Stock Markets January 27, 2026

D-Wave Sees Sharp Uptick in System Usage as Stock Gains Premarket

Advantage2 usage soars 314% year-over-year; Stride adoption climbs 114% in six months as company advances gate-model roadmap

By Hana Yamamoto QBTS
D-Wave Sees Sharp Uptick in System Usage as Stock Gains Premarket
QBTS

D-Wave Quantum's shares rose about 4% in premarket trading after the company reported steep increases in customer usage of its quantum computing platforms and outlined accelerated plans for its gate-model systems. Usage of the Advantage2 annealing systems jumped 314% over the last year while the Stride hybrid solver saw a 114% increase in the past six months. The firm also announced hybrid solver enhancements, an initial gate-model system target for 2026, a planned headquarters relocation to Boca Raton, Florida, and collaborations aimed at defense planning and campus deployment.

Key Points

  • Advantage2 annealing system usage increased 314% year-over-year, signaling stronger customer engagement - impacts technology and enterprise computing sectors.
  • Stride hybrid solver usage rose 114% in the last six months, indicating broader adoption of hybrid quantum-classical workflows - affects software, optimization and cloud services.
  • D-Wave accelerated its gate-model roadmap with an initial system target for 2026 and introduced hybrid solver capabilities that integrate machine learning into quantum optimization.

D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE:QBTS) shares rose roughly 4% in premarket trading following the release of fresh usage metrics that indicate rapid customer engagement with the company’s quantum computing platforms.

The company reported that customer use of its Advantage2 annealing systems increased by 314% compared with the prior year. Separately, usage of D-Wave’s Stride hybrid solver climbed 114% over the most recent six-month period. D-Wave described these figures as evidence of accelerating adoption of its quantum solutions.

Alongside the usage data, D-Wave disclosed an accelerated timeline for its gate-model quantum computing efforts, with a target of initial system availability in 2026. The company emphasized its position as the only provider that combines the three core technologies it says are required to scale error-corrected superconducting gate-model systems.

Functionality updates were also announced for the firm’s hybrid solver stack. The new capabilities allow customers to embed machine learning models directly into quantum optimization workflows, broadening practical applications. D-Wave cited specific use cases enabled by the enhancement, including predictive maintenance, surge pricing and employee scheduling.

The company’s expansion plans extend beyond product development. D-Wave said it intends to move its corporate headquarters from Palo Alto, California to Boca Raton, Florida before the end of 2026. That relocation accompanies a $20 million agreement with Florida Atlantic University to install an Advantage2 system at FAU’s Boca Raton campus.

On the partnership front, D-Wave highlighted a collaboration with Davidson Technologies and Anduril Industries to develop quantum-classical hybrid applications for U.S. air and missile defense planning. Initial proof-of-concept testing reportedly produced at least a 10-times faster time-to-solution compared with classical-only approaches.

Taken together, the usage growth, product roadmap acceleration, hybrid solver enhancements and strategic partnerships form the basis of D-Wave’s recent investor update. The company has tied increased commercial engagement and targeted deployments to its broader plan to advance both annealing and gate-model technologies while moving corporate operations to Florida.


Context and implications

While the update centers on demand and technology milestones, the company’s announcements also touch on corporate strategy and customer outreach through academic and defense partnerships. The reported usage metrics provide concrete indicators of customer activity, and the FAU agreement signals an academic deployment tied to the planned headquarters relocation.

Risks

  • Targeted initial availability of gate-model systems is set for 2026 - timing risk for customers and partners reliant on that roadmap, with potential implications for R&D and capital allocation.
  • Planned corporate relocation to Boca Raton and the $20 million FAU deployment introduce execution risk related to logistics and integration of a major academic installation.
  • Proof-of-concept results for defense planning showed faster time-to-solution in initial tests, but broader operational deployment and scaling remain uncertain.

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