While tiny quantum companies bet their entire business on a machine that isn't finished, giants like Google, IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia, and Intel are building quantum computers too — but for them it's just a "small R&D line item" inside a business that earns hundreds of billions a year. So they can wait a decade without rushing to make money. This is the opposite bet from a pure-play: you get the quantum upside thrown in "for free" in a stock you'd probably hold anyway, with almost no bubble risk.
IBM Wins $1 Billion Quantum Foundry Award, Adds CUBE AI Governance Deal
International Business Machines said its subsidiary Anderon won a US$1b federal award to build a U.S. quantum chip foundry, alongside a further US$1b IBM commitment to the project. The planned facility is described as the first stand-alone quantum wafer foundry in the U.S., focused on quantum chip manufacturing under CHIPS Act funding. IBM also announced a partnership with regulatory intelligence provider CUBE to integrate real time global AI rule monitoring into watsonx.governance. The Anderon quantum foundry award and CUBE tie up together represent a US$2b quantum and governance push by the company.
Nvidia Launches CUDA-Q Logical for Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computing
Nvidia launched CUDA-Q Logical, an open-source orchestration layer built into its CUDA-Q platform, on September 14. The tool is designed to help researchers develop applications for fault-tolerant quantum computers using logical qubits, and it is available on GitHub. Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, IQM Quantum Computers, Sandia National Laboratories, Infleqtion, QCDesign, and Quantum Motion are already using the technology. The launch supports Nvidia's broader strategy of making its GPUs the key classical computing layer for hybrid quantum-classical systems, though Jensen Huang said in January 2025 that useful quantum computers could still be 15 to 30 years away, a view tied to the unresolved challenge of scaling quantum hardware. Hedge fund ownership of Nvidia rose from 275 funds at the end of Q1 2026 to 285 funds at the end of Q2 2026, while short interest stood at 1.29% of float as of August 31, 2026.
IBM's Anderon Finalizes $1 Billion CHIPS Act Quantum Foundry Award
Anderon, an IBM subsidiary, finalized a $1 billion research-and-development award from the U.S. Department of Commerce on Wednesday under the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act. The funding will support Anderon's efforts to advance quantum wafer manufacturing at its facility in Albany, New York, where a 300-millimeter quantum wafer foundry serves customers across the quantum industry. IBM has put up $1 billion of its own money alongside the federal award, and production is underway with quantum wafers already in process. The Anderon award is part of a broader $2 billion package distributed across nine quantum computing companies under the CHIPS and Science Act, with GlobalFoundries in line for $375 million and D-Wave Quantum, Rigetti Computing, and Infleqtion each expected to receive $100 million; each of the nine firms will give the federal government a minority ownership stake in exchange for the funding. The finalization follows a letter of intent between IBM and the Commerce Department announced in May, and last week Rigetti Computing, D-Wave Quantum, and Quantinuum each finalized $100 million deals with the department. IBM stock fell 3.3% on Wednesday and has declined nearly 19% this year.
Mitsubishi Electric Fund Invests in Optical Quantum Startup OptQC
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced that its ME Innovation Fund has invested in OptQC Corp., a Japanese startup developing optical quantum computer hardware, marking the fund's sixteenth investment to date. OptQC originated from the University of Tokyo and was established on technologies developed by the university's Furusawa Laboratory, a world leader in optical quantum computing. The startup's optical quantum computer uses a proprietary architecture designed to limit increases in system size as qubit counts grow, and it has already delivered its first commercial system to a public research institution as well as hardware modules to private-sector companies. Through the investment, Mitsubishi Electric expects to gain early insights into OptQC's hardware development technologies, related components, customers and market trends. The company aims to lead the field of quantum computing and create new business opportunities by applying those insights to its own quantum technologies, software implementation knowhow and application development in industrial fields.
Nvidia Unveils Quantum Software Claiming Sevenfold Research Speedup as Shares Fall 3.5%
Nvidia unveiled new quantum-development software Monday, claiming a sevenfold acceleration in a research workflow, even as its shares traded around $210.87, down approximately 3.5%. The company said Fermilab compressed five months of research work into three weeks in an architecture-development workflow, and that its new open-source CUDA-Q Logical layer supports development of fault-tolerant quantum applications. The distinction matters because researchers completed a design workflow faster, which does not establish faster quantum hardware, commercial viability or additional sales. For shareholders, the potential payoff comes from supplying the computing resources behind quantum research, though that commercial outcome remains unproven. GuruFocus shows a GF Score of 95/100, with profitability and growth standing out while a weaker GF Value reading puts valuation under greater scrutiny.
