D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE:QBTS) stock rose Wednesday after it announced a major merger agreement.
D-Wave agreed to acquire Quantum Circuits Inc. in a $550 million deal.
D-Wave said it will pay $300 million in stock and $250 million in cash.
The company said the deal combines two key quantum computing approaches under one company.
D-Wave said the transaction strengthens its reach across the broader quantum market.
D-Wave said the acquisition adds Quantum Circuits’ error-corrected gate-model technology to its commercial systems.
The company said the combination should speed development of larger, fault-tolerant quantum computers.
D-Wave said it aims to bring superconducting gate-model systems to market as early as 2026.
Executives said Quantum Circuits’ dual-rail technology includes built-in error detection and improves qubit quality. D-Wave said the approach could reduce the physical resources needed to create logical qubits.
The companies said the merger could expand the range of practical quantum applications.
D-Wave said it plans to open an expanded R&D hub in New Haven, Connecticut. Rob Schoelkopf, co-founder of Quantum Circuits and a Yale researcher, will join the expanded effort.
Company leaders said his work helped shape advances in superconducting gate-model systems.
“D-Wave has unequivocally cemented its position as the world’s most advanced and established leader in superconducting quantum computing,” said Alan Baratz, CEO of D-Wave.
He said the combined company will advance both annealing and gate-model offerings.
Schoelkopf said the deal brings fault-tolerant, scalable quantum computing closer.
The deal still needs regulatory clearance and listing approval for shares issued on the NYSE. D-Wave expects the transaction to close in late January 2026.
The company said it plans to file a Form 8-K with the SEC outlining key terms.
QBTS Price Action: D-Wave Quantum shares were up 2.40% at $32.02 at the time of publication on Wednesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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