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Here's How QBTS Exited Third Quarter With Key Growth Catalysts

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Key Takeaways

  • D-Wave Quantum entered Q3 focused on converting $35.5 million in first-half bookings into revenues.
  • QBTS secured access to up to $100 million in CHIPS Act funding to advance U.S. quantum capabilities.
  • AT&T cut network optimization time from about one hour to under 15 seconds using D-Wave technology.

D-Wave Quantum (QBTS - Free Report) entered the third quarter with a key focus on converting its strong booking pipeline into reported revenues. First-half bookings reached $35.5 million, up 1,120% year over year, while production applications accounted for 37.3% of first-half QCaaS revenues. 

On Sept. 8, the company entered into a definitive agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce, building on its previously announced Letter of Intent. The agreement provides D-Wave access to up to $100 million in funding under the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act, supporting its efforts to advance domestic quantum computing capabilities.

On Aug. 5, D-Wave also reported a research advance published in Nature involving its superconducting dual-rail architecture and quantum error correction. This development adds to the company’s ongoing efforts to advance its quantum computing architecture and improve the reliability and scalability of its systems.

Meanwhile, on Jul. 27, D-Wave and AT&T (T) signed an agreement to expand AT&T’s use of D-Wave’s quantum computing technology. In early work, AT&T reduced network optimization processing time from approximately one hour to less than 15 seconds using D-Wave’s quantum technology, highlighting the potential of quantum computing to improve the efficiency of complex network-related processes.

Peer Update

IonQ (IONQ - Free Report) entered the third quarter with a significant change in its financial outlook. It completed the SkyWater acquisition on July 31, adding semiconductor manufacturing and advanced packaging capabilities to its quantum platform. IonQ updated its 2026 revenue outlook to $450-$460 million, including SkyWater's contribution from the acquisition date through year-end. The company also launched its Superion 256 platform, with first customer deliveries expected in 2027. 

Rigetti’s (RGTI - Free Report) third-quarter growth is likely to be driven primarily by government-backed technology investment and efforts to strengthen its commercialization infrastructure, rather than near-term revenue acceleration. In September, the Commerce Department finalized up to $100 million in CHIPS R&D funding for the company, supporting the development of superconducting quantum computing, including fabrication and related technologies. Rigetti also established a dedicated Systems Delivery organization in August to support and scale on-premises customer deployments. 

QBTS’ Price Performance

Over the past year, QBTS’ shares have lost 55.3% compared with the broader Internet Software industry’s 3.9% decline. 

 

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QBTS’ Expensive Valuation

QBTS currently trades at a forward 12-month Price-to-Sales (P/S) of 81.42X compared with the industry average of 4.40X.

 

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QBTS Stock Estimate Trend

In the past 30 days, the company’s loss per share estimate for 2026 has remained unchanged. 

 

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QBTS stock currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). 

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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