The Top Quantum Computing Stock To Watch For 2026 Investing

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 28, 2025, 1:17 AM

the top quantum computing stock to watch for 2026 investing

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... Quantum computing is becoming a key area of investment, with companies like IonQ, Rigetti Computing, and D-Wave Quantum leading the sector. These “pure-play” developers have significantly outperformed the S&P 500 in 2025, as interest in quantum technology grows.

Meanwhile, major tech companies including Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft are also investing in quantum computing alongside their existing AI initiatives, having developed their own quantum processors. Nvidia is taking a different approach by creating a quantum AI ecosystem through its software platform CUDA-Q and high-speed hardware NVQLink, enabling seamless communication between traditional and quantum computing systems. According to Goldman Sachs, hyperscalers are projected to spend nearly $500 billion on AI infrastructure by 2026, positioning Nvidia favorably to benefit from this trend. Overall, the AI infrastructure market is expected to be worth nearly $7 trillion by the end of the decade, suggesting a robust growth trajectory for quantum computing technology and its applications. Quantum computing is revolutionizing technology, offering cutting-edge solutions to problems beyond the capabilities of traditional computing. As we approach 2026, this groundbreaking technology is entering a pivotal phase, with increased scalability, real-world applications, and growing national security significance.

Governments and enterprises are allocating significant resources into quantum advancements, making it an exciting time for investors looking to capitalize on this transformative sector. Below, we spotlight three quantum computing stocks poised for significant growth in the coming years. IonQ is leading the charge in the quantum computing space with its impressive growth trajectory and groundbreaking advancements in high-fidelity trapped-ion systems. Through its acquisition of Oxford Ionics, IonQ is surpassing 64 qubits, cementing its place as a major player in scalable quantum hardware. The company’s revenue model is diversifying, placing a greater emphasis on enterprise and government contracts. In Q3 2025, IonQ reported $39.9 million in revenue, a remarkable 222% year-over-year growth.

Despite aggressive investments resulting in a $1.1 billion net loss, the company raised its 2025 revenue forecast to $106-$110 million. IonQ’s shares are currently trading at $46, reflecting a >6% growth year-to-date. Investors seeking exposure to a pure-play quantum hardware provider should closely monitor this stock. D-Wave Quantum takes an innovative approach, prioritizing real-world use cases over theoretical capabilities. Its Advantage2 system excels in solving complex optimization problems, offering tangible solutions for businesses already leveraging quantum tools. The company’s emphasis on customer integration into existing workflows is creating higher switching costs and strong recurring usage.

With international expansion reducing reliance on U.S. government demand, D-Wave Quantum is attracting investors seeking practical and scalable quantum applications. QBTS shares have surged nearly 150% year-to-date, closing at $23.74 during the last trading session. This growth highlights the company’s ability to deliver near-term value while paving the way for long-term quantum breakthroughs. Quantum computing stocks surge 2023–2025; IonQ, Rigetti lead; IBM, Microsoft, Google push milestones into 2026. Quantum computing is rapidly evolving from a lab experiment into a nascent industry, with 2025 marking an inflection point in investment and innovation.

Enthusiasm has driven quantum computing stocks sharply higher over the past year – several pure-play quantum companies saw their share prices surge hundreds or even thousands of percent in 2023–2025. This rally reflects optimism about quantum technology’s transformative long-term potential (Boston Consulting Group estimates $450–850 billion in economic value by 2040), even as near-term revenues remain modest.‍ As we approach 2026, a handful of U.S.-based companies stand out for credible progress and significant investment in quantum computing. These include both pure-play quantum computing startups focused on quantum processors, as well as tech giants treating quantum as a strategic R&D priority. Below, we profile the top publicly traded U.S. companies leading in quantum computing – highlighting each company’s focus in quantum, recent developments (2023–2025), partnerships, analyst sentiment for 2026, and key metrics like market capitalization and stock performance.

A comparison table is provided at the end to summarize their market caps, quantum focus areas, and performance outlook. These are dedicated quantum technology firms whose core business is building quantum computers or related quantum systems. They offer the most direct exposure to quantum computing’s growth, though they tend to be early-stage with high volatility and risk. IonQ is a Maryland-based pure-play quantum computing company, founded in 2015 as a spin-out from academic research. It specializes in trapped-ion quantum processors, which use electrically trapped ytterbium ions as qubits. This approach offers long coherence times and high fidelity at near-room temperatures, avoiding the extreme cryogenics required by superconducting qubits.

IonQ provides access to its quantum systems through cloud platforms like Amazon Braket, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, positioning itself as a leader in quantum cloud services. D-Wave Quantum, IonQ, and Quantum Computing are the three Quantum Computing stocks to watch today, according to MarketBeat's stock screener tool. Quantum computing stocks are publicly traded companies whose core business or significant operations involve developing quantum computers, related hardware and software, enabling technologies (like cryogenics or quantum-safe cryptography), or funds that track this industry. For investors they represent a speculative, high‑risk, long‑horizon play tied to technological progress and commercialization timelines, with potential for large upside but also substantial technical, regulatory, and market uncertainty. These companies had the highest dollar trading volume of any Quantum Computing stocks within the last several days. D-Wave Quantum Inc.

develops and delivers quantum computing systems, software, and services worldwide. The company offers Advantage, a fifth-generation quantum computer; Ocean, a suite of open-source python tools; and Leap, a cloud-based service that provides real-time access to a live quantum computer, as well as access to... IonQ, Inc. engages in the development of general-purpose quantum computing systems in the United States. It sells access to quantum computers of various qubit capacities. The company makes access to its quantum computers through cloud platforms, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) Amazon Braket, Microsoft's Azure Quantum, and Google's Cloud Marketplace, as well as through its cloud service.

Quantum Computing Inc., an integrated photonics company, offers accessible and affordable quantum machines. The company offers Dirac systems are portable, low power, and room temperature qubit and qudit entropy quantum computers (EQC); reservoir computing; remote sensing; and single photon imaging. It also provides Quantum random number generator (uQRNG), a portable device that provides genuine random numbers directly from quantum processes; and quantum authentication which eliminates vulnerabilities inherent in classical cryptographic schemes by offering a... Before you consider D-Wave Quantum, you'll want to hear this.

The Top Quantum Computing Stock To Watch For 2026 Investing

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