University of Kwazulu-Natal

The Smartest Quantum Computing Stock To Buy For 2026

Bonisiwe Shabane
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the smartest quantum computing stock to buy for 2026

For equity investors looking beyond incremental AI investments, quantum computing is emerging as one of the most lucrative opportunities heading into 2026. Industry estimates show the global quantum computing market is expected to grow from $0.8 billion in 2025 to $1.08 billion in 2026, with a projected CAGR of 35.2% through 2035 as enterprises accelerate adoption... McKinsey estimates quantum computing-related revenues could reach up to $72 billion by 2035, driven by applications in optimization, materials science, drug discovery and complex financial modeling. For investors, this growth narrative has already translated into outsized stock performance, with several pure-play quantum stocks delivering quadruple-digit returns during 2024–2025 despite the absence of positive earnings, as revenues scaled from a small... The Defiance Quantum ETF QTUM gained 103.9% during this period. In this article, we discuss three stocks- IonQ IONQ, International Business Machines IBM and NVIDIA NVDA that are expected to deliver significant gains in 2026, banking on accelerating quantum adoption, expanding commercial pipelines and...

While revenues remain modest and profitability elusive, the convergence of accelerating enterprise interest, rising government and corporate funding and visible technical progress is positioning 2026 as a potential inflection year, when valuation dispersion between... For investors willing to tolerate volatility, quantum computing increasingly resembles a high-beta, early-cycle technology bet rather than a distant scientific experiment. Capital deployment into the sector is surging, with quantum funding more than doubling year over year in 2025. Going by SPINQ, total equity funding reached $3.77 billion across the first three quarters of 2025, positioning quantum computing among the fastest-growing deep-tech segments globally and setting the stage for further capital inflows in... Several quantum computing stocks are anticipated to perform well in 2026, notably Microsoft and IonQ, but Alphabet stands out as the most attractive option. Alphabet is expected to benefit from the ongoing AI growth in 2023.

Quantum computing is emerging as a transformative technology, with potential applications in climate modeling, cybersecurity, and drug discovery, among others. Wall Street analysts favor Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) for its notable advancements, with 55 out of 57 analysts recommending a “buy” or “strong buy,” and a projected 30% upside in the next 12 months. IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), also a key player, is developing quantum technologies using a trapped-ion architecture and has the largest market cap among rising quantum firms. Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) is highlighted as a leading contender, credited with significant breakthroughs in quantum computing through its Google Quantum AI division, which in 2019 demonstrated a computation capability that would take traditional supercomputers... The company unveiled its first logical qubit prototype in 2023 and aims to create long-lasting qubits for extensive computations. Alphabet’s growth in AI and its cloud services positions it as an attractive investment, although it was not listed among the top 10 recommended stocks currently.

Quantum computing continues to move from research labs into early commercial applications. Several companies are competing to develop viable quantum systems that can solve problems traditional computers cannot handle. The technology remains complex and expensive. However, major tech firms and startups are making measurable progress in reducing error rates and building practical systems. IonQ leads the industry in quantum computing accuracy. The company achieved 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity in October 2025.

No other company has crossed the 99.9% threshold yet. This accuracy matters because error correction is the biggest challenge preventing quantum computers from widespread use. IonQ uses trapped-ion technology, which provides good stability for qubits. The company reached the 99.9% fidelity mark in September 2024. Other companies following similar timelines would give IonQ roughly a one-year advantage. IonQ offers its systems through major cloud platforms, giving it access to early customers.

Quantum computing is entering a more consequential phase as the industry moves toward 2026. In this case, after years of heavy research spending and experimental deployments, the focus is shifting to scalability, real-world applications, and national strategic priorities. At the same time, governments are increasing funding as quantum technology becomes central to national security and AI sovereignty, while enterprises are beginning to test quantum tools for optimization problems that exceed classical limits. The sector is also drawing investor interest, with a small group of companies demonstrating proven technical capability, commercial traction, and financial strength. IonQ (NYSE: IONQ) enters 2026 with one of the most complete growth profiles in the sector. Through its acquisition of Oxford Ionics, the company is advancing high-fidelity trapped-ion systems beyond 64 qubits, strengthening its position as a scalable, pure-play hardware provider.

Pure-play developers like IonQ, Rigetti Computing, and D-Wave Quantum are the hottest quantum computing stocks right now. Big tech giants are also exploring quantum computing in addition to their established generative artificial intelligence (AI) products. Nvidia is quietly building a quantum AI ecosystem that stands to benefit, no matter which systems succeed in the long run. One of the hottest pockets of the artificial intelligence (AI) realm in 2025 was quantum computing. Shares of pure-play quantum developers such as IonQ, Rigetti Computing, and D-Wave Quantum each handily trounced the S&P 500 this year. What many investors might not fully realize is that several members of the "Magnificent Seven" are also exploring quantum computing technology alongside their existing generative AI efforts.

While Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft have received some notoriety around their custom quantum processors, I think there's a more lucrative opportunity hiding in plain sight. Quantum computing continues to move from research labs into early commercial applications. Several companies are competing to develop viable quantum systems that can solve problems traditional computers cannot handle. The technology remains complex and expensive. However, major tech firms and startups are making measurable progress in reducing error rates and building practical quantum computing systems. IonQ leads the quantum computing industry in accuracy.

The company achieved 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity in October 2025. No other quantum computing company has crossed the 99.9% threshold yet. This accuracy matters because error correction is the biggest challenge preventing quantum computers from widespread use. IonQ uses trapped-ion technology, which provides good stability for qubits. The company reached the 99.9% fidelity mark in September 2024. Other companies following similar timelines would give IonQ roughly a one-year advantage.

IonQ offers its quantum systems through major cloud platforms, giving it access to early customers. The company operates as a pure-play quantum computing firm.

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