Rigetti Computing Shares Surge Amid Microsoft S Quantum Computing

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Jan 2, 2026, 2:56 PM

rigetti computing shares surge amid microsoft s quantum computing

Quantum computing stocks are wrapping up a big week of double-digit gains. Shares of Rigetti Computing, D-Wave Quantum and Quantum Computing have surged more than 20%. Rigetti and D-Wave Quantum have more than doubled and tripled, respectively, since the start of the year. Arqit Quantum skyrocketed more than 32% this week. The jump in shares followed a wave of positive news in the quantum space. Rigetti said it had purchase orders totaling $5.7 million for two of its 9-qubit Novera quantum computing systems.

The owner of drugmaker Novo Nordisk and the Danish government also invested 300 million euros in a quantum venture fund. In a blog post earlier this week, Nvidia also highlighted accelerated computing, which it argues can make "quantum computing breakthroughs of today and tomorrow possible." Daily stocks & crypto headlines, free to your inbox By continuing, I agree to the Market Data Terms of Service and Privacy Statement Rigetti Computing’s (RGTI) shares have surged into the mid-$50s in October 2025. In late Sept and early Oct, announcements of new contracts and technology milestones repeatedly sent the stock higher Insidermonkey ts2.tech.

Analysts note RGTI is trading on future promise more than current sales. Rigetti’s stock has exploded higher in recent weeks. On Oct. 13, 2025, RGTI spiked about +25% intraday to a record ~$55.23 (closing $54.91) Insidermonkey. This burst was largely in response to news that JPMorgan is investing $10 billion in “frontier” tech including quantum computing Insidermonkey. As Insider Monkey reported, “Rigetti Computing surged to a new record high… as investors snapped up shares in industries targeted by JPMorgan’s $1.5 trillion investment plan” Insidermonkey.

D-Wave and other quantum stocks also rallied on this news Insidermonkey. By Oct. 14 RGTI closed around $56 and in early Oct it was trading in the mid-$50s, far above the ~$20 range of mid-September. Year-to-date, RGTI is up roughly +100–130% (depending on start date) ts2.tech ts2.tech – an astronomical gain fueled by a few catalysts. For comparison, D-Wave (QBTS) and IonQ (IONQ) have also climbed this year (roughly +165% and +48% YTD, respectively ts2.tech), while the S&P 500 is essentially flat. Rigetti’s recent volume has also jumped (TradingView data show daily volume in the hundreds of millions), reflecting frantic buying.

Several headline deals and product news have driven the rally. In late September 2025, Rigetti announced it had booked ~$5.7 million in purchase orders for two Novera on-premises quantum computers ts2.tech Nasdaq. (One order came from a large Asian tech firm and the other from a California AI startup Nasdaq.) These Novera units (each 9-qubit and upgradeable) are to be delivered in H1 2026. Simultaneously, Rigetti revealed a 3-year, $5.8M U.S. Air Force contract (via a Quantum Networking collaboration) ts2.tech. Though small in revenue, the Novera and USAF announcements “reinforced investor confidence” and triggered big jumps – Rigetti’s stock rallied ~16% the day the Novera news broke Nasdaq ts2.tech.

On the tech side, Rigetti rolled out its new 36-qubit “Cepheus‑1” multi-chip processor in August 2025. Cepheus‑1 (four 9-qubit chiplets) achieves 99.5% two-qubit fidelity Datacenterdynamics and is accessible via Rigetti’s cloud (and soon on Microsoft Azure Datacenterdynamics). Rigetti says this processor “has facilitated its goal of introducing a 100+ qubit system by the end of 2025” Datacenterdynamics. CEO Subodh Kulkarni highlights that Rigetti’s superconducting qubits “leverage… chiplets” to scale to higher qubit counts Datacenterdynamics. Rigetti has also been expanding partnerships: Taiwan’s Quanta Computer invested $35M into Rigetti this year (part of a larger $100M+ collaboration) ts2.tech. In September it signed an MOU with India’s C-DAC to co-develop hybrid quantum-classical systems ts2.tech.

