University of Kwazulu-Natal

Quantum Breakthrough D Wave Soars Over 1 000 In A Year

Bonisiwe Shabane
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quantum breakthrough d wave soars over 1 000 in a year

D-Wave Quantum Inc., a Canadian company based in Vancouver specializing in quantum computing for commercial use, has made a groundbreaking achievement with its D-Wave Advantage 2 prototype annealing quantum computer. The company announced the success of solving a real-world, practical problem and validated its results through a peer-reviewed paper published in a prestigious scientific journal. For decades, Moore’s Law has driven the rapid growth of microchip performance, with computing power doubling roughly every two years. This relentless advancement has drastically changed the landscape of computing, making devices smaller and more powerful. Despite this progress, however, many complex problems—such as climate change modeling and drug discovery—remain beyond the capabilities of even the most advanced supercomputers. In response to this challenge, quantum computing, which harnesses the principles of quantum mechanics, is poised to offer solutions to problems that could take current supercomputers years to solve.

While there’s been plenty of hype in the quantum computing space, with companies racing to build computers with ever-increasing numbers of qubits (the fundamental units of quantum information), practical, real-world applications have been sparse—until... Researchers at D-Wave tackled a particularly complex issue involving programmable spin glasses, a type of magnetic material. Spin glasses are known to be computationally hard to simulate due to the complex interactions between particles at the quantum level. These materials have a wide range of applications, from medicine to semiconductors, and understanding their quantum behavior could unlock new possibilities for technologies like sensors and motors. However, simulating their behavior with conventional supercomputers is both time-consuming and energy-intensive. High-performance computing (HPC) centers typically rely on graphics processing units (GPUs) to simulate these materials, but even with vast computational power, these systems face severe limitations.

The D-Wave research team identified this as an ideal problem to test the power of their annealing quantum computer. In a historic breakthrough for quantum computing, D-Wave Systems announced it has successfully simulated the properties of magnetic materials using its Advantage2 quantum annealing computer. The achievement, detailed in a paper published in Science, marks what the company calls the first demonstration of quantum supremacy on a real-world, useful problem—one that classical computers are incapable of solving within a... “This is a really important moment in time for the entire quantum computing industry,” said Dr. Alan Baratz, CEO of D-Wave. “For the first time ever, we’ve demonstrated a quantum computer being able to solve a difficult, real-world problem that classical computers can’t solve.

It’s what everybody aspired to achieve, and we’re quite excited about it.” To simulate the quantum behavior of magnetic materials on a traditional computer would take close to one million years—and require more energy than the entire planet consumes annually. D-Wave's system completed the same task in just 20 minutes. “This wasn’t just a couple of months of work,” noted Mohammad Amin, D-Wave’s chief scientist. “This is the result of 25 years of hardware development, and two years of collaboration across 11 institutions worldwide.” Quantum computing has long been seen as a future technology, promising to solve problems far beyond the scope of classical machines.

But most real-world applications remained theoretical—until now. D-Wave Quantum said its quantum computer has outperformed a classical supercomputer in solving magnetic materials simulation problems and proves quantum computational supremacy. The breakthrough, published in Science, revolved around using D-Wave's annealing quantum computer, Advantage2, performed magnetic materials simulation in minutes. That problem would have taken nearly 1 million years for a classical supercomputer. Quantum annealing is one flavor of quantum computing. Annealing is designed for optimization over general purpose computing and D-Wave has championed this approach.

Even though it's early in the year, 2025 appears to be the year of quantum already. In March, the news from the quantum computing industry continued to roll. Constellation ShortList™ Quantum Computing Platforms | Quantum Computing Software Platforms | Quantum Full Stack Players D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) has sent shockwaves through the quantum computing industry with a breakthrough that pushed its stock price sharply higher. The company announced that its annealing quantum computer outperformed one of the world’s most powerful classical supercomputers.

The quantum computer completed a complex simulation in minutes with a level of accuracy that would take the classical supercomputer nearly one million years to match. This achievement represents a major milestone for the industry. D-Wave CEO Alan Baratz called the demonstration “quantum computational supremacy on a useful problem” and noted it was “an industry first.” He emphasized that previous claims of quantum systems outperforming classical computers have been... The breakthrough comes at a time when investors have been questioning the real-world applications of quantum computing. The technology applies quantum mechanics laws to solve highly complex problems more efficiently than existing computers. According to D-Wave, solving the same problem using a classical supercomputer would require more than the world’s annual electricity consumption.

