U.S. government takes direct ownership in D-Wave under CHIPS Act, sparking 54% stock rally. Revenue plunges 81% but bookings explode nearly 2,000%, creating stark contrast.
The U.S. government is taking a direct ownership position in D-Wave Quantum, and the market has responded with its most explosive rally in months. The stock closed at $29.40 on Friday, catapulting 13% in a single session and capping a week that saw the euro-denominated shares gain nearly 43% while the US-listed stock surged around 54%. The divergence underscores the currency-adjusted volatility enveloping a company that has become one of the hottest — and most contradictory — names in quantum computing.
The catalyst was a non-binding agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce under the CHIPS Act, awarding D-Wave up to $100 million. Unlike standard grants, the capital will be deployed as a direct equity investment, handing the U.S. government a minority stake in the quantum specialist. The funds come from a $2 billion pool allocated to nine quantum companies; IBM secured the largest slice at $1 billion. D-Wave plans to use its portion to expand research centers in Florida, Connecticut, and Canada.
Yet the government’s stamp of approval has done little to mask the turbulence in D-Wave’s financials. First-quarter revenue tumbled 81% to $2.9 million, dragged down by the absence of a major system sale that had boosted the prior-year period. The net loss widened to $18.4 million as operating costs surged 125%. The disconnect between the $11 billion market capitalization and the $42 million in revenue analysts expect for the full year is stark — and short sellers have taken notice, with 16% of the float sold short.
Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying D-Wave Quantum?
On the other hand, bookings exploded 1,994% to $33.4 million, pushing the total backlog to $42.4 million — more than half of which is expected to convert into revenue within twelve months. The company also sits on $588 million in cash, providing a thick cushion as management pursues an aggressive technology roadmap. D-Wave is scaling an annealing system toward 100,000 qubits and laying the groundwork for a gate-model system with 10,000 qubits, following its January acquisition of Quantum Circuits.
CEO Alan Baratz is set to flesh out that strategy at two landmark events: the TD Cowen conference in New York on May 28, the first public appearance since the CHIPS announcement, followed by D-Wave’s inaugural investor day on June 1 at the NYSE. There, Baratz is expected to detail the dual-platform architecture, the integration of Quantum Circuits, and the path to fault-corrected gate-model systems. The tone on commercialization and execution will be closely watched.
Wall Street remains bullish but deeply divided. All 13 analysts covering the stock rate it a buy, with an average price target of $35.17. The range, however, stretches from $19.58 to $45 — reflecting the extreme uncertainty around D-Wave’s ability to bridge the gap between its soaring orders and its collapsing top line. The stock trades 35% below its 52-week high of €38.48, with a volatility reading of 148% over the past year and a relative strength index of 47 signaling neither overbought nor oversold territory.
Investor attention now shifts to Washington, where the White House is reportedly preparing an executive order on quantum innovation. Any regulatory push could amplify the sector’s already ferocious volatility. For D-Wave, the coming weeks will test whether the government’s $100 million equity bet — and the record bookings it helped ignite — can eventually translate into the sustainable revenue that the market’s exuberance demands.
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