Top 10 quantum computing stocks to watch in 2026

Quantum computers process information using quantum mechanical properties – superposition and entanglement – to tackle categories of complex problems that would take classical computers far longer to solve. This list mixes dedicated pure-play quantum companies like IonQ ($IONQ) and D-Wave Quantum ($QBTS) with much larger technology businesses – NVIDIA Corporation ($NVDA) among them – that carry quantum computing as one part of a far broader portfolio.

How we built this list: We selected these companies based on their industry and ordered them by market capitalisation. Prices are updated daily, and the list and supporting content are reviewed roughly every quarter. All data is sourced from Stake. This list isn't a recommendation and isn't ordered by suitability.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Source: Stake market data. Figures in US$. Data updated as of 11 August 2026.

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1. NVIDIA ($NVDA)

NVIDIA (NVDA) share price over the last year: started at US$182.06, ended at US$217.46, a change of +19.4%. Range over the period: high US$235.74, low US$165.17. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: US$217.46 · Daily: -0.04% · Market cap: US$5.26T · Sector: Technology · Industry: Semiconductors

NVIDIA Corporation ($NVDA) is an accelerated computing company built around GPUs designed to handle computational workloads that traditional chips process far more slowly. Its Compute & Networking segment covers data centre GPU platforms, AI solutions and automotive technology including autonomous vehicle software. The Graphics segment covers GeForce GPUs for gaming and Quadro/NVIDIA RTX cards for professional workstations. Both segments sit on a common software foundation: the CUDA development platform, which runs across all NVIDIA GPUs.

CUDA supports hundreds of domain-specific libraries, frameworks and APIs, giving researchers and developers a consistent programming layer across NVIDIA hardware. CEO Jensen Huang leads the roughly 42,000 people who build and ship across the company's four target markets: Data Center, Gaming, Professional Visualization and Automotive.

2. Alphabet ($GOOGL)

Alphabet (GOOGL) share price over the last year: started at US$201.00, ended at US$343.80, a change of +71.0%. Range over the period: high US$402.62, low US$199.32. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: US$343.80 · Daily: -3.8% · Market cap: US$4.36T · Sector: Technology · Industry: Software & IT

Alphabet Inc. ($GOOGL) is a holding company built around three segments: Google Services, Google Cloud and Other Bets. Google Services covers the everyday products – Search, YouTube, Android, Maps and Google Play – with advertising woven through much of the business. Other Bets handles healthcare-related services and earlier-stage internet ventures.

Google Cloud is the enterprise arm, supplying cloud infrastructure, AI platforms and collaboration tools to business customers. The Google Cloud Platform includes Vertex AI and Gemini for Google Cloud, bringing AI development tools, data analytics and cybersecurity to enterprise teams. Quantum computing research sits within this broader technology operation, led by CEO Sundar Pichai across a workforce of around 190,820 people.

3. Microsoft ($MSFT)

Microsoft (MSFT) share price over the last year: started at US$521.77, ended at US$503.78, a change of −3.4%. Range over the period: high US$542.07, low US$352.83. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: US$503.78 · Daily: -0.5% · Market cap: US$3.76T · Sector: Technology · Industry: Software & IT

Microsoft Corporation ($MSFT) operates across three segments: productivity and communication tools including Office and LinkedIn, enterprise cloud and server products anchored by Azure, and consumer computing covering Windows, gaming and search. Satya Nadella leads the business, which employs 223,000 people.

Quantum computing at $MSFT sits within the Intelligent Cloud segment – the same group that houses Azure and GitHub – rather than as a dedicated business line. That makes it a very different kind of exposure than the pure-play names in this article.

4. Intel ($INTC)

Intel (INTC) share price over the last year: started at US$20.65, ended at US$97.71, a change of +373.2%. Range over the period: high US$140.94, low US$20.65. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: US$97.71 · Daily: 0.2% · Market cap: US$491.89B · Sector: Technology · Industry: Semiconductors

Intel Corporation ($INTC) sits at the intersection of chip design and chip manufacturing in a way few companies do. Under CEO Lip-Bu Tan, $INTC runs two distinct lines of business: Intel Products, which covers processors for PCs and data centres, and Intel Foundry, which develops semiconductor process technologies and builds chips for other companies.

The data centre and AI arm delivers CPUs, AI accelerators and custom silicon based on x86 architecture, serving cloud providers, telecoms and high-performance computing environments. That broad semiconductor footprint – across 85,100 employees – is what brings $INTC into the quantum computing conversation, as its foundry and advanced packaging capabilities underpin research into next-generation processor architectures.

5. IBM ($IBM)

IBM (IBM) share price over the last year: started at US$236.30, ended at US$238.42, a change of +0.9%. Range over the period: high US$329.23, low US$205.77. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: US$238.42 · Daily: 0.9% · Market cap: US$222.64B · Sector: Technology · Industry: Software & IT

International Business Machines Corporation ($IBM) runs across four business lines – software, consulting, infrastructure and financing – serving clients in more than 175 countries. Its software arm centres on hybrid cloud and AI platforms, while the consulting side helps organisations put those tools to work across strategy, technology and operations.

Quantum computing sits within that broader technology portfolio. $IBM employs 286,800 people and operates at a scale that few technology businesses match, which means its quantum efforts share space with a sprawling set of products and services rather than commanding the whole company's focus. That makes $IBM a different kind of quantum exposure compared with dedicated pure-play names in this article.

