Here's How Innovation Fuels Quantum Computing's Growth Momentum

Quantum Computing Inc. QUBT or “QCi” is continuously investing in research and development (R&D) to strengthen its position in quantum photonics and scalable quantum computing. During the first quarter of 2026, the company expanded its engineering, scientific and technical workforces, contributing to a 133.5% year-over-year increase in research and development expenses.One of QCi's primary R&D initiatives is the development of the next version of its Dirac quantum optimization platform. QCi is also advancing its gate-based quantum computing program, which aims to create a scalable, room-temperature quantum computer using photonic technology. Research efforts are focused on two key areas — improving gate fidelity through advanced engineering design and developing ultra-high-quality photonic integrated circuits based on thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) technology. The company’s fabrication facility (Fab 1) serves primarily as an R&D and technology validation center rather than a revenue-generating manufacturing operation. QCi uses Fab 1 to develop and stabilize fabrication processes that will eventually be transferred to a larger-scale Fab 2 facility designed for volume production.QCi’s recent acquisitions of Luminar Semiconductor and NuCrypt have significantly expanded its research talent base and technical capabilities, supporting a vertically integrated approach to quantum technology development.Peer UpdateRigetti RGTI achieved a two-qubit gate fidelity as high as 99.9% at 28-nanosecond gate speed on a prototype platform using its new proprietary adiabatic CZ scheme. Rigetti made strong progress toward deployment of its 108-qubit chiplet-based quantum system, advancing both performance validation and system-level integration. Rigetti continued collaborating with Riverlane on error correction research, focusing on system-level integration and long-term scalability.D-Wave Quantum QBTS continues to advance its annealing platform through Advantage2 and the Leap cloud service. The company is expanding its product portfolio into gate-model quantum computing following the Quantum Circuits acquisition in January 2026. QBTS is targeting roughly 175 physical qubits by the end of 2028 to demonstrate error correction and logical operations. D-Wave continues to add commercial annealing applications in production and expand research use cases, including work in quantum AI and blockchain benchmarking.QUBT’s Stock Price PerformanceOver the past year, QCi’s shares have plunged 47.7% compared with the industry’s 19.6% decline. Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchQUBT’s Expensive ValuationQUBT currently trades at a forward 12-month price-to-sales (P/S) of 93.31X compared with the industry median of 4.96X.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchQUBT Stock Estimate TrendIn the past 30 days, QCi’s loss per share estimate for 2026 has remained unchanged at 14 cents. Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchQUBT currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.This top pick is a little-known satellite-based communications firm. Space is projected to become a trillion dollar industry, and this company's customer base is growing fast. Analysts have forecasted a major revenue breakout in 2025. Of course, all our elite picks aren't winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks' Stocks Set to Double like Hims & Hers Health, which shot up +209%.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks