Overview

• Rigetti secured a three-year, $5.8 million Air Force Research Laboratory contract to advance superconducting quantum networking.
• Under the award, Rigetti will collaborate with Dutch firm QphoX to assess whether networking can scale multiple quantum processors to work together.
• Rigetti’s stock jumped to an all-time high following the announcement, with intraday gains reported in double digits.
• Broader sector momentum followed IonQ’s memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Department of Energy to develop quantum technologies for space applications.
• Recent partnerships such as Rigetti’s MOU with India’s C-DAC add to validation, though analysts caution the company remains loss-making with low revenue and high volatility risk.