Rigetti Computing's Technology Lags, Misses DARPA Program Support
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 48m ago
0mins
Source: NASDAQ.COM
- Accuracy Issues: Rigetti's two-qubit gate fidelity stands at only 99.5%, significantly trailing IonQ's 99.99%, which severely impacts its competitiveness in quantum computing, especially as it falls below the 99.9% threshold recommended by data scientists for effective error correction.
- Government Program Setback: Rigetti's failure to advance to Stage B of the DARPA Quantum Benchmarking Initiative highlights its technological shortcomings, missing out on crucial government support that could affect future funding and partnership opportunities.
- System Launch Delay: The company has postponed the release of its new 108-qubit Cepheus-1-108Q system to improve its error rate, a delay that not only affects the product's market entry but may also diminish customer confidence, impacting sales and market share.
- Market Sentiment: Despite Rigetti's stock climbing over 45% in 2025 and more than 10% in 2026, analysts remain cautious about its future, suggesting that small orders will not change its lagging position in the quantum computing race, advising investors to stay on the sidelines.
Analyst Views on RGTI
Wall Street analysts forecast RGTI stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for RGTI is 39.75 USD with a low forecast of 30.00 USD and a high forecast of 51.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
10 Analyst Rating
7 Buy
3 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 24.960
Low
30.00
Averages
39.75
High
51.00
Current: 24.960
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.
