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Microsoft's Quantum Security Push: 1 Stock With 111% Upside to Buy Now
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Key Takeaways
Microsoft advanced its Quantum Safe Program, targeting post-quantum cryptography adoption by 2029.
QUBT expanded quantum cybersecurity and secure communications through its NuCrypt acquisition.
QCi's average analyst price target implies roughly 111% upside from the latest closing price.
Last week, Microsoft (MSFT - Free Report) accelerated its Quantum Safe Program (QSP), advancing its target to transition critical products and services to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) by 2029. The move focuses on a rapidly emerging investment theme that quantum computing's first major commercial opportunity may lie not in building quantum computers, but in securing governments, enterprises and cloud infrastructure against future quantum-enabled cyber threats.
Amid this changing investment scenario, one pure-play quantum company that appears well-positioned to benefit from this trend is Quantum Computing Inc. (QUBT - Free Report) or QCi.
Let’s get into more detail.
Microsoft's Quantum-Safe Push Signals a New Investment Theme
On June 30, 2026, Microsoft accelerated its Quantum Safe Program (QSP), advancing its target to transition critical products and services to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) by 2029. The company said rapid advances in quantum research have compressed the timeline for organizations to prepare for "cryptographically relevant" quantum computers capable of breaking today's widely used public-key encryption.
As part of the initiative, Microsoft plans to integrate quantum-safe security across its product portfolio by adopting NIST-standardized PQC algorithms, expanding crypto-agility to simplify future cryptographic upgrades, modernizing certificate trust chains and software-signing infrastructure and deploying hybrid cryptography with TLS 1.3. Azure CTO Mark Russinovich emphasized that migrating to quantum-resistant security is a "proactive, risk-informed decision," noting that enterprise-wide cryptographic transitions can take years to complete.
The urgency stems from the growing risk of "harvest now, decrypt later" attacks, in which attackers capture encrypted data today and store it for potential decryption once cryptographically relevant quantum computers become available. Microsoft cited this threat as a key reason organizations should begin transitioning to post-quantum cryptography now rather than waiting for quantum hardware to mature.
Although experts believe fault-tolerant quantum systems capable of breaking modern encryption remain years away, Microsoft now believes organizations should begin preparing immediately rather than waiting for a definitive breakthrough.
Why It Matters for Quantum Investors
The shift extends well beyond Microsoft. In the United States, the White House in June directed federal agencies to accelerate migration to post-quantum cryptography, while the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) continues expanding standards for quantum-resistant encryption. Similar initiatives are underway across Europe, Asia and Australia, where governments and operators of critical infrastructure are developing roadmaps to protect long-lived sensitive data from future quantum attacks.
For investors, while hardware-focused companies such as IonQ (IONQ - Free Report) , Rigetti Computing (RGTI - Free Report) and D-Wave Quantum (QBTS - Free Report) continue advancing quantum processors and enterprise applications, the accelerating adoption of post-quantum cryptography creates an additional commercialization pathway by increasing enterprise awareness, customer engagement and government investment across the broader quantum ecosystem.
Meanwhile, diversified technology leaders such as IBM, Alphabet and Cisco Systems are embedding quantum-safe capabilities into cloud platforms, networking infrastructure and security offerings, positioning themselves to benefit from what could become a multi-year enterprise migration cycle.
One Quantum Stock to Leverage the Microsoft-led Wave
QUBT: Among pure-play quantum companies, QCi stands out because its strategy extends beyond quantum computing hardware into quantum cybersecurity and secure communications, areas that align closely with Microsoft's accelerated transition to post-quantum security.
Beyond its integrated photonics and quantum computing platforms, QCi has developed a dedicated quantum cybersecurity portfolio featuring quantum authentication technologies and photonic physical unclonable functions designed to replace classical public-key authentication methods that could become vulnerable in the quantum era.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The company's March 2026 acquisition of NuCrypt further expanded its capabilities in quantum communications, strengthening its position in secure communications as governments and enterprises accelerate preparations for post-quantum security.
