Can RGTI's Strategic Partnerships Speed Its Path to Quantum Scale?

Rigetti Computing RGTI is increasingly positioning itself at the intersection of quantum hardware, AI supercomputing and public-private research ecosystems. RGTI is embedding its systems into broader hybrid computing environments. Support for NVIDIA’s NVQLink platform is a notable step in this direction, as it enables low-latency, high-throughput integration between quantum processors and AI supercomputers. For investors, this matters because hybrid quantum-classical workflows are widely viewed as the most realistic path to near-term quantum utility, well before fully fault-tolerant systems arrive.

Beyond industry tie-ups, RGTI is also deepening its academic and government collaborations to strengthen both R&D and workforce development. Michigan State University became the first academic institution to host an on-premises Rigetti quantum computer, with QCORE featuring a 9-qubit Novera QPU for hands-on quantum research. In parallel, RGTI signed an MOU with India’s C-DAC to explore co-development of hybrid quantum computing systems, application workflows and talent pipelines. Collectively, these partnerships expand RGTI’s global footprint, create early user ecosystems around its hardware, and help reduce risk for future commercialization by aligning product development with real research and enterprise use cases.

The strategic value of these collaborations is best viewed alongside RGTI’s 2026–2027 roadmap. Management plans to deploy a 150+ qubit system by late 2026 with approximately 99.7% two-qubit gate fidelity, followed by a 1,000+ qubit system by or around 2027, targeting approximately 99.8% fidelity. While scaling hardware is challenging, converting it into usable systems is the bigger hurdle. RGTI’s collaboration-led approach is likely to close that gap by supporting validation and real-world use, improving the likelihood that roadmap progress translates into scalable, commercially relevant platforms.

Peers Updates

IonQ IONQ has recently expanded its partnership across both national infrastructure and applied commercial use cases. Through its ID Quantique subsidiary, the company deployed Slovakia’s first national quantum communication network, supporting cybersecurity and aligning IonQ with Europe’s broader quantum digital initiatives. Separately, IonQ entered an investment and technology partnership with Canada-based CCRM to accelerate quantum and quantum-AI applications in regenerative medicine, positioning its systems at the core of next-generation drug and therapy development.

D-Wave Quantum QBTS continues to build momentum through application-led partnerships across commercial and research customers, including a major U.S. airline, SkyWater, Japan Tobacco’s pharma unit, Yapi Kredi and multiple global universities. The company is also collaborating on real-world hybrid use cases, such as manufacturing optimization with BASF and a successful proof-of-technology with North Wales Police for incident response deployment. These engagements underscore QBTS’s focus on near-term utility and recurring usage through practical quantum applications.

Rigetti’s Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates

Shares of RGTI have gained 105% in the last six-month period against the industry’s decline of 4.5%.

From a valuation standpoint, Rigetti trades at a price-to-book ratio of 20.59, above the industry average. RGTI carries a Value Score of F.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Rigetti’s 2025 earnings implies a significant 88.9% decline from the year-ago period.

The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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