BlueQubit Opens $150,000 Quantum Flywheel Grant Program With IBM, AWS, NVIDIA
BlueQubit announced the open call for its Quantum Flywheel grant program, a $150,000 initiative created with support from IBM, Amazon Web Services, and NVIDIA accelerated computing. The three-month program provides research teams with cloud compute credits for QPU, CPU, and GPU resources, along with access to frontier AI models and BlueQubit's quantum-native development environment. Proposals are invited across three areas: developing and testing novel quantum algorithms on IBM quantum computers targeting quantum advantage in simulation and optimization, conducting adversarial classical simulation with tensor networks and Pauli-path methods to stress-test published quantum advantage claims, and using frontier AI agents to discover, decode, and evaluate novel quantum error-correction codes aimed at mitigating hardware noise. Selected teams will receive direct access to high-performance classical supercomputing, including NVIDIA GPU instances on AWS and large core CPU machines via BlueQubit's simulation platform, with end-to-end support from code generation to QPU execution on IBM quantum computers. The open call runs for a five-week submission window, and selected researchers will receive three months of continuous hardware and compute access.
NVIDIA Adds CUDA-Q Logical Layer for Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computing
NVIDIA announced an expansion of its CUDA-Q open source platform with CUDA-Q Logical, an orchestration layer that provides a programmable, verifiable approach to developing applications for fault-tolerant quantum computers. Fault-tolerant quantum processors with logical qubits are essential for useful quantum computing, and CUDA-Q Logical lets researchers design and orchestrate the many components such applications require, switching between algorithm, error-correction and hardware options to find optimal configurations. Fermilab used CUDA-Q Logical to validate prior results and evaluate physical qubits, runtimes and other resource requirements across different error-correction approaches and quantum hardware, accelerating fault-tolerant algorithm development from five months to three weeks, a 7x speedup. Iceberg Quantum used CUDA-Q Logical to model its fault-tolerant architecture for Diraq's qubits, showing how 1,000 logical qubits can be created with just 150,000 physical qubits, roughly 10x fewer than Diraq's previous estimates. Sandia National Laboratories developed QUOPS, a new independent cross-platform benchmark measuring progress toward utility-scale quantum applications, and a QUOPS reference implementation is now available in NVIDIA CUDA-Q; Sandia shared early results in a preprint ahead of IEEE Quantum Week, reporting initial QUOPS benchmarks for QPUs from Google, IBM and Quantinuum. CUDA-Q Logical is already being used by QPU makers and labs including Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Infleqtion, IQM Quantum Computers, QCDesign Quantum Motion and Sandia National Laboratories, and is now available through GitHub.
IBM Opens Quantum Innovation Hub at ETH Zurich With Lockheed Martin
IBM is expanding its quantum computing footprint by establishing a new quantum innovation hub at ETH Zurich in collaboration with Lockheed Martin, with plans to bring an IBM Quantum System Two to the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre in Lugano. Under an offset agreement with armasuisse, Switzerland's Federal Office for Defense Procurement, IBM will operate the quantum computer, powered by its Quantum Nighthawk processor, supporting research in chemistry, materials science, optimization and financial services while giving Swiss businesses, startups and academic institutions access to the technology. IBM will also support quantum education through courses, certifications, workshops and hackathons. The Lockheed Martin collaboration will explore quantum technologies for aerospace and defense through two planned joint development projects, one examining quantum sensing for navigation and another targeting improvements in additive manufacturing involving metallic alloys. The venture strengthens IBM's long-standing relationship with ETH Zurich and supports a new 10-year effort to develop foundational algorithms for AI and quantum computing.
