The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights IonQ, D-Wave Quantum, The Defiance Quantum Computing ETF, IBM and NVIDIA

For Immediate ReleaseChicago, IL – November 25, 2025 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: IonQ IONQ, D-Wave Quantum QBTS, The Defiance Quantum Computing ETF QTUM, IBM IBM and NVIDIA NVDA.Here are highlights from Monday’s Analyst Blog:Pure-Play vs. Big Tech in Quantum: How IBM, NVDA, IONQ Stand Near Year's EndIn 2025, the quantum-computing industry gained serious momentum. Private and public players accelerated both hardware development and policy support. Companies like IonQ, D-Wave Quantum and Rigetti pushed forward with more reliable qubits, stronger cloud offerings and growing commercial traction, while investor interest surged. On the policy front, the Trump administration moved aggressively to cement quantum as a national priority; reports in September indicated that the White House was preparing executive actions to drive federal adoption of quantum information science and mandate post-quantum cryptography acrossagencies.At the same time, capital flowed into thematic vehicles. The Defiance Quantum Computing ETF, which holds a diversified basket of pure-play quantum companies, crossed the $2 billion assets under management (AUM) mark in 2025 and has delivered roughly 25% year-to-date returns, underlining how strongly investors are embracing this long-horizon, high-conviction bet.Meanwhile, large-cap technology companies also intervened decisively. IBM advanced its System Two and fault-tolerance roadmap, Google strengthened its algorithmic breakthroughs, Amazon deepened its Braket quantum-cloud integrations and NVIDIA expanded its quantum-classical AI stack. Their aggressive investments signaled that hyperscalers view quantum as a strategic frontier, further validating the industry’s commercial potential and accelerating its trajectory.Where Should Investors Allocate to Gain Bigger ReturnsStrengths and Risks of Pure-Plays: IonQ remains the most prominent pure-play. In the third quarter of 2025, it posted $39.9 million in revenues, 37% above guidance and 222% year-over-year growth. The company achieved a world-record 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity, a major technical milestone. After a $2 billion equity increase in October, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock’s cash position reached $3.5 billion, giving it a meaningful runway despite a $1.1 billion quarterly net loss.D-Wave also showed momentum, reporting $3.7 million in third-quarter revenues (doubling year over year) and securing a €10 million Advantage2 annealer sale in Italy, evidence that commercial adoption continues to widen. D-Wave also carries a Zacks Rank #3.Still, pure-plays carry notable risks in the form of high cash burn, heavy execution dependence on technical progress and potential shareholder dilution from the frequent capital raises needed to stay competitive.Strengths and Risks of Majors in Quantum: IBM, a Zacks Rank #3 stock, remains the most advanced big-tech quantum player. In November 2025, it introduced the Quantum Nighthawk processor, 120 qubits with 218 tunable couplers, enabling circuits roughly 30% more complex than previous generations and unveiled Loon, designed with the core components needed for future fault-tolerant systems. IBM continues to target quantum advantage by 2026 and fault-tolerant quantum computing by 2029, supported by its Starling architecture for a future quantum data center and its advancement to Stage B of DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative.Other big tech companies are also strengthening their quantum push. Google demonstrated its “Quantum Echo” algorithm on the 105-qubit Willow chip, reporting a 13,000x speed-up over classical simulation. Meanwhile, NVIDIA, a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock, has become a leading name in quantum–classical integration.NVDA’s CUDA-Q (formerly QODA) platform and cuQuantum libraries are being adopted across national labs and startups, enabling GPU-accelerated quantum simulation and hybrid workflows. NVIDIA’s quantum partnerships with hardware makers and cloud providers position it as a key enabler for practical, near-term quantum workloads.Despite this progress, big tech faces risks. capital reallocation if quantum fails to deliver near-term returns, architectural competition across platforms (superconducting, trapped-ion, neutral atom), and ambitious milestone timelines that could slip, potentially tempering long-term quantum upside.Final Verdict: Where Should Investors Place Their Bets?Pure-plays like IonQ and D-Wave offer the highest upside because their valuations are directly tied to quantum breakthroughs, but they also carry steep risks, volatile revenue trajectories and heavy dilution. Meanwhile, giants like IBM, Alphabet, Amazon and NVIDIA provide a far more stable way to benefit from quantum’s long-term rise, supported by diversified cash flows, deep R&D engines and growing influence over the quantum-AI stack.Investors seeking asymmetric returns can take modest, long-horizon positions in pure-plays, while those prioritizing risk-adjusted performance should lean more heavily toward big tech. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here.Why Haven't You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +7.7% average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +48.4%, +50.2% and +56.7% per year.Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation.See Stocks Free >>support@zacks.comhttps://www.zacks.comPast performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.Beyond Nvidia: AI's Second Wave Is HereThe AI revolution has already minted millionaires. But the stocks everyone knows about aren't likely to keep delivering the biggest profits. Little-known AI firms tackling the world's biggest problems may be more lucrative in the coming months and years.See "2nd Wave" AI stocks now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report International Business Machines Corporation (IBM): Free Stock Analysis Report NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA): Free Stock Analysis Report Defiance Quantum ETF (QTUM): ETF Research Reports IonQ, Inc. (IONQ): Free Stock Analysis Report D-Wave Quantum Inc. (QBTS): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks