Quantum computing investing is something that's on the horizon for many investors. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the big theme right now, and investors are focused on this area, with quantum computing potentially becoming relevant a few years down the road.
With that in mind, I believe the smartest move for investors is to focus on the AI aspect of some companies that are also competing in the quantum computing realm. There are a handful of companies that are doing this, and I think they make for the best quantum computing buys in 2026.
On my shopping list are Alphabet (GOOG 1.41%) (GOOGL 1.41%), Microsoft (MSFT 0.42%), and Nvidia (NVDA 1.59%), as all of these companies are excelling in AI, but also have significant quantum computing exposure.
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Alphabet
Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has been heavily investing in creating an in-house quantum computing solution. This has several benefits, but it will all be for nothing if it can't produce viable results. The biggest hurdle quantum computing is facing in going mainstream is its accuracy, as it's incredibly difficult to control a particle's mechanics to utilize it for quantum computing. However, Alphabet is starting to see some positive results.
Back in October, Alphabet announced that it had delivered the first verifiable quantum advantage. It ran an algorithm 13,000 times faster than a traditional supercomputer. This algorithm has applications in multiple areas, but its biggest use case would be for MRI technology.
NASDAQ: GOOGL
Key Data Points
By taking a step toward commercial viability, it shows that Google's efforts are not in vain, and with the massive resources Alphabet has as a company, it can continue to fund Google's quantum computing research. Even if Google's quantum computing pursuits fall flat on their face, Alphabet is still a strong company in the generative AI realm, making it a great stock to own in general.
Microsoft
Microsoft has a similar backdrop to Alphabet, as it has nearly unlimited resources to sink into quantum computing. The reason both companies want to develop in-house solutions is so they don't need to pay an outside computing vendor for their computing hardware. This has become very expensive for AI, as Nvidia is making a huge profit from cloud computing providers like Microsoft and Alphabet. If each can develop its own solution in-house, it can cut out the middleman and make its cloud computing segment more profitable.
NASDAQ: MSFT
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Microsoft's quantum computing pursuits have taken science to new levels, as it claims to have created a new state of matter as a byproduct of its quantum computing pursuits. There is a lot of new technology that's being developed by this industry, and Microsoft is a huge part of it.
Similar to Alphabet, if its quantum computing pursuits don't pan out, the stock will still be a great option to invest in, as its platforms have become a top option to build AI models on.
Nvidia
Last is Nvidia. The semiconductor giant may seem like an odd inclusion in this list because it isn't pursuing building a quantum processing unit (QPU) like the others. Instead, it's focusing on the most powerful traditional computing units available, its graphics processing units (GPUs).
However, it is aware of the effect quantum computing could have on the industry. It believes quantum computing will be most useful in a hybrid approach, where quantum and traditional computing methods are used in tandem to accelerate the computing process.
NASDAQ: NVDA
Key Data Points
Quantum computing systems don't readily interface with the massive computing infrastructure that's been built out for AI and other computing methods. So, Nvidia launched its NVQLink, which allows quantum computers to plug into this interface to network into traditional computing stacks.
If Nvidia is right about the hybrid approach, it will be in great shape by selling the best traditional computing unit alongside the access port technology. However, it could be missing a huge market if QPUs start to replace more workloads than expected. We'll see if Nvidia's bet pays off, but as of right now, it appears to be going just fine for the world's largest company.
