D-Wave Quantum (QBTS) Stock Forecast: What Could Drive It in 2026
Short answer
No one can reliably forecast QBTS's price, and Walnut does not publish targets. What is useful is the setup. For D-Wave Quantum, the drivers that could push it higher are real, and so are the risks that could weigh on it. Below is each side plus a framework to form your own view. This is descriptive, not a prediction or a recommendation.
What could drive D-Wave Quantum (QBTS) higher?
1. Quantum annealing for optimization.
D-Wave's distinctive approach, quantum annealing, is tailored to optimization problems like scheduling, routing, and resource allocation. This gives it a near-term commercial angle different from gate-model rivals, with enterprise and government customers piloting it on real-world combinatorial problems through its Leap cloud and hybrid solvers.
2. Expansion into gate-model systems.
D-Wave is developing gate-model quantum computers in addition to its annealing systems, aiming to broaden its addressable applications beyond optimization toward the wider set of problems gate-model machines target. Success here would widen its market and reduce reliance on a single architecture.
3. Cloud and as-a-service delivery.
Offering quantum computing through the cloud lowers the barrier for customers to experiment without owning hardware, and adds professional services and recurring access revenue. As enterprise interest in quantum grows, a hosted, easy-to-access model positions D-Wave to capture early commercial workloads.
What could weigh on QBTS?
Quantum computing is an early, unproven commercial market, and D-Wave's revenue is small relative to investor attention, with ongoing operating losses and cash burn that likely require additional capital and can dilute shareholders. The technology's path to broad commercial value and clear quantum advantage over classical computing is uncertain and could take many years. D-Wave competes against far larger, better-funded players. Its annealing focus is debated versus gate-model approaches. As a SPAC-originated pure-play, the stock is extremely volatile and highly sensitive to sentiment around the quantum theme, making it speculative.
How to think about a QBTS forecast
Rather than chasing a price target, it tends to help to weigh the drivers above against the risks, decide how long you are willing to hold, and size the position so a wrong call is survivable. A “forecast” is really a probability-weighted view of those drivers playing out, not a number.
For the full picture, see the QBTS guide and whether QBTS is a buy. In Walnut you can pressure-test the thesis against your real portfolio.
The bottom line on the QBTS outlook
The honest bottom line: D-Wave Quantum (QBTS)'s outlook hinges on whether its drivers (above) outpace its risks, and no one can promise which wins. Treat any QBTS forecast as a scenario, not a certainty, and decide from your own thesis and time horizon. Walnut is not an investment adviser.
Build a basket around QBTS with Walnut
Use D-Wave Quantum as one constituent in a thematic basket Walnut's AI helps you assemble. Describe a thesis you believe in, the AI proposes the holdings and weights, and you approve before any broker order.
FAQ
What is the forecast for D-Wave Quantum (QBTS)?
+
No one can reliably predict where QBTS will trade, and Walnut does not publish price targets. What is more useful is the setup: the drivers that could push D-Wave Quantum higher and the risks that could weigh on it. This page lays out both so you can form your own view. Not a recommendation.
What could drive QBTS higher?
+
The main growth drivers are Quantum annealing for optimization; Expansion into gate-model systems; Cloud and as-a-service delivery. Whether they play out is the real question, not a guaranteed path.
What are the risks to QBTS?
+
Quantum computing is an early, unproven commercial market, and D-Wave's revenue is small relative to investor attention, with ongoing operating losses and cash burn that likely require additional capital and can dilute shareholders. The technology's path to broad commercial value and clear quantum advantage over classical computing is uncertain and could take many years. D-Wave competes against far larger, better-funded players. Its annealing focus is debated versus gate-model approaches. As a SPAC-originated pure-play, the stock is extremely volatile and highly sensitive to sentiment around the quantum theme, making it speculative.
Will QBTS stock go up in 2026?
+
Nobody knows, and anyone who says they do is guessing. D-Wave Quantum's direction depends on whether the drivers above outweigh the risks, plus the broader market. Focus on the thesis and your time horizon rather than a single-year call.
Is QBTS a buy?
+
That depends on your thesis, time horizon, and what you already own, not on a forecast. See the QBTS "is it a buy?" page for a framework. Walnut is not an investment adviser.
Walnut is informational, not investment advice. This page describes drivers and risks; it is not a price forecast, target, or recommendation. Markets are uncertain and past performance does not predict future results.