Quantum computing has moved from theoretical research into a genuine commercial race. IBM has unveiled quantum processors with over 1,000 qubits, while Google has achieved error-corrected quantum computation with logical qubits. Enterprises are beginning to integrate quantum capabilities into hybrid production workflows alongside existing AI infrastructure, and McKinsey projects the quantum computing market could reach $850 billion by 2040. For investors, the question is how to get exposure to this transition without concentrating entirely in early-stage companies whose timelines remain uncertain.
The four ETFs below approach that question from different angles, each capturing a distinct slice of the technology stack connecting quantum computing, semiconductors, and AI infrastructure.
QTUM: The Dedicated Quantum Play
Defiance Quantum ETF (NYSEARCA:QTUM) is the most direct route to exposure to quantum computing among the four funds. It seeks to track the BlueStar Quantum Computing and Machine Learning Index, and its portfolio reflects the full spectrum of the quantum ecosystem rather than just the speculative pure-plays that tend to dominate headlines.
The fund holds a layered structure, with pure-play quantum names like IonQ, Rigetti Computing, D-Wave Quantum, and Quantum Computing Inc each carrying roughly 1% weights, while the larger allocations go to semiconductor equipment and infrastructure companies that make quantum hardware possible: Teradyne at roughly 2%, Coherent Corp near 1.6%, and Lam Research at approximately 1.6%. Defense contractors with quantum applications, including Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, each hold roughly 1.5% to 1.6% weights, reflecting quantum’s growing national security dimension.
Defiance overhauled the fund’s strategy in early 2026, effective March 20, 2026. The fund shifted emphasis from software-focused holdings toward specialized hardware providers in quantum computing. Two additions illustrate the direction: BTQ Technologies, focused on post-quantum cryptography, was added in December 2025, and Quantum eMotion, which specializes in quantum random number generation and Entropy-as-a-Service, became the fund’s largest single holding after the semi-annual rebalancing.
Defiance CIO Sylvia Jablonski framed the fund’s positioning this way: “The Defiance Quantum Computing ETF is increasingly acting as an infrastructure play due to quantum’s role in optimizing power grids amidst rising AI energy demands. While quantum computing is often seen as a future technology, its ecosystem, including semiconductors and cloud providers, is already generating real-world value.”
QTUM has returned roughly 47% over the past year and carries a 0.40% expense ratio with approximately $3.7 billion in assets. The fund’s diversification reduces single-stock blowup risk, but the small weights assigned to pure-play quantum names mean a breakthrough at IonQ or Rigetti moves the needle only modestly.
SOXX: The Semiconductor Backbone
iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXX) connects to quantum computing through the hardware layer that enables it. Quantum processors require extreme precision in fabrication, error correction, and signal processing, all of which flow through the same semiconductor supply chain SOXX tracks.
The fund holds approximately 30 of the largest U.S.-listed semiconductor companies, with 100% of assets in technology. The top three positions, Micron at roughly 8%, Applied Materials at 7%, and NVIDIA at 7%, give the fund a concentrated tilt toward companies simultaneously building AI infrastructure and funding quantum R&D. Equipment makers like Lam Research at 5%, and KLA Corp at 4%, provide exposure to the fabrication tools quantum chip production will eventually require at scale.
SOXX has gained roughly 80% over the past year and about 13% year-to-date, the strongest near-term performance among these four funds. The fund carries a 0.34% expense ratio and manages roughly $21.7 billion in assets, making it by far the most liquid option on this list.
SOXX offers quantum exposure only indirectly. Its top holdings are primarily AI and data center chip suppliers today, with quantum applications as longer-term optionality. Investors who want concentrated semiconductor exposure with a 25-year track record get that here; investors seeking dedicated quantum positioning should look elsewhere on this list.
XSD: Equal-Weight Access to the Semiconductor Ecosystem
SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (NYSEARCA:XSD) tracks the same broad semiconductor sector as SOXX but uses an equal-weight methodology, which changes the exposure profile in ways that matter for this theme.
Where SOXX concentrates roughly a quarter of its assets in its top three holdings, XSD distributes holdings tightly across 45 positions, with roughly 3% each, giving meaningful weight to mid- and small-cap semiconductor specialists that get crowded out in market-cap-weighted funds. Companies like Power Integrations, Lattice Semiconductor, MACOM Technology Solutions, and Cirrus Logic each carry roughly the same weight as Nvidia or Broadcom within XSD. Rigetti Computing, a pure-play quantum hardware company, appears at roughly a 3% weight, a position that would be nearly invisible in a market-cap-weighted fund.
The equal-weight structure also means XSD captures analog, RF, power management, and specialty chip segments that SOXX underweights. These segments are relevant to quantum computing because quantum systems require highly specialized analog and mixed-signal components for control electronics and signal readout.
XSD has returned roughly 65% over the past year and carries a 0.35% expense ratio with approximately $1.7 billion in assets. The equal-weight structure can lag during periods when mega-cap names dominate, and the fund’s smaller-cap tilt introduces more volatility than SOXX during sector downturns.
ARTY: The Full AI and Quantum Value Chain
iShares Future AI & Tech ETF (NASDAQ:ARTY) has the broadest mandate of the four funds, capturing the full technology stack from chip design through cloud infrastructure to the software platforms that will eventually run quantum algorithms.
The fund’s top holdings reflect this breadth. Micron, the chip giant, sits at nearly 7% of assets, followed by TSM at 5%, NVIDIA at 4%, AMD at 4%, and Broadcom at 2%. Palantir and Snowflake provide exposure to data analytics, while IBM, with its Quantum Network and 1,000-plus-qubit processors, carries additional weight, including other names that have active quantum computing development programs. The fund also holds Constellation Energy at roughly 2%, reflecting the power infrastructure demands of both AI data centers and quantum computing facilities.
ARTY manages roughly $2.3 billion in assets with a 0.47% expense ratio and carries a notably higher portfolio turnover of 1.19 than the other funds on this list, reflecting active rebalancing as the AI and quantum landscape shifts. The fund has returned roughly 48% over the past year, in line with QTUM, though its five-year return of roughly 13% trails the others, reflecting a broader mandate that dilutes the semiconductor concentration driving returns in SOXX and XSD.
ARTY’s breadth reduces the impact of any single quantum breakthrough but also means a meaningful portion of the portfolio sits in companies like Oracle, Palantir, and CoreWeave, whose quantum exposure is indirect. Investors buying ARTY are betting on the broader AI and advanced technology ecosystem, with quantum as one component of that thesis.
How the Four Funds Differ in Quantum Exposure
QTUM provides the most direct quantum exposure, blending speculative pure-plays with semiconductor infrastructure. SOXX covers the semiconductor sector broadly, with quantum as a longer-term optionality within a fund built around today’s AI chip cycle. XSD applies an equal-weight structure to the same semiconductor universe, giving smaller quantum-adjacent names like Rigetti a position comparable in size to mega-cap holdings. ARTY spans the broadest mandate, covering chips, cloud, data infrastructure, and energy across the AI and advanced technology ecosystem, with quantum as one component.
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