Shares in the four largest publicly traded quantum computing companies (which I’ll refer to as the “Quantum Four” for short) are currently having a good 24 hours.
Yesterday, the stock prices of D-Wave, IonQ, Quantum Computing Inc., and Rigetti all saw impressive single-day gains. In premarket trading this morning, the stock prices of the Quantum Four are even higher. Here’s what you need to know.
‘Quantum Four’ share prices up across the board
When it comes to publicly traded quantum computing companies, there are four big ones:
- D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS)
- IonQ, Inc. (NYSE: IONQ)
- Quantum Computing Inc. (Nasdaq: QUBT)
- Rigetti Computing, Inc. (Nasdaq: RGTI)
Yesterday, all of these companies saw their stock price rise by a healthy amount.
D-Wave Quantum was the biggest gainer, with QBTS surging nearly 19% in a single session. QBTS shares closed at $22.54. And today, QBTS are on the rise again. In premarket trading as of the time of this writing, QBTS shares are up another 3.2%.
Shares in IonQ, Inc. also rose a respectable amount yesterday. IONQ shares closed the day up more than 5%, hitting a closing price of $65.44. IONQ shares are up another 5.5% in premarket trading as of the time of this writing.
Rigetti Computing likewise had a great Wednesday, with RGTI shares surging 9.95% to close at $21.99. Today, RGTI shares are continuing upwards. They are currently up 3.7% in premarket trading.
Finally, Quantum Computing Inc. shares rose a healthy amount on Wednesday. QUBT shares closed up nearly 5% to end the day at $17.71. Today, QUBT shares are currently up another 4.3% in premarket trading.
These gains over the past 24 hours suggest that investors are once again interested in the companies that make the technology that could one day be as transformative to computing as artificial intelligence has been in recent years.
Why have quantum computing stocks been rising?
It’s hard to pinpoint why exactly investors seem to have a renewed interest in quantum computing stocks this week. However, there are two events within the industry that have happened recently that could be part of the reason the Quantum Four are rising.
The first event is that yesterday, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) announced the expansion of the Quantum-in-Space Collaboration. The collaboration is a joint venture between the U.S. government and quantum computing and space companies designed to deploy quantum-based technologies in space, which could be particularly useful for advanced communications systems and cybersecurity.
Announcing the expanded collaboration, the DOE revealed that IonQ was a new signatory, along with the Electric Power Board of Chattanooga (EPB), and aerospace giant Honeywell.
There was a second event that happened yesterday, too. IonQ separately announced that it intends to buy Vector Atomic, a California company that makes quantum sensors for navigation. Vector Atomic currently has $200 million worth of government contracts.
The common theme between these two events is not just IonQ, but the government’s clear interest in quantum technologies, particularly in the realm of communications and security.
As quantum computing becomes more critical to government plans, the companies that operate in the quantum space—namely the Quantum Four—stand to benefit.
Of course, it’s impossible to say that these events yesterday are the exact reason why quantum stocks are lifting. But they are the latest signs of increased activity in the quantum computing industry.
Also, in addition to the two events yesterday, one of the quantum computing industry’s most prominent events is being held this week.
Quantum World Congress 2025 began on Monday and ends today. The congress brings together major players from the quantum computing world to share information through keynotes and boot camps. Excitement generated by the event could be drawing more attention to quantum stocks this week.
Quantum computing stocks have had great returns since 2024
This week hasn’t been the only banner period for Quantum Four stocks. Since 2024, the share prices of the four companies have surged. Here’s how each of the Quantum Four have performed over the past 12 months as of yesterday’s close:
- D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS): up 2,158%
- IonQ, Inc. (NYSE: IONQ): up 705%
- Quantum Computing Inc. (Nasdaq: QUBT): up 2,517%
- Rigetti Computing, Inc. (Nasdaq: RGTI): up 2,448%
What quantum investors will be hoping is that these incredible gains will be as nascent as the quantum computing industry is now. But even a quantum computer can’t guess where the Quantum Four’s share prices go from here.
