IonQ jumps 8.4% as D-Wave Quantum partnership with AT&T lifts quantum computing sector

Rich Smith, The Motley Fool Mon, July 27, 2026 at 9:13 AM PDT | 3 min read

• IONQ: -5.68%
• NVDA: +0.25%
• T: +0.98%

Quantum computing stock IonQ (NYSE: IONQ) jumped 8.4% through 11 a.m. ET Monday morning — and it has a competitor to thank for it.

This morning, rival quantum stock D-Wave Quantum (NYSE: QBTS) announced that AT&T (NYSE: T) has signed up to use D-Wave's technology "to address complex optimization challenges across its network operations."

Quantum's Getting Popular

Remarkably, D-Wave stock is up only 5.5% on the news — but IonQ is up even more. Why might that be?

D-Wave says AT&T will apply its "annealing quantum computing technology" (which uses quantum physics to find optimal solutions to complex mathematical problems) to make AT&T's AI agents more efficient when optimizing data traffic and detecting network outages. AT&T is also evaluating other D-Wave technology to further improve its network, and says it has a "broader innovation strategy, which applies quantum computing, AI, automation, advanced analytics, and software-defined infrastructure to modernize how the network is built, run, and optimized."

That might be a clue: AT&T isn't necessarily tying itself to D-Wave alone through this partnership, but is expressing interest in trying out a range of technologies, including different approaches to using quantum computing to improve its operations. This may have investors thinking that IonQ, too, might find an "in" with AT&T — or with other telecommunications giants.

What This Means for IonQ

Is this a reasonable assumption to make? Perhaps, but it smacks more of momentum traders hoping something good will happen for IonQ than of actual evidence that these good things are already happening.

That doesn't mean they're wrong to hope, of course. But with most analysts warning that IonQ remains years from profitability, I see no compelling need to jump on this momentum trade today. IonQ stock will probably remain volatile for years.

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