And in August 2025 Montana State University installed Rigetti’s first on-campus Novera unit for research ts2.tech. All these deals – though mostly R&D or pilot projects – have kept Rigetti in the headlines and helped sustain the stock momentum. As TechStock² noted, these “headline developments, although modest in revenue, repeatedly fueled double-digit stock jumps… as investors seized on any sign of progress” ts2.tech. On Tuesday, Rigetti Computing Inc.’s stocks have been trading up by 6.76 percent amid growing investor confidence. Live Update At 16:05:04 EST: On Wednesday, August 13, 2025 Rigetti Computing Inc. stock [NASDAQ: RGTI] is trending up by 6.76%!

Discover the key drivers behind this movement as well as our expert analysis in the detailed breakdown below. As Tim Bohen, lead trainer with StocksToTrade says, “The best way to learn is by tracking trades, wins, losses, and lessons learned. Every trade has something to teach.” In the world of trading, every decision you make can offer invaluable insights if you take the time to analyze and reflect on them. By keeping a detailed record of your trades, paying attention to what worked and what didn’t, and understanding the reasons behind your outcomes, you can continuously improve your skills and strategies. This approach not only helps in identifying patterns and refining techniques but also fosters a mindset of continuous learning and adaptation, essential qualities for anyone looking to succeed in the dynamic environment of trading. Rigetti Computing has been making strides in the quantum computing world, and its recent earnings report paints an intriguing picture.

The company’s revenue surged to $10.79M, up from previous quarters, even though some profitability metrics fell short. The rapid ascent in stock prices highlights market enthusiasm, riding on recent tech breakthroughs. From a valuation standpoint, the company’s price-to-sales ratio stands significantly higher at 397.75, signaling investor anticipation for future growth. Financial health isn’t apple-pie perfect, yet it features a solid current ratio of 18.8, indicating Rigetti’s substantial asset coverage relative to liabilities. Bullish comments on quantum computing’s potential from Microsoft's CEO boosted quantum stocks. CEO Satya Nadella called quantum computing "the next big accelerator" in the cloud.

Investors should remain cautious; quantum technology’s commercial viability could still be a long way off. Shares of Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ: RGTI) are jumping on Thursday. The quantum computing start-up's stock rose 4.8% as of 3:30 p.m. ET, but was up as much as 12.6% earlier in the day. The rise comes as the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) was flat and the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) rose 0.2%. Rigetti and other quantum stocks saw a boost after Microsoft's earnings call, in which the tech giant's CEO called out quantum computing as "the next big accelerator" in cloud computing.

The artificial intelligence boom of 2025 has produced no shortage of headline-grabbing winners, but few corners of the technology market have captured investor imagination quite like quantum computing. Long discussed in academic journals and theoretical physics circles, quantum technology has suddenly emerged as a speculative frontier for public markets. At the center of this enthusiasm sits Rigetti Computing, a pure-play quantum hardware company whose stock performance has become emblematic of both the promise and peril of next-generation computing investments. Rigetti’s rapid ascent has turned it into a poster child for quantum optimism. Its shares surged dramatically during the year, far outpacing broader indices and even many mainstream AI leaders. For some investors, Rigetti represents an early entry into what could become a multi-trillion-dollar technological transformation.

For others, it is a cautionary tale of valuation excess driven more by narrative than fundamentals. Understanding Rigetti’s future requires separating quantum reality from quantum hype. Quantum computing occupies a unique and often misunderstood position within the artificial intelligence ecosystem. Unlike traditional AI systems, which rely on classical computing architectures such as CPUs and GPUs, quantum computing is based on quantum bits—or qubits—that leverage the principles of superposition and entanglement. In theory, this allows quantum systems to process certain classes of problems exponentially faster than classical machines. From an industry perspective, quantum computing is not a replacement for today’s AI infrastructure.

Instead, it is a potential accelerator for extremely complex tasks that overwhelm even the most advanced GPUs. These include molecular simulations, cryptography, financial risk modeling, logistics optimization, and advanced materials science.

Rigetti Computing Shares Surge Amid Microsoft S Quantum Computing

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