Analysis: D-Wave going public is a net positive for the entire quantum computing industry

(TheNextWeb) Tristan Greene, The Neural Editor for TheNextWeb, discusses the importance of D-Wave going public and merging with financial corp DPCM to reach a predicted valuation of approximately $1.6 billion. Inside Quantum Technology summarizes the discussion here:
Greene believes D-wave’s entry into the NYSE could have far-reaching implications for the quantum computing industry.
According to D-Wave, it’s “the only company developing both annealing quantum computers and gate-model quantum computers.”
D-Wave’s always been a bit of a hybrid itself. With one foot firmly in the research world and another pounding the pavement because there’s money to be made solving problems today, its public entry signifies a huge commitment to expansion.
D-Wave, in its own words, is: “The first, and only, provider to offer real-time, full-stack quantum systems: from superconducting quantum processing unit (QPU) chip fabrication that powers the quantum systems, to hardware engineering, post-processing software, quantum hybrid solvers, and open-source developer tools.”
And, also according to D-Wave, it’s “the only company developing both annealing quantum computers and gate-model quantum computers.”

Our first question was: how will this impact D-Wave’s work in the field of quantum computing research? The company is a prolific publisher of research on quantum systems, often in cooperation with public institutes or through the use of government funding. Neural reached out to D-Wave to ask about its future research endeavors. A company spokesperson said:

We have a long history working closely with the research community, in fact, it’s why we can deliver commercial quantum computing with real use cases today. Those incredible collaborations helped us to identify early use cases in financial modeling, airline gate scheduling, satellite placement, etc. We expect that the transaction will further expand our relationship with this important community.

As far as the implications for other corporations in the same marketplace, it’s difficult to imagine a competition paradigm for quantum computing so soon. At some point just about all of these companies can expect to see some overlap in customer inquiries, as corporations that don’t currently employ quantum computing systems start to explore cloud-based quantum-as-a-service solutions ahead of any eventual full-stack integration.But we’re not talking about a heads-up battle, such as iOS competing with Android. When you’re trying to solve problems that have until now been considered unsolvable, it takes more than just good hardware and software. The companies working in this space have to provide fine-tuned, bespoke solutions for their clients.

Yet, it’s almost certain that D-Wave’s deal is a net positive for the entire industry. As we like to say here at Neural: a rising tide lifts all vessels.