Quantum Computing's Major Growth Catalysts Heading Into 2026

Quantum Computing Inc. QUBT highlighted several key growth drivers expected to support its expansion further in 2026. A major catalyst is the recent acquisition of Luminar Semiconductor, which closed in February 2026 and is expected to begin contributing revenues starting in the first quarter of 2026. The acquisition adds semiconductor design, fabrication and packaging capabilities along with an established customer base. 

Another important growth driver is the expansion of QUBT’s foundry services business through its Fab 1 thin-film lithium niobate (“TFLN”) photonic chip fabrication facility, which recently began generating early revenues and is expected to see increasing customer engagements in 2026. In addition, the company plans to advance the commercialization of its quantum and photonic technologies, including photonic AI computing systems such as Neurawave, quantum authentication and secure networking solutions and sensing technologies like remote sensing and photonic vibrometers. 

Growth opportunities in AI infrastructure were also highlighted, including collaborations such as the partnership with POET Technologies to develop high-speed optical engines for AI networks. Finally, management noted that the company’s strong capital position ($1.55 billion raised in 2025) provides the resources needed to fund acquisitions, product development and manufacturing expansion. 

Peer Update

Rigetti’s RGTI roadmap and partnerships highlight its intent to be a serious contender in scalable, superconducting quantum computing. The company has laid out a multi-phase plan to progress from smaller systems toward 100+-qubit machines with high-fidelity gate performance and ultimately to much larger, fault-tolerant systems over the next few years. This push is reinforced by collaborations designed to strengthen both technology development and manufacturing scale. 

For instance, Rigetti’s partnership with India’s Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) focuses on building hybrid quantum-classical systems for national research applications. On the commercial front, Rigetti is beginning to move beyond pure research and into early customer deployments that signal rising market traction. In September 2025, the company disclosed purchase orders worth roughly $5.7 million for two of its 9-qubit Novera systems.

IonQ’s IONQ long-term strategy is built around trapped-ion technology, which is known for high-fidelity qubits and long coherence times, two critical ingredients for scaling meaningful quantum advantage. The company continues to push forward on its technical roadmap, recently achieving major milestones ahead of schedule, including the launch of the AQ 64 Tempo system and delivering a world-record 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity. IonQ also expanded its technological reach through strategic acquisitions, including Oxford Ionics and Vector Atomic, enhancing capabilities across quantum computing, networking, sensing and cybersecurity while broadening the total addressable market. 

QUBT's Price Performance

In the past year, QUBT’s shares have gained 58.5% against the industry’s 5.8% decline. The S&P 500 composite has grown 22.5% in the same period.

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Expensive Valuation

QUBT currently trades at a forward 12-month Price-to-Sales (P/S) of 542.39X compared with the industry median of 5.21X.

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QUBT Stock Estimate Trend

Over the past 30 days, its loss per share estimate for 2025 has increased to 25 cents from 18 cents. 

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QUBT currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). 

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

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