Quantum computers crack Bitcoin with over 50% less computation than previously thought
US blockchain company Eigen Labs published research on the paper preprint site arXiv on September 10 showing that the amount of computation needed to break ECDSA, the cryptographic scheme used by Bitcoin and Ethereum, with a quantum computer is less than previously assumed. The research team optimized the "point addition" operation, which is unavoidable in cryptographic cracking calculations, so that it can be executed with 1,151 logical qubits, the basic unit close to a quantum computer's working memory, and also held the number of "Toffoli gate" operations, among the heaviest computational loads, to about 1.3 million. The resource metric combining qubit count and operation count came in more than 50% lower than the circuit value presented in March 2026 by Google Quantum AI, Google's quantum computing division, but the two differ in calculation methods and conditions, and the paper states that it "does not prove superiority or inferiority and is limited to a numerical comparison." More than 100 humans and AI agents took part in this research starting in May 2026, and in June the verification mechanism and scoreboard were made public so that anyone could submit improvement proposals. However, no quantum computer exists that can actually run this circuit, and the number of logical qubits IBM aims for by 2029 is said to be only 200.
D-Wave, Rigetti, Quantinuum Secure $100M Each in CHIPS Act Funding
D-Wave Quantum, Rigetti Computing, and Quantinuum each finalized definitive agreements with the U.S. Department of Commerce on Tuesday for $100 million apiece in CHIPS and Science Act funding, with the federal government taking a minority, non-controlling equity stake in each company as a condition of the grants. The three deals total $300 million and are structured as research-and-development grants under the CHIPS Act. Shares of all three companies rose in premarket trading, with Rigetti up 7.4% to $16.33, D-Wave up 5.4% to $17.48, and Quantinuum up 3.9% to $51.56. D-Wave will use its award to develop a 100,000-qubit annealing system and a 10,000-qubit gate-model system capable of 100 logical qubits. Rigetti will pursue three R&D projects focused on miniaturized readout electronics, a new cryostat architecture, and high-connectivity chip fabrication. Quantinuum will support R&D and domestic quantum semiconductor manufacturing, partnering with GlobalFoundries on 300mm wafer fabrication and with Monarch Quantum on lasers and optical components. These three deals are part of a broader federal effort to award $2 billion across nine quantum computing companies, with IBM receiving the largest share at $1 billion for a quantum chip foundry in Albany, New York.
GlobalFoundries finalizes $375M U.S. quantum chip R&D award
GlobalFoundries has finalized a definitive agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce's CHIPS Research and Development Office for a $375 million award to accelerate its Quantum Technology Solutions business, which aims to scale domestic quantum semiconductor manufacturing. The company is eligible to receive up to $375 million over five years, tied to achieving specified milestones. Shares rose more than 3% pre-market. This award is separate from a previously announced $300 million letter of intent for silicon photonics R&D. The agreement supports establishing a secure U.S.-based ecosystem for quantum chip development and manufacturing.
Fujitsu unveils world's first diamond-spin quantum computer prototype
Fujitsu has announced the development of the world's first working prototype of a diamond-spin quantum computer that incorporates tin-vacancy centers into photonic integrated circuits, marking a significant step toward scalable quantum computing. The prototype operates at -271.6°C, which is higher than the typical operating temperature of superconducting quantum computers, and has been demonstrated to work with Fujitsu's Hybrid Quantum Computing Platform without requiring specialist knowledge. This achievement builds on joint research initiated in 2020 with Delft University of Technology and QuTech, and represents a milestone toward a modular architecture for scaling quantum computers. Fujitsu's roadmap targets a 250 logical qubit system by fiscal 2030 and a 1,000 logical qubit system by fiscal 2035, with the diamond-spin approach offering high fidelity and optical connectivity that could also integrate with superconducting systems.
Diraq to Deploy First Silicon Spin Quantum Computer in Equinix Data Center
Diraq and Equinix announced plans to deploy a Diraq quantum computer at an Equinix data center in Sydney, Australia, marking the world's first silicon spin quantum computer to operate in a shared commercial data center. The system features an eight-qubit silicon chip with self-contained cryogenic cooling and control electronics, drawing less than 20kW of power and fitting within existing data center infrastructure. Scaling to higher qubit counts requires only a chip replacement, making the system easily upgradable. The collaboration aims to test real-world performance, chart a path to commercial scale, and begin partner and customer conversations. Installation at Equinix's Sydney data center is expected to be completed in October 2026.
