Here's Why D-Wave Quantum Stock Soared This Week
Key Points
D-Wave's CEO warned that Nvidia should be "shaking in [its] boots."
Ironically, Nvidia was the catalyst for this week's monster quantum stock move.
- 10 stocks we like better than D-Wave Quantum ›
Quantum computing stocks are soaring this week, and D-Wave Quantum (NYSE: QBTS) is one of the biggest winners. As of mid-morning Friday, D-Wave shares had rocketed about 54% since last week's close, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence.
Ironically, the catalyst was artificial intelligence (AI) leader Nvidia, to which D-Wave's CEO Alan Baratz issued a warning earlier this week.
Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue »
Image source: The Motley Fool.
D-Wave CEO challenges Nvidia
In an announcement that fueled the surge in quantum computing stocks, Nvidia said it is launching a new open-source quantum AI model called Ising. It was created to accelerate the rapidly evolving computing technology.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stated, "AI is essential to making quantum computing practical. With Ising, AI becomes the control plane -- the operating system of quantum machines -- transforming fragile qubits to scalable and reliable quantum-GPU systems."
Ironically, D-Wave CEO Alan Baratz had just challenged Nvidia's AI dominance with its GPU chips. At the Semafor World Economy summit this week, Baratz said, "If I was Nvidia, I'd be shaking in my boots," as he believes quantum is positioned to become the new generation of computing power that could eventually surpass conventional AI accelerators.
With Ising, Nvidia is showing it will remain relevant amid the evolution of the transformative technology. This week's stock move shows there will likely be more than one winner in the quantum space.
Should you buy stock in D-Wave Quantum right now?
Before you buy stock in D-Wave Quantum, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and D-Wave Quantum wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $581,304!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,215,992!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,016% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 197% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
See the 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns as of April 17, 2026.
Howard Smith has positions in Nvidia and has the following options: short April 2026 $180 calls on Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Recommended Articles
