VCs, Big Tech and Governments All Investing in Quantum Computing Technology

(Investors.com) Investors interested in the technology won’t find pure-play quantum computing companies trading on today’s stock market. But plenty of big tech players are developing quantum computing technology. Besides IBM, they include Microsoft (MSFT), Alphabet (GOOGL), Intel (INTC) and Lockheed Martin (LMT). China tech giants Alibaba (BABA), Baidu (BIDU) and Tencent Holdings (TCEHY) are heavily invested in the technology as well. Wall Street brokers Goldman Sachs (GS) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM) also are studying the technology, as are hedge funds.
A host of quantum computing companies have significant venture capital support. They might become candidates for an initial public offering later. These companies include Rigetti Computing, based in Berkeley, Calif., and Canada-based D-Wave Systems that has received more than $220 million in funding.
The U.S., the U.K., Russia, China and other countries are investing billions in quantum computing technology. Whoever leads in making the computers useful could gain huge economic and national security advantages. The European Union has launched a $1.1 billion quantum research plan. “It has a lot of the hallmarks on an arms race,” said Lidar. “The militaries and security agencies of the world are engaged in this story,” says Daniel Lidar, director of the Center for Quantum Information Science and Technology at the University of Southern California.