IBM Completes HRL Acquisition to Boost Quantum Computing
IBM has completed its acquisition of HRL Laboratories, strengthening its position in quantum computing and related advanced technologies. The deal adds expertise in quantum sensing, materials science, electronics, and manufacturing, and supports IBM's efforts to develop scalable quantum systems. IBM will integrate HRL's silicon-spin qubit expertise, complementing its superconducting approach, and leverage HRL's capabilities in quantum materials, cryogenics, control electronics, packaging, and interconnect technologies. The acquisition also supports IBM's quantum manufacturing and infrastructure investments, potentially enabling collaboration with Anderon, its pure-play quantum wafer foundry. IBM expects its Quantum Starling system to perform 100 million quantum operations by 2029, followed by Blue Jay in the mid-2030s. IBM faces competition from Microsoft and Alphabet, which are advancing their own quantum initiatives. IBM shares have lost 3.3% over the past year, and earnings estimates for 2026 and 2027 have been slightly reduced.
Gartner: Quantum AI Not Ready Until 2028, Advises Focus on Practical AI
Gartner Inc. revealed that from now until 2028, there will be no large-scale enterprise AI workloads running on quantum hardware. Classical Accelerated AI, or AI on traditional computers accelerated by specialized hardware, will continue to lead in all real-world performance metrics. Chirag Dekate, Vice President Analyst at Gartner, said that most Quantum AI solutions currently offered by technology providers are merely hybrid technologies or algorithms that apply quantum-inspired concepts, not Quantum-native AI ready for enterprise-level operations. Moreover, there is no validated research confirming that quantum computing provides a performance advantage in enterprise AI processing. Gartner expects that stable quantum computing technology will remain limited to research and development for AI tasks, as the number of logical qubits is still insufficient and cannot deliver real economic value until 2030. The firm advises organizations to separate quantum budgets from AI budgets, as GenAI can deliver measurable returns within 12 to 18 months, while Quantum AI has never created measurable value on real workloads. It also recommends integrating quantum-inspired techniques into existing AI systems, setting criteria for terminating pilot projects, and focusing on logical qubit readiness rather than physical qubit count.
IBM Integrates Two Cryogenic Systems for Scalable Quantum Computing
IBM has integrated two modular cryogenic systems into a shared environment, marking a significant engineering milestone toward building a large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer. The new cryogenic architecture provides the ultra-low-temperature environment needed for quantum computing while offering greater capacity for wiring and processor connections, and the company's L-coupler technology will enable separate quantum chips to communicate and operate together. IBM plans to install its Quantum Nighthawk processors in the new cryogenic modules later this year for performance testing, aiming to connect multiple processors to support a quantum computer with at least 1,000 programmable qubits, with future modules expected to accommodate thousands of qubits. The modular design will allow IBM to test and upgrade different components independently, helping improve system performance and speed up development, as the company targets launching Quantum Starling, its planned fault-tolerant quantum computer, by 2029. IBM faces competition from Microsoft, which is advancing its Majorana 2 chip for scalable quantum computers, and Alphabet, whose Google Quantum AI division is developing advanced quantum processors and error-correction technologies.
Rigetti's commercial quantum sales expand as peers report mixed results
Rigetti Computing reported that its first two 9-qubit systems delivered in 2026 went to commercial customers, marking a notable shift from a year or two ago when commercial demand was largely absent. Management attributed a significant portion of first-half revenue growth to commercial organizations purchasing on-premises quantum systems, while the broader pipeline now spans commercial enterprises, universities, and governments. The company's $8.4 million C-DAC order for a 108-qubit system remains on track for fourth-quarter revenue recognition, and the HPE-Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center collaboration is expected to place a full 9-qubit Rigetti system into an HPC environment in 2027. D-Wave Quantum posted $3.1 million in second-quarter 2026 revenues, essentially flat year over year, with commercial enterprises accounting for roughly 62.4% of revenues, up from 45.1% a year earlier. IonQ completed its acquisition of SkyWater Technology, creating a U.S.-based quantum foundry and strengthening its control over semiconductor manufacturing, advanced packaging, and supply-chain capabilities.
Oracle Expands AWS AI Database Partnership Amid Rising Debt-Funded Capex
Oracle and Amazon Web Services have expanded their collaboration to accelerate migration to Oracle AI Database@AWS, now available across 22 AWS regions. Oracle also announced a multi-year quantum computing partnership with Quantinuum and new AI-driven Fusion Agentic Applications for HR. The company faces credit downgrades, heavy debt-funded AI infrastructure spending, and a delayed gas pipeline for its New Mexico AI data center. Analysts project Oracle could reach $181.8 billion in revenue and $41.7 billion in earnings by 2029, implying a fair value of $248.15 per share, a 65% upside to its current price.
