New York, Jan 14, 2026, 19:13 EST — After-hours
- D-Wave Quantum shares climbed roughly 5% in late trading, building on a strong session for U.S.-listed quantum stocks.
- Honeywell revealed that its majority-owned Quantinuum unit intends to submit draft IPO documents confidentially to the SEC.
- Traders are eyeing late January milestones, like D-Wave’s upcoming user conference and the anticipated Quantum Circuits deal.
D-Wave Quantum Inc shares jumped roughly 4.7% to $30.15 in after-hours trading Wednesday, lifted by renewed interest in quantum-computing stocks. The boost came after Honeywell revealed its Quantinuum unit intends to kick off the IPO process. 1
The burst is significant now since D-Wave’s stock stands out as a favored option for trading the “pure-play” quantum theme in the U.S., where listed names are few and price swings often steep.
Honeywell’s latest move sets a fresh benchmark. Investors are now weighing what a bigger, better-backed quantum firm could fetch on public markets — and what that means for the smaller players already listed.
Honeywell announced that Quantinuum intends to confidentially file a draft registration statement on Form S-1 to register shares for an IPO, though the share count and pricing are still up in the air. According to Reuters, Quantinuum pulled in roughly $600 million last September, valuing the company at $10 billion. 2
Other quantum stocks moved higher in late trading. IonQ added roughly 4%, Rigetti jumped about 5%, and Quantum Computing Inc surged close to 7%. Honeywell shares edged up around 1%.
D-Wave is navigating a major shift. Last week, it announced a $550 million deal to buy Quantum Circuits, paying $300 million in D-Wave stock and $250 million in cash. The acquisition is expected to close by late January, pending antitrust approval and the NYSE’s green light to list the new shares. CEO Alan Baratz said the merger aims to push “gate-model products and services to market in 2026.” 3
Gate-model machines represent the broader class of quantum computers, capable of executing various algorithms. In contrast, D-Wave’s annealing systems focus on finding strong solutions to optimization challenges, such as scheduling or routing. Meanwhile, “error-corrected” designs tackle the issue of identifying and fixing errors—a significant challenge given the noise in today’s qubits.
Traders are now watching to see if Wednesday’s sector surge sticks around for Thursday or fizzles after the IPO news sinks in. When Quantinuum’s public filing drops, it could finally offer concrete financials in a space that usually runs on hype.
Risks here are nothing new: deals can fall through, tech schedules shift, and financing terms can tighten quickly. D-Wave’s disclosures on the Quantum Circuits deal highlighted uncertainties linked to closing criteria and future development roadmaps. 4
D-Wave’s next big event is the Qubits 2026 user conference, set for Jan. 27–28 in Boca Raton, Florida. Investors will be watching closely for news on the Quantum Circuits integration and what’s planned for the company’s 2026 product lineup. 5
