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Luke Kawa

D-Wave Quantum agrees to acquire Quantum Circuits for $550 million to boost gate-model development

D-Wave Quantum announced Wednesday that it has struck a deal to purchase Quantum Circuits for $550 million, as the annealing-centric quantum computing company continues its push to bolster its gate-model capabilities.

The company said that $300 million will be paid in D-Wave stock, with the remainder in cash.

D-Wave is the major player in annealing quantum computing, an approach that solves more specialized optimization problems. Gate-based quantum computers, which aim to address even more complex and broad queries, are the dominant approach being pursued by publicly traded quantum computing firms. Gate model developers have also tended to get more interest from government agencies, as their technology is seen as the ultimate end point for quantum computing and therefore more worthy of support.

“By combining the world’s leading annealing quantum computing company with the world’s leading developer of error-corrected gate-model technology, D-Wave will dramatically accelerate the projected time to a scaled, error-corrected gate-model quantum computer alongside and complementary to its commercial annealing quantum systems,” per the press release. “Combining these technologies is expected to facilitate an accelerated commercial gate-model product roadmap that D-Wave believes will enable it to be the first to deliver fully error-corrected, scaled gate-model quantum computing”

Thanks to this acquisition, D-Wave plans to deliver an initial dual-rail gate-model system in 2026.

During the conference call that followed the release of Q3 earnings in November, CEO Dr. Alan Baratz highlighted gate-model development as a priority for D-Wave.

“Up until now, our investment in gate has been light, mostly because we haven’t had the funds to be able to grow that investment all that much. Now with the roughly $830 million in the bank, we have the resources to be able to invest more in that program, both internal investment and through acquisition to accelerate the program,” he told Sherwood News.

“We have one customer who has said, ‘When you have a gate-model system, I want it.’”

This news comes on the heels of the firm’s announcement on Tuesday that it’s solved a key problem when it comes to scaling superconducting gate-model quantum computers: how to keep qubits in the same place without producing too much heat.

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United Airlines rallies after Q4 earnings and Q1 profit guidance top estimates

Shares of United Airlines are rising after the bell on Tuesday, following the release of the carrier’s fourth-quarter and full-year earnings report.

United posted adjusted earnings per share of $3.10 in Q4, above the $2.92 per share expected by Wall Street analysts polled by Bloomberg. Sales of $15.4 billion were roughly in line with the consensus estimate.

The airline also:

  • Forecast full-year earnings per share between $12 and $14, bracketing Wall Street’s call for $13.04. For Q1, management sees EPS between $1.00 and $1.50, the midpoint of which is above the $1.16 expected by Wall Street.

  • Booked $13.93 billion in passenger revenue on the quarter, up nearly 5% year over year.

“Strong revenue momentum has continued into 2026,” according the company’s press release. “The week ending January 4th was the highest flown revenue week in United history, and the week ending January 11th was the highest ticketing week and the highest week for business sales in United history.”

UAL’s premium ticket revenue climbed 9% compared to a 7% increase in basic economy revenue. The “K-shaped economy” has become increasingly visible in travel trends at major US airlines. Last week, Delta’s revenue from first-class and business passengers eclipsed its main cabin revenue for the first time.

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POET Technologies nears multiyear high on strong call demand after flagship product wins award

POET Technologies is surging on heavy volumes and high call demand after announcing that it won a Product Innovation Award at China’s Infostone awards.

The honor went to the optical communications company’s flagship product, the Teralight, which uses light to move data between chips.

“Unveiled less than a year ago at the 2025 OFC Conference, POET Teralight has driven commercial interest in the Company because of its highly integrated design and complete optical system-on-chip architecture that simplifies module development,” per the press release.

This award may be the latest excuse to buy the stock, which is up over 40% year to date.

Call activity is elevated, with nearly 37,000 having changed hands as of 10:55 a.m. ET, well above the 20-day average of 28,030 for a full session. Shares are approaching their multi-year high of $9.41.

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