IonQ reported second quarter 2026 revenue of $80.1 million, up 287% year over year and 20% above its own expectations, driven by deployments of its fifth-generation quantum computing systems. The company also raised its full-year revenue guidance to a range of $280 million to $290 million, reflecting strong first-half performance. IonQ completed its $1.8 billion acquisition of SkyWater Technology on July 31, 2026, creating a vertically integrated full-stack quantum platform company, and received its first fully featured quantum processing units from SkyWater, which are now undergoing testing. Remaining performance obligations reached $485 million, up from $122 million a year earlier, while GAAP net loss was $1.9 billion, including a $1.6 billion non-cash warrant valuation charge. The company ended the quarter with $3.0 billion in cash and investments, and expects to begin commissioning its 256-qubit systems in 2027.
Quantinuum and Oracle announce industry-first quantum computing partnership
Quantinuum CEO Rajeeb Hazra announced an industry-first partnership with Oracle to integrate its Helios quantum computer into Oracle's data center. The deal will place Helios, described as the world's most accurate quantum computer, into Oracle's compute infrastructure and offer it as a service. This integration aims to let Oracle customers deploy hybrid workloads combining AI and quantum computing seamlessly, without managing additional hardware.
Rigetti Advances Quantum Roadmap With Strategic Global Expansion
Rigetti Computing is advancing its quantum computing roadmap through new commercial deployments, strategic partnerships, and government initiatives. The company will deliver a 9-qubit Novera quantum computing system to Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center's new TangleLab testbed, expanding its collaboration with Hewlett Packard Enterprise and supporting hybrid quantum-classical high-performance computing systems. Rigetti is also advancing its on-premises quantum computing pipeline, including the previously announced 108-qubit system for C-DAC in India, and has a letter of intent with the U.S. Department of Commerce for up to $100 million in funding over three years, though the proposed funding would involve an equity stake for the government. On the technology front, its Cepheus 108 qubit system is currently achieving approximately 99.9% median single qubit gate fidelity, 99.1% median two qubit gate fidelity, and gate speeds of about 60 nanoseconds, with targets of roughly 1,000 qubits, 99.9% two-qubit gate fidelity, and sub-50 nanosecond gate speeds over the next three years. The company is also planning an investment of up to $100 million in the United Kingdom, building on its existing 36-qubit deployment at the National Quantum Computing Centre.
Quantum Computing Market Projected to Reach $21.86 Billion by 2035
A new report from ResearchAndMarkets.com projects the global quantum computing market will grow from $1.93 billion in 2026 to $21.86 billion by 2035, a compound annual growth rate of 30.92%. The study highlights accelerating commercial momentum, including IonQ's record $80 million in second-quarter 2026 revenue and D-Wave's 1,120% bookings growth, alongside expanded cloud quantum deployments by Alphabet's Google and Microsoft. Key drivers include rising demand for high-performance computing beyond classical limits, growth of Quantum-as-a-Service platforms, and increasing government funding. North America leads the market, while optimization remains the dominant application and the banking, financial services, and insurance sector is the top end-use industry.
Quantinuum Reports 279% Revenue Growth in Q2 2026, Raises Full-Year Outlook
Quantinuum reported second-quarter 2026 revenue of $8 million, a 279% increase from $2 million a year earlier, and raised its full-year revenue guidance to a range of $28 to $32 million. The company completed its initial public offering during the quarter, raising $1.7 billion in gross proceeds, and ended June with $2.1 billion in cash, equivalents, and short-term investments. GAAP net loss widened to $597 million from $57 million, while adjusted EBITDA loss was $68 million compared with a loss of $43 million in the prior-year period. Quantinuum also announced an industry-first partnership with Oracle to deploy its Helios quantum computer as an Oracle Cloud Infrastructure service and demonstrated near five-nines logical fidelity on Helios, extending its leadership in fault tolerance.
Quantum ETFs Surge as US Government Pours Billions into Quantum Computing
Quantum computing exchange-traded funds have posted strong year-to-date gains amid historic U.S. government funding commitments to the sector. The Defiance Quantum ETF has surged 38.4%, the WisdomTree Quantum Computing Fund has soared 30.9%, and the Global X AI Semiconductor & Quantum ETF has rallied 69.9%. Driving the momentum are federal initiatives including $625 million from the Department of Energy to renew five National Quantum Information Science Research Centers, $2 billion in CHIPS Act incentives for domestic quantum foundries, and a $1 billion award to IBM to anchor a new U.S.-based quantum chip foundry in Albany, New York. Recent technological breakthroughs, such as Quantinuum's 98-qubit Helios system operating beyond classical simulation and NVIDIA's launch of open-source quantum AI models, have further validated the industry's commercial potential.
