Can Rigetti's Technology Breakthroughs Accelerate Quantum Progress?

Rigetti Computing RGTI continues to make notable strides in improving the performance of its quantum hardware, particularly through advances in gate fidelity and system speed. The company recently achieved a two-qubit gate fidelity of up to 99.9% at a 28-nanosecond gate speed on a prototype platform using its proprietary adiabatic CZ scheme. Rigetti has also maintained 99.9% one-qubit gate fidelity, while reporting strong median two-qubit fidelities across several platforms, 99.7% on its 9-qubit system, 99.6% on the 36-qubit system and about 99% on its 108-qubit Cepheus-1 system.

These results reflect steady progress across materials, fabrication processes and system-level design. Importantly, improving fidelity while maintaining high-speed operations is critical for making quantum systems more reliable and useful for real-world applications.

At the same time, Rigetti is advancing its chiplet-based architecture, which the company views as a scalable pathway for building larger quantum systems. Unlike traditional monolithic chips, chiplet tiling allows multiple smaller chips to be interconnected, enabling higher qubit counts while improving fabrication yield and maintaining chip uniformity. Rigetti is also progressing toward the deployment of its 108-qubit chiplet-based quantum system, where recent testing identified tunable-coupler interactions that can emerge at higher qubit counts. The company implemented architectural refinements to improve system stability and control, strengthening confidence in the platform’s readiness for deployment.

Alongside these developments, Rigetti continues to collaborate with Riverlane on quantum error correction research, focusing on long-term scalability. Continued progress in fidelity, speed and error mitigation remains essential as the company works toward practical quantum advantage.

Peers Updates

Quantum Computing Inc. QUBT highlighted several drivers that could support its growth in 2026. A key catalyst is the acquisition of Luminar Semiconductor, completed in February 2026, which is expected to start contributing revenues in the first quarter. The deal strengthens QUBT’s capabilities in semiconductor design, fabrication and packaging while adding an established customer base.

Another growth driver is the expansion of its Fab 1 thin-film lithium niobate photonic chip facility, which has begun generating early revenues and is expected to see higher customer engagements in 2026. The company is also advancing photonic AI systems like Neurawave, quantum authentication and sensing technologies, while exploring AI infrastructure opportunities through partnerships such as POET Technologies. Its strong capital base, $1.55 billion raised in 2025, provides flexibility to fund acquisitions, product development and manufacturing expansion.

IonQ’s IONQ long-term strategy centers on trapped-ion technology, which is widely regarded for delivering high-fidelity qubits and long coherence times, both essential for achieving scalable quantum advantage. The company has continued to execute on its technology roadmap, recently reaching key milestones ahead of schedule, including the introduction of its AQ 64 Tempo system and achieving a record 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity.

IonQ has also strengthened its technological capabilities through strategic acquisitions such as Oxford Ionics and Vector Atomic. These deals expand the company’s expertise across quantum computing, networking, sensing and cybersecurity, while also broadening its overall addressable market.  

Rigetti’s Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates

Shares of RGTI have gained 5.1% in the past six-month period against the industry’s decline of 20.8%.

From a valuation standpoint, Rigetti trades at a price-to-book ratio of 10.28, above the industry average. RGTI carries a Value Score of F.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Rigetti’s 2026 earnings implies a significant 74.3% improvement 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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