This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company is projected to report second-quarter 2026 earnings growth of 16.7% on stupendous 7333.3% revenue growth. Based on six analysts' price targets, the average target of $18.33 implies roughly 111% upside from the latest closing price. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
View the Zacks #1 Rank List
Image: Bigstock
Microsoft's Quantum Security Push: 1 Stock With 111% Upside to Buy Now
Key Takeaways
Last week, Microsoft (MSFT - Free Report) accelerated its Quantum Safe Program (QSP), advancing its target to transition critical products and services to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) by 2029. The move focuses on a rapidly emerging investment theme that quantum computing's first major commercial opportunity may lie not in building quantum computers, but in securing governments, enterprises and cloud infrastructure against future quantum-enabled cyber threats.
Amid this changing investment scenario, one pure-play quantum company that appears well-positioned to benefit from this trend is Quantum Computing Inc. (QUBT - Free Report) or QCi.
Let’s get into more detail.
Microsoft's Quantum-Safe Push Signals a New Investment Theme
On June 30, 2026, Microsoft accelerated its Quantum Safe Program (QSP), advancing its target to transition critical products and services to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) by 2029. The company said rapid advances in quantum research have compressed the timeline for organizations to prepare for "cryptographically relevant" quantum computers capable of breaking today's widely used public-key encryption.
As part of the initiative, Microsoft plans to integrate quantum-safe security across its product portfolio by adopting NIST-standardized PQC algorithms, expanding crypto-agility to simplify future cryptographic upgrades, modernizing certificate trust chains and software-signing infrastructure and deploying hybrid cryptography with TLS 1.3. Azure CTO Mark Russinovich emphasized that migrating to quantum-resistant security is a "proactive, risk-informed decision," noting that enterprise-wide cryptographic transitions can take years to complete.
The urgency stems from the growing risk of "harvest now, decrypt later" attacks, in which attackers capture encrypted data today and store it for potential decryption once cryptographically relevant quantum computers become available. Microsoft cited this threat as a key reason organizations should begin transitioning to post-quantum cryptography now rather than waiting for quantum hardware to mature.
Although experts believe fault-tolerant quantum systems capable of breaking modern encryption remain years away, Microsoft now believes organizations should begin preparing immediately rather than waiting for a definitive breakthrough.
Why It Matters for Quantum Investors
The shift extends well beyond Microsoft. In the United States, the White House in June directed federal agencies to accelerate migration to post-quantum cryptography, while the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) continues expanding standards for quantum-resistant encryption. Similar initiatives are underway across Europe, Asia and Australia, where governments and operators of critical infrastructure are developing roadmaps to protect long-lived sensitive data from future quantum attacks.
For investors, while hardware-focused companies such as IonQ (IONQ - Free Report) , Rigetti Computing (RGTI - Free Report) and D-Wave Quantum (QBTS - Free Report) continue advancing quantum processors and enterprise applications, the accelerating adoption of post-quantum cryptography creates an additional commercialization pathway by increasing enterprise awareness, customer engagement and government investment across the broader quantum ecosystem.
Meanwhile, diversified technology leaders such as IBM, Alphabet and Cisco Systems are embedding quantum-safe capabilities into cloud platforms, networking infrastructure and security offerings, positioning themselves to benefit from what could become a multi-year enterprise migration cycle.
One Quantum Stock to Leverage the Microsoft-led Wave
QUBT: Among pure-play quantum companies, QCi stands out because its strategy extends beyond quantum computing hardware into quantum cybersecurity and secure communications, areas that align closely with Microsoft's accelerated transition to post-quantum security.
Beyond its integrated photonics and quantum computing platforms, QCi has developed a dedicated quantum cybersecurity portfolio featuring quantum authentication technologies and photonic physical unclonable functions designed to replace classical public-key authentication methods that could become vulnerable in the quantum era.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The company's March 2026 acquisition of NuCrypt further expanded its capabilities in quantum communications, strengthening its position in secure communications as governments and enterprises accelerate preparations for post-quantum security.
This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company is projected to report second-quarter 2026 earnings growth of 16.7% on stupendous 7333.3% revenue growth. Based on six analysts' price targets, the average target of $18.33 implies roughly 111% upside from the latest closing price. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.