"Plastics."
That's the one-word advice that Mr. McGuire (played by Walter Brooke) gave to Dustin Hoffman's character, Benjamin Braddock, in the classic 1967 movie The Graduate. If the movie were remade today, though, McGuire might have to use two words in his investing recommendation to young Braddock – quantum computing.
Quantum computing is poised to profoundly reshape the technological landscape over the next few years. Importantly, it presents tremendous opportunities for investors today. I think that some opportunities stand out above others, though. Here are my top three quantum computing stocks to buy in December.
Image source: Getty Images.
1. Alphabet
Alphabet (GOOG -0.46%) (GOOGL -0.50%) is best known as the parent company of Google. And Google, of course, is best known for its ubiquitous search engine. However, Google is also working to advance quantum computing.
Google Quantum AI officially began operating in 2012. Its mission, then and now, is to 'build quantum computing for otherwise unsolvable problems."
To achieve this lofty goal, Google Quantum AI covers nearly every aspect of superconducting quantum computing. Its staff work on both hardware (including quantum processors and cooling systems called cryostats) and software (including operating systems and user applications).
NASDAQ: GOOGL
Key Data Points
Thus far, Google Quantum AI has completed two of the six milestones on its roadmap to build a practical, large-scale quantum computer. In 2019, Google Quantum AI announced that its technology achieved quantum supremacy (a term used to describe where a quantum computer solves a problem that would take classical supercomputers a significantly long time to handle). In 2023, its team unveiled the first logical qubit prototype that demonstrated quantum error correction.
2. Amazon
You may have also heard about my second quantum computing stock. Amazon (AMZN -0.69%) reigns as the 800-pound gorilla in e-commerce and cloud services. The company is also an important player in quantum computing.
In one sense, Amazon is a "picks-and-shovels" play in quantum computing. Amazon Braket is a quantum cloud computing service that's available on Amazon Web Services (AWS). It supports researchers in developing quantum computing algorithms, testing quantum hardware, and creating quantum software.
NASDAQ: AMZN
Key Data Points
However, Amazon isn't just operating on the sidelines in the quantum computing arena. The company is also busy developing its own quantum technology. In February 2025, Amazon announced a new quantum computing chip called Ocelet.
Ocelet could be a key breakthrough in the goal to build large-scale quantum computers. The chip can reduce the costs of quantum error correction by up to 90% versus current approaches. It uses "cat-qubits" (named after physicist Erwin Schrödinger's famous quantum thought experiment, which featured a cat) that can suppress some types of quantum computing errors.
3. Microsoft
My third pick is also a household name. Microsoft (MSFT -0.22%) is a technology giant with products including the Windows operating system, Microsoft Office 365 productivity software, and Xbox gaming systems. Like Alphabet and Amazon, Microsoft is also investing heavily in quantum computing.
Microsoft's Azure cloud platform offers a "Quantum Ready" program. This program helps leaders develop strategies to mitigate the potential negative impact of quantum computing on their organizations while leveraging the opportunities that quantum computing presents.
NASDAQ: MSFT
Key Data Points
Arguably, the most crucial quantum computing initiative for Microsoft is its topological core architecture. This architecture utilizes topological superconductors, also known as topoconductors, which are a special type of matter that falls neither into the solid, liquid, nor gas states.
Earlier this year, Microsoft announced the first quantum computing chip that uses topoconductors – Majorana 1. Microsoft believes the technology used in Majorana 1 presents a key step toward fitting 1 million or more qubits on a single chip.
Common denominators
You may have noticed several commonalities among my top three quantum computing stocks to buy in December. They're all so-called "Magnificent Seven" stocks. They all operate widely used cloud platforms. All three companies are leaders in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).
Also, none of them are pure-play quantum computing companies. I think that's critical. No one knows for sure which quantum technologies will emerge as the biggest winners. Investing in a single pure-play quantum computing stock could be a highly risky proposition.
Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft have ample financial flexibility to acquire smaller rivals that show exceptional promise. If you want to profit from quantum computing but not take on a significant amount of risk, these megacap stocks are the way to go, in my opinion.
