Quantum computing stocks slipped in premarket trading Friday as investors moved to lock in gains following a sharp and sustained recent rally.
IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), D-Wave Quantum (NASDAQ: QBTS), and Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ: RGTI) all traded lower as the sector paused after several days of stronger-than-expected performance.
The premarket decline follows notable single-session gains across all three names during Thursday’s regular trading session.
IonQ climbed 2% on Thursday, while D-Wave rose 3% and Rigetti added 4%, giving investors ample reason to take profits heading into the end of the week.
The pullback does not appear tied to any single negative catalyst, but rather reflects a broader reassessment of valuations following the sector’s sharp rebound.
IonQ has attracted significant investor attention in recent months on the back of several notable technology milestones that have reinforced confidence in its development pipeline.
Among those developments is the company’s Superion 256 system, along with a new deployment agreement secured with Florida International University.
IonQ confirmed that customer deliveries of the Superion platform are planned for 2027, giving institutional investors a clearer timeline for commercialization of the technology.
Rigetti has also made meaningful strides on the funding front, securing a $100 million U.S. government agreement dedicated to quantum computing research.
That deal underscores growing federal interest in quantum technology as a strategic priority, and it provides Rigetti with a substantial financial runway to advance its programs.
D-Wave, the smallest of the three by recent revenue figures, reported $3.1 million in second-quarter revenue as the company continues to build out its commercial customer base.
More encouraging for D-Wave was its first-half bookings figure, which reached $35.5 million, compared to just $2.9 million during the same period a year earlier.
That dramatic year-over-year jump in bookings suggests growing enterprise demand for D-Wave’s quantum annealing systems, even as near-term revenue remains modest relative to market expectations.
The broader quantum computing sector has experienced sharp volatility in 2026, with stocks cycling between significant rallies and steep corrections as the market weighs long-term promise against near-term commercialization uncertainty.
Friday’s premarket weakness serves as a reminder that despite genuine technological progress across these companies, the sector remains highly sensitive to momentum shifts and investor sentiment.