The classical supercomputer in the comparison was built with graphics processing unit clusters. D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) (“D-Wave”) announced a breakthrough in quantum computing, demonstrating that its Advantage2 annealing quantum computer outperformed one of the world’s most powerful classical supercomputers in solving complex magnetic materials simulation problems. Published in Science, the study validates D-Wave’s achievement as the first quantum computational supremacy demonstration on a useful, real-world problem. The company’s technology solved a problem in minutes that would take the Frontier supercomputer at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory nearly one million years. The Advantage2 prototype quantum computer used in this study is now available to customers through D-Wave’s Leap cloud service.

To view the full press release, visit https://ibn.fm/7KUR9 D-Wave is a leader in the development and delivery of quantum computing systems, software, and services. We are the world’s first commercial supplier of quantum computers, and the only company building both annealing and gate-model quantum computers. Our mission is to help customers realize the value of quantum, today. Our 5,000+ qubit AdvantageTM quantum computers, the world’s largest, are available on-premises or via the cloud, supported by 99.9% availability and uptime. More than 100 organizations trust D-Wave with their toughest computational challenges.

With over 200 million problems submitted to our Advantage and Advantage2TM systems to date, our customers apply our technology to address use cases spanning optimization, artificial intelligence, research and more. Learn more about realizing the value of quantum computing today and how we’re shaping the quantum-driven industrial and societal advancements of tomorrow: www.dwavequantum.com. NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to QBTS are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/QBTS Company to highlight how its energy-efficient quantum computers and hybrid-quantum solvers are delivering measurable benefits today and driving quantum-AI development PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) (“D-Wave” or the “Company”), a leader in quantum computing systems, software, and services and the world’s first commercial supplier of quantum computers, today announced it will participate in CES 2026, as a...

The CES Foundry convenes entrepreneurs, investors, government leaders, and media to explore how AI, quantum computing and blockchain are shaping the next era of technological innovation. D-Wave will showcase its award-winning annealing quantum computing technology, hybrid quantum-classical solvers, and real-world customer use cases that are demonstrating measurable performance benefits, often beyond classical computing alone. Murray Thom, vice president of quantum technology evangelism at D-Wave, will present a masterclass and demo on Wednesday, January 7 from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. PT, educating attendees about how to realize value from quantum computing today. Thom will share insights from commercial and research projects demonstrating how D-Wave's powerful, energy-efficient quantum computers can solve complex problems now in areas such as manufacturing, supply chain, materials science, and telecommunications.

The session will also cover the potential for synergy between quantum, AI and blockchain, and provide insight into what makes this a pivotal time for exploring the integration of these important technologies. Register for the masterclass here: https://www.ces.tech/schedule/how-quantum-computing-is-transforming-business-today/ “Showcasing quantum computing at CES, one of the world’s most influential technology stages, signals that the technology is quickly moving into the mainstream,” said Murray Thom. “D-Wave is uniquely positioned to demonstrate practical quantum in action, and we’re excited to show how our systems are helping customers solve complex problems now, often with greater speed, efficiency, and impact than classical... D-Wave stock jumps 6.4% after record Q1 earnings and historic quantum supremacy proof—see how this reshapes its commercial trajectory. D-Wave Quantum Inc.

(NYSE: QBTS) surged 6.43% on May 9, 2025, closing at $11.09 following the release of its Q1 earnings that revealed a 509% year-over-year revenue increase and a historic quantum computing milestone. In after-hours trading, the stock dipped slightly to $10.99, down 0.90%, as short-term investors locked in gains from the day’s rally. The market’s bullish reaction underscores renewed confidence in D-Wave’s commercial viability, following its real-world demonstration of quantum supremacy and the successful sale of its Advantage™ system to a top European supercomputing center. CEO Dr. Alan Baratz described the first quarter as a defining period for the company. D-Wave not only reported record revenue and gross profit, but also became the first company to demonstrate that its quantum processor could outperform a classical supercomputer on a practical industrial task.

This dual achievement—scientific and commercial—appears to have shifted institutional sentiment materially. D-Wave reported Q1 2025 revenue of $15.0 million, up from $2.5 million in Q1 2024, driven primarily by a high-margin hardware system sale to Jülich Supercomputing Centre in Germany. This revenue recognition from the first commercial Advantage™ system deployment marks a transition from research pilots to production-scale enterprise contracts. Gross profit rose 736% year-over-year to $13.9 million, while GAAP gross margin expanded to 92.5%, reflecting the profitable nature of hardware sales. Non-GAAP gross margin came in even stronger at 93.6%, adjusted for depreciation, amortization, and stock-based compensation. These margins suggest growing efficiency in D-Wave’s product delivery as its hybrid quantum platform matures.

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