QBTS or RGTI: Which Quantum Stock is Poised to Lead in H2 2026?

With the second half of 2026 set to get underway, investor sentiment for the quantum computing stocks is at a crossroads. Despite continued technological progress and rising government support for quantum research, pure-play quantum companies have struggled to regain momentum as elevated interest rates, broader risk-off sentiment and geopolitical uncertainty kept investors cautious.Against this backdrop, two of the sector's leading names, D-Wave Quantum QBTS and Rigetti Computing RGTI, are increasingly competing for investor attention. Both stocks have retreated this year, with QBTS down 16.3% and RGTI declining 16.9% year to date.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchEarlier weakness reflected the broader technology selloff and concerns stemming from the Middle East conflict. More recently, sentiment across the quantum sector has softened further following the scientific debate over Microsoft's MSFT topological-qubit research, even though the controversy does not directly involve either company.An important question for investors right now is which quantum stock is better positioned for the remainder of 2026. Let's find out.D-Wave: Commercial EdgeD-Wave enters the second half of 2026 with perhaps the strongest commercial execution among publicly traded quantum companies. The company exited the first quarter of 2026 with record bookings, a strong enterprise pipeline and growing customer adoption across manufacturing, logistics, financial services and government applications. The company's acquisition of Quantum Circuits also broadens its technology portfolio beyond quantum annealing into gate-model computing, positioning D-Wave to address a wider range of future workloads.Over the next six months of 2026, investors should focus on revenue conversion from the backlog, continued customer wins and progress in integrating Quantum Circuits' technology. The company has indicated that revenues will remain uneven because of the timing of large customer contracts but expects stronger commercial activity during the second half of 2026. The company also continues expanding its Advantage2 platform and cloud offerings through strategic partnerships announced in recent months.Longer term, if commercial adoption continues to accelerate as management expects, D-Wave could strengthen its position as one of the quantum industry's earliest revenue-generating companies.Rigetti: Technology EdgeDuring the first quarter, Rigetti launched the general availability of its 108-qubit Cepheus-1 system across Rigetti Quantum Cloud Services, Amazon Braket, Microsoft Azure Quantum and qBraid, while achieving nearly 199% year-over-year revenue growth, driven by Novera system deliveries and government projects. The company reaffirmed its objective of achieving quantum advantage in roughly three years through higher qubit counts, improved fidelities and continued investment in chiplet-based scaling.For the remainder of 2026, investors should monitor continued improvements in Cepheus-1 fidelity, additional Novera deployments and execution of the C-DAC contract scheduled for fourth-quarter revenue recognition. Management also expects remaining Novera purchase orders to support first-half revenues while maintaining a strong cash position to fund its roadmap.Over the longer term, if the company continues improving system performance while expanding government and enterprise deployments, it could emerge as one of the leading superconducting quantum hardware providers as the industry moves toward quantum advantage.Analysts Are Sending Mixed SignalsOver the past several months, analysts have become cautious on D-Wave's near-term earnings outlook, as seen in the chart reflecting the uncertainty surrounding the timing of large commercial contracts.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchRigetti has also experienced downward estimate revisions, but to a lesser extent, as seen in the following 2026 earnings estimate revision chart.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchOur TakeBoth D-Wave and Rigetti are making significant progress in commercializing quantum computing, but their near-term risk-reward profiles differ. Although Rigetti's 2026 earnings estimate revisions have been relatively more stable than D-Wave's in recent months, D-Wave's stronger commercial traction, expanding customer base and Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) make it the relatively more attractive choice at present. Rigetti remains a compelling long-term technology story, but its Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) suggests investors may be better served waiting for stronger earnings momentum and additional execution before taking fresh positions.You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Beyond Nvidia: AI's Second Wave Is HereThe AI revolution has already minted millionaires. But the stocks everyone knows about aren't likely to keep delivering the biggest profits. AI’s second wave is moving from infrastructure to implementation and these companies are at the forefront of this transition, positioned to become what Amazon and Google were to the internet era.See Stocks Now >>This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks