NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 14:33 ET — Market closed
D-Wave Quantum Inc (NYSE: QBTS) shares closed up 7.6% on Friday at $28.13, after swinging between $25.43 and $28.35. About 48.2 million shares changed hands, taking the quantum-computing stock into the weekend with momentum.
The jump matters now because QBTS has become a fast-moving gauge of investor appetite for speculative tech as 2026 begins. Traders are also positioning ahead of a cluster of industry events where companies often set expectations on product roadmaps and customer traction.
D-Wave has drawn attention for pushing systems and cloud access aimed at business problems such as scheduling and routing — among the nearer-term use cases often cited for quantum computing. That framing has kept the name tied to broader moves in a sector investors have struggled to value on traditional fundamentals alone.
A Zacks note published on Nasdaq on Friday flagged D-Wave’s product-development push, including work tied to its Advantage2 system and next-generation hardware. D-Wave’s core machines use “quantum annealing” — a method aimed at optimization problems — while the company is also building “gate-model” systems designed for broader quantum circuits. Nasdaq
D-Wave plans to demo its technology at CES 2026 in Las Vegas as a sponsor of the CES Foundry on Jan. 7-8, the company said. “Showcasing quantum computing at CES … signals that the technology is quickly moving into the mainstream,” vice president of quantum technology evangelism Murray Thom said. D-Wave Quantum
Later in the month, D-Wave’s annual Qubits user conference will be held Jan. 27-28 in Boca Raton, Florida, an SEC filing showed.
Peers rose alongside QBTS in the last session, underscoring the sector’s momentum. IonQ ended up about 4%, Rigetti gained around 7%, and Quantum Computing Inc climbed more than 7%.
But quantum stocks have also been prone to steep selloffs when rate fears rise or company updates disappoint, a volatility Reuters highlighted in November. For D-Wave, investors still need evidence that conference buzz translates into bookings, not just trading volume.
Markets reopen Monday with QBTS traders watching whether the stock holds above its prior close near $26.15 and whether it can clear Friday’s $28.35 intraday high. The next hard catalysts are the CES Foundry stage next week and any roadmap or customer updates around the Qubits conference later in January.
