Is D-Wave Quantum Your Ticket to Becoming a Millionaire?

By Keithen Drury – Jan 16, 2026 at 11:15AM ESTKey PointsD-Wave Quantum didn't pursue the DARPA military contract unlike some competitors.However, the upstart company has been partnering with several manufacturing giants. These 10 Stocks Could Mint the Next Wave of Millionaires ›NYSE: QBTSD-Wave QuantumMarket Cap$10BToday's Changeangle-down(2.82%) $0.81Current Price$29.53Price as of January 16, 2026 at 12:16 PM ETD-Wave Quantum is pursuing an alternative approach to quantum computing.D-Wave Quantum (QBTS +2.82%) is one of the more popular quantum computing stocks on the market. However, it's quite small at a $10 billion market cap. But that small size is exactly why some investors are drawn to it. A smaller company can grow more easily, especially in a field like quantum computing that could be massive one day. However, quantum computing is no surefire bet, and there's a lot of risk involved because the competition is so heavy. But if D-Wave Quantum succeeds, is it your ticket to becoming a millionaire? Image source: Getty Images. D-Wave isn't your typical quantum computing player Quantum computing isn't an easy technology to understand. Its main improvement over traditional computing is that it uses qubits versus bits. Qubits allow a near-infinite number of paths to be taken by a calculation, while bits only allow two directions, a 0 or a 1. This makes quantum computing fantastic for solving problems where one issue branches off into another. Applications like logistics networks, artificial intelligence, and weather pattern modeling are excellent examples of quantum computing deployment. However, understanding which company is leading isn't an easy topic. So, some investors turn toward governing agencies to see which products are being used. One is DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), which is essentially the program that develops emerging technologies for the U.S. military for all branches. DARPA has already reached phase B selections, which eliminated some well-known competitors like Rigetti Computing. However, it also didn't include D-Wave Quantum. In fact, D-Wave didn't even apply for this project at all. Getting a huge contract with the U.S. military is a big deal. It puts the winner on the fast track to be deployed by other companies, because its technology has already been vetted. So, why didn't D-Wave apply? It all has to do with how it's approaching quantum computing.Advertisement Unlike many of its peers, D-Wave isn't pursuing a general-purpose quantum computing model. Instead, it's focusing on quantum annealing technology, which finds the lowest energy state in a system, representing the optimized answer. That's not what the U.S. military is looking for, so D-Wave didn't bother with entering the competition. Instead, it's pursuing areas where its technology would excel, like manufacturing logistics, AI training, and other areas where optimization is key. D-Wave is already working with several world-class manufacturers, like Volkswagen and Toyota, to implement a hybrid quantum computing solution to improve how it operates. It's also working in AI, where it's seeing improved efficiency and shorter response times. These are potentially massive areas for D-Wave Quantum, and if it can solve some of these problems, its stock could make investors a nice chunk of change. But is it enough to make you a millionaire? ExpandNYSE: QBTSD-Wave QuantumToday's Change(2.82%) $0.81Current Price$29.53Key Data PointsMarket Cap$10BDay's Range$28.28 - $29.9852wk Range$4.45 - $46.75Volume666KAvg Vol40MGross Margin82.82% It will be difficult for D-Wave to produce millionaire-maker returns If you invest $999,000 into D-Wave, you could be a millionaire today or tomorrow, but that's not the point. Investors are looking for huge returns, and something along the lines of 100x returns is normally set as the threshold for whether a stock can deliver millionaire-maker returns. With D-Wave's market cap already at $10 billion, that would require it to be a $1 trillion company to deliver that level of returns. I'm a bit skeptical about whether that's possible, because a company like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, valued at $1.7 trillion, generates about $115 billion in revenue annually. For reference, McKinsey & Company believes that the total annual quantum computing market could be worth between $28 billion and $72 billion by 2035. So, the quantum computing market would need to reach the high end, and D-Wave would have to capture nearly every penny in the market. With it pursuing a more nuanced quantum computing approach versus a broader one, I'm a bit skeptical that D-Wave can produce the results investors want. As a result, I don't think D-Wave Quantum can make you a millionaire on its own. However, if it succeeds, I have no doubt that it will provide outstanding stock returns.Read NextJan 15, 2026 •By Rick OrfordPrediction: D-Wave Quantum Could Soar 80% in 2026Jan 14, 2026 •By Rick OrfordCould D-Wave Stock Make You a Millionaire in Next 5 YearsJan 13, 2026 •By Robert IzquierdoIs D-Wave Quantum Stock a Buy?Jan 12, 2026 •By Keith NoonanWhy D-Wave Quantum Stock Surged 15.4% Last Month and Is Rocketing Higher in 2026Jan 12, 2026 •By Keithen DruryWill D-Wave Quantum Make a Comeback in 2026?Jan 12, 2026 •By Will HealyD-Wave Quantum Stock Is Up Over 200% Over the Last Year. Time to Buy?About the AuthorKeithen Drury is a contributing Motley Fool technology analyst covering AI, semiconductors, cybersecurity, and SaaS stocks. In addition to The Motley Fool, Keithen is a mechanical engineer and has held roles at Honeywell and smaller industrial companies like Brand Hydraulics and Lincoln Industries. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Dordt University.TMFTripleOptionStocks MentionedD-Wave QuantumNYSE: QBTS$29.53 (+0.03%) $+0.81*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.Advertisement