IonQ, Inc. ( IONQ ) shares are trading higher Thursday on reports that the Trump administration is in talks to take equity stakes in quantum-computing firms.

What To Know: According to the Wall Street Journal, companies including IonQ ( IONQ ), Rigetti Computing, Inc. ( RGTI ) and D‑Wave Quantum Inc. are discussing arrangements with the U.S. Department of Commerce under which the government would become a shareholder as part of funding agreements. The talks reportedly involve minimum funding awards from Washington of $10 million each. Under these proposed deals, the government could also receive warrants, licenses to intellectual property, royalties or revenue-sharing, in addition to equity stakes.

The reports note that this would mark one of the first significant signs of Washington's backing of the quantum-computing sector. Quantum computers are deemed a critical next-generation technology capable of solving problems classical machines cannot.

While none of the deals are yet final, the announcement has triggered increased investor interest in IonQ's ( IONQ ) shares, reflecting the market's reaction to the potential government role and funding in the quantum space.

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IONQ Price Action: At the time of writing, IonQ ( IONQ ) shares are trading 9.14% higher at $60.52, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

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