By Rich SmithWhy D-Wave Quantum Stock Keeps Going UpApr 14, 2026 •By Keith NoonanWhy IonQ Stock Skyrocketed TodayApr 14, 2026 •By Keith NoonanIonQ's New DARPA Contract Could Make It the Top Quantum Stock of 2026Apr 14, 2026 •By John BallardRigetti Computing vs. IonQ: Diverging Trends in Quarterly RevenueApr 13, 2026 •By Keithen Drury3 Under-the-Radar AI Stock Picks That Could Be Incredible BuysApr 12, 2026 •By Rick OrfordIs IonQ Stock a Buy, Hold, or Sell?About the AuthorRich Smith is a contributing Motley Fool defense and stock market analyst covering publicly traded and emerging companies in defense, space, aerospace, and other sectors. Prior to The Motley Fool, Rich practiced international corporate law for Clifford Chance in Russia, and for the Russian-Ukrainian Legal Group in Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington, D.C. He holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the College of William & Mary, a law degree from the University of Baltimore, and a language certification from the International Institute of Russian Language & Culture in Tver, Russian Federation. The Globe and Mail once featured him as “one of the best stock pickers since 2009.”TMFDittyX@RichSmithFoolStocks MentionedIonQNYSE: IONQ$42.01(+17.48%)+$6.25NvidiaNASDAQ: NVDA$199.94(+1.75%)+$3.43Quantum ComputingNASDAQ: QUBT$9.26(+14.18%)+$1.15D-Wave QuantumNYSE: QBTS$20.30(+19.62%)+$3.33Rigetti ComputingNASDAQ: RGTI$18.85(+11.71%)+$1.98*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.