IBM CEO Says Quantum Computing Could Have Measurable Impact by 2028 or 2029
IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said quantum computing could start to have a measurable impact on the company's top and bottom line by 2028 or 2029. In a CNBC interview, Krishna forecast that by the end of the 2030s, quantum computing could represent a trillion dollars of value. IBM shares have fallen 19% in 2026 amid market disappointment with its growth, but the stock trades at a price-to-earnings multiple of 21, below the S&P 500 average of 26.
Rigetti Computing stock surges on CHIPS Act award and UK quantum investment
Rigetti Computing shares rallied after the company signed a letter of intent with the U.S. Department of Commerce for up to $100 million over three years under the CHIPS and Science Act, with the government receiving an equity stake at a 15% discount to the lowest closing price around key dates. The company also announced plans to invest up to $100 million in the United Kingdom to deploy a quantum computer with more than 1,000 qubits within three to four years, aligning with the British government's 2-billion-pound quantum program. First-quarter 2026 revenue rose to $4.4 million from $1.5 million a year earlier, driven by NOVA quantum processing unit deliveries and government contracts, while the operating loss widened to roughly $26 million. The rally reflects investor optimism that government backing provides a path for Rigetti's hardware to become embedded in long-term national infrastructure.
IonQ rises on strong Q2 results and guidance, Wall Street sees leadership potential
IonQ shares rose 4.4% in premarket trading after the quantum computing company reported stronger-than-expected second-quarter results and raised its full-year 2026 revenue outlook. Needham analyst N. Quinn Bolton highlighted IonQ's strong cash balance and industry-leading 2-qubit gate fidelity on its Forte 29-Qubit system, maintaining a Neutral rating with a $65 price target. Wedbush Securities analyst Matt Bryson noted a fifth consecutive quarter of record revenue and an increased 2026 outlook that excludes contributions from the recent SkyWater acquisition, reiterating an Outperform rating and a $75 price target. Separately, IonQ was awarded a contract under the National Reconnaissance Office's Radar Commercial Augmentation program and received a $28 million contract extension from DARPA's It's About Time program, under which it will invest $15 million to deliver 125 atomic clocks to the U.S. government.
IBM CEO Predicts Quantum Computing Will Have Measurable Revenue Impact by 2028
International Business Machines Corp CEO Arvind Krishna said quantum computing could begin making a measurable contribution to the company's revenue and profit by 2028 or 2029. Speaking on CNBC's Mad Money, Krishna stated that by the end of the 2030s, IBM is now pretty convinced the technology represents a trillion dollars of value. IBM and quantum startup Algorithmiq also unveiled research demonstrating quantum advantage, with Krishna noting the technology revealed previously unobserved material behaviors that could support advances in batteries, new materials, fusion energy, and drug development. IBM is investing in quantum chip manufacturing, including a standalone foundry backed by a $1 billion commitment from the U.S. Department of Commerce and matched by another $1 billion from IBM. Krishna also addressed a recent stock sell-off after preliminary second-quarter results, saying about 40% of delayed customer deals have already closed, signaling deferral rather than destruction, as IBM posted second-quarter revenue of $17.16 billion and adjusted earnings of $2.93 per share.
IonQ shares jump 8.6% after Wedbush initiates with outperform and $1.8 billion SkyWater acquisition closes
Shares of quantum computing company IonQ jumped 8.6% in afternoon trading after Wedbush initiated coverage with an outperform rating and a $75 price target, and the company completed its $1.8 billion acquisition of SkyWater Technology. The deal, which received Federal Trade Commission clearance, aims to create a vertically integrated firm by giving IonQ direct control over its chip manufacturing. The positive news follows a strong first quarter that led IonQ to raise its full-year revenue outlook. Despite the gain, the stock remains 51.6% below its 52-week high of $82.09 from October 2025.
