Quantum computing could very well bring about a digital age greater than generative artificial intelligence (AI). For those unaware, quantum computing leverages quantum mechanics, the physics undergirding small particles, to solve problems that classical computers have a hard time getting through. Moreover, in classical computers, bits, which are the fundamental units of information, can only take the form of 0s and 1s, yet qubits can take either of those forms and can assume both states at the same time. Because classical computers are binary-based machines, they can struggle when performing extremely complex problem-solving, such as modeling the behavior of individual atoms or identifying subtleties in fraudulent financial transactions. Quantum computers are ideal for these problems. However, despite this technology’s potential, there are quantum computing stocks to sell, as not all companies succeed long-term.
While start-ups firms leveraging innovative techniques to build scalable quantum computers for enterprises was a hot trade in 2023, the macroeconomic environment and a beleaguered economy has soured investor sentiment on start-up businesses in a novel field. Below are three quantum computing stocks to sell in July.
IonQ (IONQ)
IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) has received a ton of attention from investors in the past twelve months. The firm develops and manufactures various quantum computing systems and has done so since 2015 with a firm commitment to innovation. To develop such advanced systems, IonQ leverages a trapped-ion system. The system traps ions from barium or ytterbium in an electromagnetic field that allows their ability to be harnessed for quantum computations. The Aria quantum system is IonQ’s latest quantum computer and boasts 25 qubits. While the quantum computing firm does manufacture and sell large quantum systems, the power of its existing computers is available on cloud services, including Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) Web Services, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Azure and Alphabet’s (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google Cloud.
IonQ had a runup in its share price due to more innovative advances as well investor hype around artificial intelligence and fields loosely related to it, particularly quantum computing. However, investors desiring concrete results and real use-cases for quantum computers have begun to shun the stock. IONQ has plummeted 43.3% since the start of 2024, and investor fatigue around AI could see shares fall even further in the near and medium terms.
Rigetti Computing (RGTI)
Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ:RGTI) is another pure-play quantum computing startup. In particular, Rigetti specializes in designing and building quantum processors. As a vertically integrated company, Rigetti both owns and operates a wafer fabrication facility called “Fab-1” that produces quantum processors. While the company came into inception in 2013, it begun to sell quantum processing power via cloud environments as early as 2017. Moreover, Rigetti had begun selling physical quantum computers towards the end of 2023. The company’s most impressive advancement has been the building of the Ankaa-2 system which boasts 84 qubits and has processing power that is available through various cloud services.
However, similar to IonQ, Rigetti’s stock rallied amidst all the noise about novel technologies like generative AI. In the middle of March, Rigetti’s share price had risen more than 112% for the year, but shares have fallen precipitously since then. Trading at just above $1/share, Rigetti is increasingly looking like a bad investment, despite all of its innovations. Investors are beginning to focus on earnings quality, and because Rigetti is still a cash-burning startup, it will probably face a tough time getting more love from the market.
Quantum Computing (QUBT)
Quantum Computing (“QCi”) (NASDAQ:QUBT) is, as the name suggests, a quantum computing firm and specializes in creating affordable quantum systems. The startup’s focus on photonics has allowed it to create the QCi core technology, which leverages light as well as light’s quantum mechanical properties as a tool for various quantum applications. Outside of developing hardware, QCi has built a key software platform, “Qatalyst,” which the company says has focused on “agnostic enterprise software for quantum computing systems.”
Unfortunately, the quantum computing firm’s stock has absolutely tanked. Now trading around $0.50/share, QUBT has plummeted 60.7% over the past 12 months and more than 90% if we zoom out over the past 3 years. Again, we’re dealing with a startup that is barely generating any sales or earnings, which has definitely hurt its long-term prospects in the eyes of investors.
Because quantum computing applications only serve the needs of research institutes and a select few enterprises, it’s hard to say when Quantum Computing’s growth will pick up.
On the date of publication, Tyrik Torres did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.
On the date of publication, the responsible editor did not have (either directly or
indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.