D-Wave Quantum Stock Skyrockets on Real-World Computing Breakthroughs

D-Wave Quantum Inc. QBTS, a prominent player in quantum annealing technologies, drew renewed attention following a series of material advancements across hardware, software and enterprise deployments. The company’s strong strategic executions and recent public remarks by CEO Dr. Alan Baratz on quantum supremacy underscore a significant period of technical validation and commercial execution.

In a year, the stock has skyrocketed 1281%, significantly outperforming the broader Internet Software industry’s 35.1% rise, the Computer and Technology sector’s 10% increase and the S&P 500’s 12.3% gains. The company also outperformed other prominent players in quantum computing like Rigetti Computing RGTI and IonQ IONQ, which rose 840.6% and 402%, respectively, during the same period.

One-Year Price Comparison

D-Wave's Quantum Advantage Across Scientific and Emerging Applications

In first-quarter 2025, D-Wave demonstrated quantum supremacy on a real-world problem, with its 1,200-qubit Advantage2 prototype completing a complex magnetic simulation in minutes, a task that would take 1 million years and massive energy on the Frontier supercomputer. This marked a significant validation of D-Wave’s quantum annealing capabilities.

At the same time, D-Wave advanced its full-scale Advantage2 system (4,400+ qubits), featuring doubled coherence time, higher energy scale and improved qubit connectivity—key enhancements for solving complex optimization and AI problems.

The company also introduced a Proof of Quantum Work model, showing how quantum computing can cut blockchain energy use by up to 1,000x while enhancing security, highlighting new opportunities in fintech, digital identity and distributed systems.

QBTS Ahead of RGTI and IONQ

D-Wave is currently ahead of Rigetti and IonQ in delivering real-world value through quantum computing. Unlike its peers, D-Wave’s quantum annealing technology has achieved demonstrated performance at scale. Its 1,200-qubit Advantage2 prototype recently completed a complex magnetic simulation in minutes, something estimated to take one million years on the world’s most advanced classical supercomputer. This demonstration of quantum supremacy on a practical problem sets D-Wave apart as the only company to date with such proof.

Moreover, D-Wave is actively supporting commercial production use cases. Companies like Ford Otosan, NTT DOCOMO, and Japan Tobacco are already leveraging their systems to optimize manufacturing, telecom operations, and drug discovery processes. The Advantage2 system, with over 4,400 qubits, enhanced coherence time, and high qubit connectivity, builds on this momentum with significant hardware maturity. In contrast, Rigetti and IonQ remain in earlier stages, with smaller-scale systems and limited evidence of sustained customer deployment in operational environments.

Estimates for D-Wave

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for D-Wave’s 2025 earnings implies a 72% improvement year over year.

D-Wave Quantum currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). 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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