Investing in These 3 Quantum Computing Stocks Could Be a Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity

Key Points

• IonQ recently achieved two quantum computing milestones.

• Rigetti Computing's stock has skyrocketed more than 38x over the last 12 months.

• D-Wave Quantum's systems are already addressing real-world problems.

• 10 stocks we like better than IonQ ›

Making money sometimes comes down to being in the right place at the right time. There's one area for investors that just might be the right place right now.

I'm referring to quantum computing. This groundbreaking field uses the sometimes mind-blowing principles of quantum mechanics to perform calculations in a tiny fraction of the time required by today's fastest supercomputers.

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Getting in early on such a game-changing technology just might be the perfect example of how to make money by being in the right place at the right time. Investing in these three quantum computing stocks, in particular, could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. IonQ

Let's start with the largest of these rising quantum computing stars. IonQ (NYSE: IONQ) boasts a market cap of $20 billion after its stock soared more than 6x over the last 12 months.

IonQ believes its trapped-ion architecture offers several advantages over superconducting, the main rival technology. In particular, its cost per system is much lower. The infrastructure requirements for IonQ's systems are also less complicated.

In just the last couple of weeks, IonQ announced two key quantum computing milestones. It achieved a record algorithmic qubit score of #AQ 64, a performance benchmark where a quantum computer can evaluate over 18 quintillion (2⁶⁴) possible outcomes simultaneously. The company was also able to convert the frequency of photons from visible wavelengths to telecom wavelengths. This sets the stage for connecting quantum computers that are long distances apart using existing fiber optic infrastructure.

Quite a few big customers have already signed up with IonQ. The list includes pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (NASDAQ: AZN), aerospace leader General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), and the United States Air Force.

IonQ is also expanding its capabilities through strategic mergers and acquisitions. Over the past few months, the company has completed the acquisitions of Lightsynq, Capella, and Oxford Ionics. It also announced plans to buy Vector Atomic, a leader in advanced quantum sensors used in positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) systems.

2. Rigetti Computing

Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ: RGTI) has been an even bigger winner than IonQ over the past year. The stock of this quantum computing pioneer has delivered a jaw-dropping gain of more than 38x. Like IonQ, Rigetti could have a lot more room to run.

While IonQ argues for the superiority of its technology, Rigetti believes that superconducting is the better approach to building quantum computers. The company especially touts the benefits of leveraging widely used semiconductor fabrication techniques with superconductors.

In July 2025, Rigetti achieved a milestone by halving its previous best error rate using a 36-qubit system. That system, Cepheus-1-36Q, is the largest multi-chip quantum computer on the market now.

Like IonQ, Rigetti has an impressive lineup of customers and partners. Its quantum hardware is used by the U.K.'s National Computing Centre and Fermilab's Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center. Rigetti is working with ADIA Lab, HSBC (NYSE: HSBC), Moody's (NYSE: MCO), and Standard Chartered Bank (OTC: SCBF.Y) to develop quantum computing use cases for the financial sector. Its quantum computers are also available Amazon's (NASDAQ: AMZN) AWS and Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) Azure cloud platforms.

3. D-Wave Quantum

D-Wave Quantum (NYSE: QBTS) is the smallest of these three up-and-coming quantum computing leaders, with a market cap of around $8.8 billion. It has already made a lot of money for some early investors, though: The stock has skyrocketed more than 2,500% over the last 12 months.

Don't let D-Wave's smaller market cap obscure the company's quantum computing credentials. D-Wave was the first commercial quantum computing company and the first to deploy quantum applications in a production environment.

D-Wave uses quantum annealing instead of the gate-based quantum computers from IonQ, Rigetti, and others. The big plus of quantum annealing is that it can already be used to address real-world problems. As a case in point, D-Wave's Advantage2 system can be used in artificial intelligence (AI), optimization, materials simulation.

Like its peers, D-Wave has plenty of customers interested in its technology. They include Accenture (NYSE: ACN), BASF (OTC:BASFY), and Mastercard (NYSE: MA).

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HSBC Holdings is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Keith Speights has positions in Amazon, Mastercard, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Accenture Plc, Amazon, Mastercard, Microsoft, and Moody's. The Motley Fool recommends AstraZeneca Plc, HSBC Holdings, and Standard Chartered Plc and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.