Rigetti Computing Secures $8.4M Order for 108-Qubit Quantum Computer
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 20 2026
0mins
Source: seekingalpha
- Order Value: Rigetti Computing has secured an $8.4 million purchase order from India's C-DAC to deliver a 108-qubit quantum computer, indicating a growing market demand for the company's quantum computing solutions.
- Technical Architecture: The system features Rigetti's proprietary chiplet-based architecture and is scheduled for deployment at C-DAC's Bengaluru center in the second half of 2026, further solidifying its technological edge in high-performance computing.
- Market Reaction: Despite the significant order value, Rigetti's stock fell 3.4% in premarket trading to $24.74, reflecting market concerns regarding the company's future commercialization efforts.
- Industry Outlook: As quantum computing technology continues to evolve, Rigetti's order not only enhances its market position but may also attract more investor interest in its long-term growth potential.
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Analyst Views on RGTI
Wall Street analysts forecast RGTI stock price to rise
10 Analyst Rating
7 Buy
3 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 20.630
Low
30.00
Averages
39.75
High
51.00
Current: 20.630
Low
30.00
Averages
39.75
High
51.00
About RGTI
Rigetti Computing, Inc. is a full-stack quantum computing company. The Company operates quantum computers over the cloud and serves global enterprise, government, and research clients through its Rigetti Quantum Cloud Services platform. The Company’s quantum-classical infrastructure provides high-performance integration with public and private clouds for practical quantum computing. It has developed a multi-chip quantum processor for scalable quantum computing systems. Through the Company’s Quantum Computing as a Service (QCaaS) platform, its machines can be integrated into any public, private or hybrid cloud. It is also engaged in the sale of quantum processing units (QPUs) and custom computing components, and development contracts and other services. Its QPUs contain fabricated silicon-based chips featuring superconducting qubits. The Company designs and manufactures its chips in-house at Fab-1, an integrated quantum device manufacturing facility.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Market Recovery: Shares of IonQ, Rigetti Computing, and D-Wave Quantum have surged over 50% since the end of March, despite a recent pullback, indicating strong investor interest and renewed confidence in quantum computing.
- Government Investment: The U.S. Department of Commerce announced a $2 billion funding allocation to the quantum industry under the CHIPS and Science Act, with nine companies receiving direct funds in exchange for equity, highlighting the strategic importance of quantum technology, even though IonQ was not included.
- Technology Maturity: While quantum computing is seen as potentially revolutionary, many researchers believe that practical, fault-tolerant quantum computing may still be a decade or more away, suggesting that current market valuations could be overly optimistic.
- Speculative Risks: IonQ, D-Wave, and Rigetti have market caps of $21.2 billion, $8.7 billion, and $6.5 billion respectively, yet their limited revenue and profitability make these stocks highly sensitive to market sentiment, posing significant risks for investors amid potential market corrections.
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- Federal Investment Catalyst: The U.S. Department of Commerce announced a $2 billion funding allocation to the quantum computing sector, directly investing in nine companies including D-Wave and Rigetti, which propelled quantum computing stocks to surge over 50%, despite IonQ not being among the recipients.
- Market Sentiment Sensitivity: With price-to-sales ratios soaring as high as 645, these quantum computing stocks are extremely sensitive to market sentiment shifts, necessitating caution from investors, particularly during downturns in market mood.
- Maturity Challenges: While the federal investment is seen as a validation of the strategic importance of quantum computing, many researchers believe that practical fault-tolerant quantum computing could still be a decade or more away, suggesting that current market valuations may be overly optimistic.
- Cautious Investment Advice: Analysts recommend avoiding purchases of pure-play quantum computing stocks at current price levels, particularly D-Wave Quantum, as these stocks' future returns hinge on optimistic outcomes that may not materialize.
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- Government Investment Context: The U.S. government announced up to $100 million in equity investments in quantum computing firms, including D-Wave Quantum and Rigetti Computing, marking an unconventional investment strategy aimed at enhancing national security and reducing reliance on foreign competitors during economic pressures.
- Rigetti's Development Challenges: Rigetti is set to receive $100 million for R&D, yet its superconducting quantum computing technology, while fast, significantly lags in accuracy compared to other techniques, leading to delays in its new system release and exclusion from DARPA's Quantum Benchmarking Initiative.
- D-Wave's Technological Edge: D-Wave Quantum will also receive $100 million to focus on its 100,000-qubit annealing system and 10,000-qubit gate-model system, excelling in optimization problem-solving, but still needs to advance in traditional gate-based quantum computing.
- Diverse Investment Analysis: The investments span various quantum computing technologies, including superconducting, annealing, and neutral-atom methods, indicating a broad government bet on competing technologies rather than validation of individual stocks, suggesting that both D-Wave and Rigetti remain highly speculative investment choices.
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- Government Support: The U.S. government announced equity investments of up to $100 million each in Rigetti Computing and D-Wave Quantum to support their quantum computing technologies, marking a proactive governmental approach in the quantum sector, typically seen during economic distress.
- Significant Technical Challenges: Rigetti's superconducting quantum computing technology, while fast, achieved only 99.1% 2-qubit gate fidelity, falling short of the targeted 99.5%, leading to delays in the release of its new system, highlighting major accuracy issues facing the company.
- D-Wave's Progress: D-Wave Quantum will also receive $100 million to accelerate the development of its 100,000-qubit annealing system and 10,000-qubit gate-model system, showcasing its strength in optimization problems, yet it still needs breakthroughs in traditional gate-model quantum computing.
- Diverse Investment Landscape: The government's investments span various quantum computing technologies, including Rigetti's superconducting approach and D-Wave's dual-rail qubit architecture, indicating a broad bet on competing technologies rather than validation of individual stocks, suggesting a highly speculative market environment.
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- Optimistic Quantum Outlook: Bernstein analyst Mark Newman stated that quantum processors will work alongside CPUs and GPUs, indicating that quantum computing will play a crucial role in future computing systems, driving technological advancements.
- Market Opportunities Emerge: Stocks of Rigetti Computing and Infleqtion rose over 2% following Bernstein's optimistic forecast, reflecting market recognition of both companies' growth potential in the quantum computing sector.
- Funding Support and Tech Progress: Rigetti recently secured a non-binding agreement for up to $100 million in funding through the CHIPS Act, while its 108-qubit processor became widely available via Amazon's cloud services, enhancing its market competitiveness.
- International Expansion and Collaboration: Infleqtion quickly opened a quantum research and manufacturing center in Oxford, UK, after receiving $100 million in CHIPS Act funding, further solidifying its position within the rapidly growing quantum ecosystem.
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- Quantum Computing Outlook: Bernstein's analyst team believes quantum computing will represent a significant step in computing, driving future technology profits through a tri-processor architecture (CPUs, GPUs, and QPUs), highlighting its strategic importance.
- Investment Opportunities: Rigetti Computing (RGTI) and Infleqtion (INFQ) are identified as having a more attractive risk-reward ratio, with current market share expectations of only 4% and 2% respectively, indicating substantial upside potential if they capture larger market opportunities.
- Rigetti's Growth Potential: Mizuho analysts noted that Rigetti has approximately $590 million in cash and equivalents, and its newly launched 9-qubit Novera QPU could drive technological advancements, with a price target of $33 implying nearly 60% upside from current levels.
- Infleqtion's Partnership Advantage: Infleqtion's collaboration with Nvidia is seen as a key validation of technology, with Citi and BTIG assigning price targets of $20 and $22 respectively, suggesting 37% and 51% upside potential, showcasing its dual advantages in quantum computing and artificial intelligence sectors.
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