6. Honeywell International ($HON)

Honeywell International (HON) share price over the last year: started at US$213.77, ended at US$230.12, a change of +7.6%. Range over the period: high US$260.00, low US$197.21. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: US$230.12 · Daily: -5.3% · Market cap: US$72.93B · Sector: Consumer Staples · Industry: Consumer Goods

Honeywell International ($HON) describes itself as a pure-play automation company, with 101,000 employees serving customers across the building, industrial and process sectors. Its product range runs from fire detection systems and energy management software to refinery process automation and sensing equipment for industries including aerospace and medical devices.

Underpinning the portfolio are two shared technology platforms – the Honeywell Technologies Accelerator operating system and the Honeywell Technologies Forge intelligence layer – which sit across the company's product and services lines. Vimal Kapur leads the business as chief executive.

7. IonQ ($IONQ)

IonQ (IONQ) share price over the last year: started at US$44.94, ended at US$43.44, a change of −3.3%. Range over the period: high US$82.09, low US$26.59. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: US$43.44 · Daily: 2.1% · Market cap: US$17.26B · Sector: Technology · Industry: Consumer Electronics

IonQ ($IONQ) builds quantum computers and networking hardware, then sells access to those systems over the cloud. Its current flagship systems, IonQ Forte and IonQ Forte Enterprise, are rated at 36 algorithmic qubits – a measure of a quantum computer's effective problem-solving capacity. Customers can reach these machines through Amazon Web Services' Amazon Braket, Microsoft's Azure Quantum and Google's Cloud Marketplace, or through $IONQ's own cloud service for select accounts.

Beyond computing hardware, the portfolio extends into quantum networking products: quantum key distribution systems, quantum random number generators and single-photon detectors. Under CEO Niccolo de Masi, the company's roughly 1,100-strong team continues researching higher-qubit systems as commercial demand for quantum capabilities develops.

8. D-Wave Quantum ($QBTS)

D-Wave Quantum (QBTS) share price over the last year: started at US$17.37, ended at US$20.23, a change of +16.5%. Range over the period: high US$44.78, low US$12.98. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: US$20.23 · Daily: 0.2% · Market cap: US$7.52B · Sector: Technology · Industry: Software & IT

Factory scheduling, vehicle routing and drug discovery are among the practical problems D-Wave Quantum ($QBTS) targets with its quantum computing systems. The company's Leap platform gives enterprises and developers cloud-based access to quantum computers and hybrid solvers, while the Advantage system is its commercial quantum hardware. $QBTS also provides professional services and application development tools to support customers through implementation. Alan Baratz leads the company, which employs 382 people.

9. Rigetti Computing ($RGTI)

Rigetti Computing (RGTI) share price over the last year: started at US$15.98, ended at US$18.09, a change of +13.2%. Range over the period: high US$56.34, low US$12.90. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: US$18.09 · Daily: 2.5% · Market cap: US$5.89B · Sector: Technology · Industry: Semiconductors

Rigetti Computing ($RGTI) builds and operates quantum computers end-to-end, from chip design through to cloud delivery. Its Quantum Cloud Services platform gives enterprise, government and research clients access to quantum processors across public, private and hybrid clouds.

The processors are built at Fab-1, the company's own chip manufacturing facility. They use superconducting qubits fabricated on silicon-based chips. The company has developed a multi-chip architecture intended to support more scalable systems. Under chief executive Subodh Kulkarni, the company employs 162 people.

10. Quantum Computing ($QUBT)

Quantum Computing (QUBT) share price over the last year: started at US$16.46, ended at US$8.95, a change of −45.6%. Range over the period: high US$24.62, low US$6.31. Source: Stake market data. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Price: US$8.95 · Daily: 0.2% · Market cap: US$2.03B · Sector: Technology · Industry: Software & IT

Quantum Computing Inc. ($QUBT) works in quantum optics and integrated photonics, building both the underlying chips and the systems that run on them. Its foundry produces thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) photonic chips, with a portfolio that runs from individual photonics components through subsystems to full-stack systems. The company also covers semiconductor and nanophotonics manufacturing, lasers, detectors, testing and packaging. CEO Yuping Huang leads a team of 72 people.

Commercial products include Dirac-3, EmuCore, NeuraWave and a quantum random number generator called uQRNG. EmuCore is a first-generation reservoir computing product. Those technologies are aimed at applications across high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and remote sensing.

Common questions

How do I invest in quantum computing stocks in Australia?

All ten companies in this list trade on U.S. exchanges, so you'd need a share trading platform that offers U.S. market access. You search the ticker and place an order much the same way you would an ASX stock. These shares are priced in USD, which means movements in the AUD/USD rate affect returns for Australian investors on top of any change in the share price itself.

What are the key risks of quantum computing stocks?

Quantum computing is still maturing commercially, so companies whose revenues depend almost entirely on quantum hardware and services carry meaningful risk around whether the technology delivers at the scale customers need. The smaller dedicated companies in this list have less of a buffer if adoption is slower than expected – they can't fall back on established product lines the way a diversified tech or automation company can. All ten positions here are denominated in USD, which adds currency risk for Australian investors regardless of how the underlying business performs.

What's the difference between the pure-play quantum companies and the larger tech names in this list?

IonQ, D-Wave Quantum, Rigetti Computing, and Quantum Computing Inc are built around quantum computing – their hardware, cloud platforms, and services all centre on it. The other companies cover cloud infrastructure, semiconductors, enterprise software, and industrial automation, where quantum computing may be one program within a much broader business. That distinction affects how sensitive each stock is to quantum-specific developments: for a pure-play, a technology setback or contract win moves the whole company; for a diversified business, its effect on overall earnings is more contained.

Disclaimer

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. When you invest, your capital is at risk. You should consider your own investment objectives, financial situation, and particular needs before making an investment decision. The value of your investments can go down as well as up and you may receive back less than your original investment. As always, do your own research and consider seeking appropriate financial advice before investing.

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