Quantum Stocks Rally as Commerce Department Takes Equity Stakes: Rigetti Surges 6%, D-Wave Climbs 5%

Quantum computing stocks are rallying this morning after the U.S. Commerce Department finalized CHIPS Act funding awards that hand the government minority, non-controlling equity stakes in each recipient. The catalyst applies to two specific funded names, and the wider quantum sector is barely participating.

The Defiance Quantum ETF (NASDAQ:QTUM) is up 1%. Meanwhile, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA:SPY) is down 0.12%, so the sector fund and the broad tape both sit close to flat while the two recipients jump.

Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ:RGTI) stock is up 6% to $16.13 in early trading. Also, D-Wave Quantum (NYSE:QBTS) stock is climbing 5% to $17.46 on matching terms. Peer quantum stocks IonQ (NYSE:IONQ | IONQ Price Prediction) and Quantum Computing Inc. (NASDAQ:QUBT) are trading higher alongside these names.

Commerce Locks In Equity Stakes

Rigetti signed a definitive agreement with the Commerce Department for $100 million to accelerate superconducting quantum research and development, allocated under the CHIPS Act. The funding covers three specific projects: miniaturized readout electronics, a new cryostat architecture to expand cryogenic capacity, and fabrication for high-connectivity chip architectures.

D-Wave finalized an award on the same $100 million terms, also carrying a minority, non-controlling government equity stake, according to Rigetti. The structure builds on the letters of intent Commerce outlined in May, when it announced $2.013 billion across nine quantum companies including two foundries and seven system developers. On the Q2 2026 call, Rigetti CEO Subodh Kulkarni stated, “The overall goal of this $100 million is to accelerate our roadmap.”

Two Funded Names, One Cluster Move

The awards fund research runway against the scaling problem, and the equity condition attaches dilution to the validation. That trade-off helps explain why the Defiance Quantum ETF is barely budging even as the recipients jump. Rigetti’s superconducting roadmap targets roughly 1,000-qubit systems with 99.9% two-qubit gate fidelity over about three years, while D-Wave’s annealing roadmap targets 20,000 qubits by 2029 and 100,000 qubits by 2031.

IonQ stock is rising on its own catalyst. The company raised its full-year 2026 revenue guidance to $280 million to $290 million after closing its SkyWater Technology acquisition, and it hosts an investor day at the New York Stock Exchange later today. Quantum Computing Inc., a photonics-focused peer with a $42.5 million contract backlog as of June 30, received no Commerce award.

Year-to-Date Scorecard

The year-to-date figures show the market has been discounting both funded names all year. Rigetti stock is down 26% year to date, and D-Wave stock is down 33%, so today’s pop restores only a fraction of the ground lost since December. Both companies still carry heavy cash cushions, with Rigetti at roughly $541 million and D-Wave at about $546 million at the end of Q2 2026.

What to Watch Next

Shareholders can watch for the milestone schedule tied to Rigetti’s disbursement and any equivalent detail on D-Wave’s award. Both determine how quickly the government capital converts into hardware progress against Rigetti’s 1,000-qubit target and D-Wave’s 20,000-qubit annealing target.

Traders may want to check for headlines out of IonQ’s investor day this afternoon, which could shift how the cluster trades into the close. Investors sizing their positions should weigh the dilution attached to the government stake against the multi-year research runway it funds. Keeping their exposure moderate makes sense given how volatile these names have been all year.

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