IQM Quantum Computers Reports First Public Earnings, Backlog Tops EUR 102 Million
IQM Quantum Computers, a global leader in full-stack superconducting quantum computers, reported its first financial results as a public company, with total order backlog surpassing EUR 102.1 million as of August 3, 2026. The company posted revenues of EUR 8.9 million and an operating loss of EUR 60.5 million for the first half of 2026, while its cash balance stood at EUR 309.4 million as of July 2, 2026, inclusive of listing proceeds. IQM initiated full-year 2026 guidance, targeting new order intake between EUR 65 million and EUR 75 million and revenues between EUR 42 million and EUR 47 million. Operational highlights included the first US delivery to the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a landmark deal to integrate a quantum computer into the LUMI AI Factory, and more than EUR 40 million invested in expanding its proprietary fabrication facility. The company also announced advancements in error correction and partnerships with NVIDIA and HPE.
IBM Acquires HRL Laboratories to Add Electron Spin Qubits to Its Quantum Strategy
IBM has agreed to acquire HRL Laboratories from Boeing and General Motors, adding a second quantum computing platform based on electron spin qubits to its existing superconducting qubit efforts. The deal gives IBM expertise in spin qubits, which occupy less space than superconducting circuits, and the company plans to incorporate them into its roadmap after the 2033 Blue Jay system. IBM has committed over $10 billion to quantum computing over the next five years, while global government commitments exceed $60 billion and venture capital funding hit a record $3.9 billion in 2025. The acquisition diversifies IBM's approach as it competes with Alphabet, Microsoft, and others, and its lower valuation relative to Alphabet could offer more room for multiple expansion if quantum becomes a significant business. Hedge fund ownership of IBM dipped to 59 funds in Q1 2026, with AQR Capital Management as the largest holder after boosting its stake by 121%.
IonQ completes $1.8 billion acquisition of SkyWater Technology
IonQ has completed its acquisition of US semiconductor foundry SkyWater Technology in a deal valued at about $1.8 billion. The transaction closed after receiving regulatory clearance, including early termination of the US Federal Trade Commission's review process. SkyWater shareholders will receive $15.00 in cash and 0.4883 shares of IonQ common stock for each SkyWater share. SkyWater now operates as a subsidiary of IonQ, with CEO Thomas Sonderman reporting to IonQ's chairman and CEO Niccolo de Masi. The acquisition is expected to advance IonQ's fault-tolerant quantum computing development and strengthen its federal division for government and defense applications.
Smart Quantum Computing Investors Are Buying Alphabet, IonQ, and Nvidia
Investors looking to gain exposure to quantum computing before it matures are buying shares of Alphabet, IonQ, and Nvidia. Alphabet is developing its own quantum computing unit, including the Willow chip, which could boost margins for its Google Cloud division that is already seeing 82% year-over-year revenue growth. IonQ is pursuing a trapped-ion approach that prioritizes accuracy over speed and has a roadmap to a 10,000-qubit computer, though it remains a smaller, higher-risk play. Nvidia is not building a quantum processor but is positioning its GPUs as essential for hybrid quantum-classical computing through tools like an AI model for error correction, CUDA adaptations, and the NVQLink interconnect.
IBM and Partners Achieve Trusted Quantum Breakthroughs Beyond Classical Computing
IBM and its partners report multiple independent breakthroughs in quantum computing, achieving quantum advantage using error mitigated computations that classical systems cannot feasibly reproduce. The collaborations span Algorithmiq, Qedma, RIKEN, BlueQubit, and the University of Chicago, focusing on verification frameworks, logical qubits, and commercial error mitigation. IBM is positioning its quantum hardware and software stack as part of a broader computing toolkit, aiming to offer quantum as a cloud service alongside hybrid cloud and AI. The company is trying to show that its tools can tackle problems that high-end classical systems, such as Japan's Fugaku supercomputer, struggle to reproduce. These recent breakthroughs in error handling and verification may shape how quickly enterprises consider quantum resources for real workloads.
Trump administration builds equity stakes in 30 companies, led by semiconductors
The Trump administration has accumulated equity stakes in 30 companies across sectors including quantum computing, steel, and rare earth minerals, with semiconductors as the primary focus. The portfolio includes a 10% stake in Intel announced about 11 months ago, and this week the administration expanded it with letters of intent for stakes in seven additional semiconductor companies that could see $874 million disbursed in return for equity. The biggest name among the new deals is Global Foundries, which is in line for a $300 million stake, marking its second government equity stake after an earlier one in quantum computing. The approach, funded by the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, marks a shift from the Biden administration's grants and loans to a venture-capital-style strategy that seeks both strategic benefits and financial upside. Critics, including the Cato Institute, question whether the government is picking favorites and what happens if companies falter, while the administration points to Intel's stock more than tripling since the stake was taken as evidence of potential taxpayer gains.
