In the race to achieve quantum computing supremacy, a pure-play firm like D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) must watch out for not only competitors of a similar size and scope but also for much larger legacy tech rivals. Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), and many other big tech players have ventured into the quantum computing space, using their massive R&D budgets and infrastructure to accelerate development. One advantage a smaller company like D-Wave may have is its exclusive focus on quantum, compared to these other firms, which are targeting a wide variety of technologies at once. Still, D-Wave's many technological successes have so far only led to a disappointing performance in 2026.
IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM) may make it even harder for D-Wave to thrive this year. A longtime participant in the quantum race, IBM has not only recently announced what could be a significant technological breakthrough but also has stability and a strong track record of fundamental success that D-Wave has not yet achieved.