IBM Demonstrates Reliable Quantum Advantage with 70 Logical Qubits
Researchers from IBM and the University of Chicago announced on July 30 that they have demonstrated reliable quantum advantage using 70 logical qubits and a new error correction method. They completed a calculation that is practically impossible with conventional simulation techniques in about 15 minutes, and also provided statistical evidence showing the accuracy of the results. Jay Gambetta, director of IBM Research, said, "We are now firmly in the era of quantum advantage." However, breaking Bitcoin's elliptic curve cryptography would require thousands of fault-tolerant logical qubits, a significant gap from the 70 achieved here. IBM aims to perform 100 million operations with 200 logical qubits by 2029, while on the Bitcoin side, an improvement proposal called BIP-360 to introduce quantum computer resistance was proposed in February 2026.
BlueQubit, Qedma, IBM and RIKEN Demonstrate Quantum Advantage on Error-Mitigated Processor
BlueQubit, Qedma Quantum Computing, IBM and RIKEN have demonstrated that today's quantum computers can solve problems beyond the reach of classical machines. The team simulated a Floquet Ising magnet's sub-atomic oscillations, with RIKEN pushing classical simulation to its limits using over 500,000 CPU-core hours on the Fugaku supercomputer and BlueQubit running tensor network and Pauli path algorithms on GPU clusters. Qedma deployed its QESEM error-mitigation software on IBM's 156-qubit Heron quantum processor and validated results across platforms including Quantinuum's trapped-ion systems, achieving percent-level accuracy. The error-mitigated quantum system delivered reliable results when advanced classical methods could no longer converge, marking a pivotal shift where quantum processors outpace classical computers.
IBM and University of Chicago Achieve Quantum Advantage with 70 Logical Qubits
IBM and the University of Chicago have demonstrated a quantum computation that outperforms leading classical methods while providing verifiable accuracy. The team used a novel error correction approach to encode 70 logical qubits, executing 2,415 logical two-qubit operations and 468 logical T gates with effective logical error rates ten times lower than physical error rates. The computation finished in approximately 15 minutes, a task that would demand infeasible amounts of time with classical simulation. The results, published in a new paper on sampling hard circuits with verifiably high fidelity, establish a lower bound on circuit fidelity and mark a significant step toward trusted, scalable quantum computing.
Japan and Australia Sign Memorandum on Quantum Technology Cooperation
The governments of Japan and Australia have agreed to strengthen cooperation in the field of quantum technology. Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy Kimi Onoda and Australian Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science Ed Husic signed a memorandum of understanding in Sydney on the 27th. They will advance collaboration on building supply chains related to quantum computers, research and development, practical application, startup support, and talent development. Japan has already concluded similar memoranda with the United States and India, and this agreement with Australia is expected to accelerate coordination on quantum technology utilization under the Quad framework of Japan, the United States, Australia, and India. Mr. Husic emphasized the significance of the agreement, stating that it will lead to faster dissemination of quantum technology in both Japan and Australia and across the Indo-Pacific region.
D-Wave Quantum Rises 7% on Expanded AT&T Deal, Lifting IonQ, Rigetti, Quantum Computing Inc.
D-Wave Quantum shares rose 7% to $19.29 after announcing an expanded agreement with AT&T to deploy its annealing quantum systems across network operations. An early application cut a network optimization workload from about one hour to under 15 seconds, a 240x speedup, and AT&T plans to extend the work to outage detection, technician routing, network build planning, and traffic management. Benchmark initiated D-Wave at Buy with a $30 price target. Sympathy moves lifted IonQ 12% to $36.67, Rigetti Computing 12% to $15.88, and Quantum Computing Inc. 8% to $8.06, while the Defiance Quantum ETF rose 1% to $141.12. Rigetti also announced an expanded collaboration with Hewlett Packard Enterprise and the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center to build TangleLab, a hybrid quantum-classical supercomputing testbed funded by a $5 million National Science Foundation grant, with full operations expected in 2027. Despite the rally, D-Wave trades at a price-to-sales ratio of 482.56 against trailing revenue of $12.44 million, and the pure-play quantum names remain down 16% to 29% year to date.