Opinion: Quantum computing investing could redefine tech and financial markets
Quantum computing is no longer just a futuristic concept; it is becoming an emerging sector within the financial markets, attracting significant investments from venture capital, public markets and government initiatives. This interest is creating new opportunities for investors to tap into an industry that could redefine technology as well as financial markets. Quantum computing ETFs on the rise
A main way investors are gaining exposure to this field is through Exchange-Traded Funds focused on quantum computing. The Defiance Quantum ETF (QTUM), for example, has experienced growth over the past year.
As of March 12, QTUM trades at $76. At the end of last year, on December 27, 2024, QTUM traded at $83.51, a 53.74% increase over the previous 12 months. This surge highlights the growing confidence and interest in quantum-related assets by investors.
The Defiance Quantum ETF tracks companies developing and advancing quantum computing technologies. This ETF includes not only startups but also established tech giants like IBM, Google and Microsoft, which are heavily investing in quantum research. The market outlook and projections
Studies predict the quantum computing market could surpass $10 billion by 2030, from advances in technology and increasing commercial applications.
According to a December 2024 report by Metatech Insights, the global quantum computing market is valued at $1.13 billion and is projected to reach $18.12 billion by 2035.
This upward trend suggests a large investor appetite. Tech giants such as IBM and Google are also pushing the boundaries of quantum processors.
According to Scientific American in 2023, IBM 'unveiled the first quantum computer with more than 1,000 qubits — the equivalent of the digital bits in an ordinary computer.'
These breakthroughs are expected to accelerate real-world applications, making quantum computing more viable for industries like finance, pharmaceuticals and materials science. Financial market disruption and opportunity
Quantum computing has the potential to disrupt financial markets significantly. According to a 2024 Bank of England report, quantum computers could transform financial modeling, risk analysis and encryption techniques. This transformation presents both opportunities and risks. Investment firms are already exploring how quantum technologies can optimize trading algorithms and hedge against market volatility. Cloud-based quantum services: Lowering barriers for investors
Another avenue for financial exposure is through cloud-based quantum services. Companies such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud are providing businesses access to quantum processors without the need to invest in hardware directly. This shift lowers entry barriers, allowing broader adoption and generating new revenue streams for investors holding shares in these tech giants. The role of government investments
Governments including China, the United States and the United Kingdom, have invested in quantum initiatives to ensure they remain competitive. This public-sector funding often catalyzes private investment, further driving market growth. Government contracts and partnerships also provide stability and long-term growth prospects for quantum-focused firms Risks and challenges
Despite the excitement, quantum computing still faces significant challenges, such as hardware stability, error correction and scalability. Investors should remain cautious and consider the speculative nature of many quantum stocks. While the industry holds immense promise, it may take years before quantum computers achieve consistent, practical applications. Should you invest?
Personally, I would definitely invest in quantum computing through ETFs like the Defiance Quantum ETF (QTUM) because it provides exposure to multiple companies at different stages of development. This approach takes away the risk of betting on a single company while allowing the investor to benefit from the overall growth of the sector.
Additionally, I would look at tech giants with established quantum divisions like Alphabet, and maybe invest in dividends from their company specifically as well. Conclusion
Quantum computing represents one of the most exciting frontiers in technology and finance. With ETFs like the Defiance Quantum ETF gaining traction and venture capital pouring into the sector, investors have various avenues to participate in this transformative field. As advancements continue, those who strategically invest in quantum computing could reap substantial rewards, potentially reshaping entire industries in the process. Related
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
Lockheed Martin (LMT) and IBM Show the Real-World Potential of Quantum Computing
Aerospace company Lockheed Martin (LMT) and tech firm IBM (IBM) recently used a new quantum method called sample-based quantum diagonalization (SQD) to simulate the molecule methylene (CH₂), making it the first time SQD has been used on an open-shell molecule. This is a big step forward because SQD could give quantum computers an advantage over classical computers for solving tough chemistry problems, especially those involving complex electron behavior that traditional methods struggle to handle. Confident Investing Starts Here: In their study, the scientists modeled the singlet and triplet electronic states of CH₂, which is important in things like combustion and atmospheric science. They ran the simulations on IBM's 52-qubit quantum processor by using a hybrid setup that combines quantum and classical computing, and each test used up to 3,000 two-qubit gates. Interestingly, the SQD results were very accurate and closely matched what was expected from classical benchmarks known as Selected Configuration Interaction (SCI), especially in measuring bond energies and energy gaps between states. It is worth noting that open-shell molecules like CH₂ are hard to study with classical computers because their unpaired electrons lead to complex interactions that require a lot of computing power. The SQD method helps by avoiding the need to fully rebuild the molecule's wavefunction. Instead, it samples key values and uses quantum properties like electron entanglement to simplify the work. This successful test shows that quantum computing can be used for real chemical problems and could lead to better models for combustion reactions, chemical sensors, and new aerospace materials. What Is the Target Price for IBM? Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on IBM stock based on eight Buys, five Holds, and two Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. Furthermore, the average IBM price target of $260.62 per share implies 0.9% upside potential.
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Google search judge scrutinizes AI power in trial resolution
The federal judge who will decide how to limit Google's monopoly in search is considering its advantage in artificial intelligence too, and aiming to limit harm to the other players in the market with any resolution. On Friday in U.S. District Court in Washington, attorneys for Alphabet Inc.'s Google and the Justice Department answered Judge Amit Mehta's final questions in the government's monopoly case against the search giant. It will be up to Mehta to decide whether to break up the company and reshape the internet or impose more limited penalties. Mehta's first questions to the government focused on whether curbing Google's position in generative AI was a fitting way to address the company's dominance in search, He also mulled the possibility of Google being forced to share key data with rivals and banning it from paying to make its search engine the default on other devices. "Does the government believe that there is a market for a new search engine to emerge as we think of it today?" he asked. "Do you think somebody is going to come off the sidelines and build a new general search engine in light of what we are now seeing happen in the AI space?" "The short answer is yes, your honor," Justice Department lawyer David Dahlquist responded. "We do believe that these remedies that will be proposed will allow that opportunity to occur. The reason we are so focused on gen AI, and the reason you heard a lot of evidence about it, is because that is the new search access point." The questions focused on the Justice Department's proposal for forward-looking, long-term measures to resolve Google's conduct in the market, which Mehta ruled last year was an illegal monopoly of the online search market. Antitrust regulators have argued that Google's dominance in traditional search could extend to generative AI, which is becoming a key gateway for how users access information online. Exclusive agreements Central to the case are agreements with Apple Inc. and others in which Google pays billions of dollars annually to be the default search engine on the iPhone maker's devices. The DOJ is seeking a bar on those payments, which would also apply to Google's artificial intelligence products, including its flagship AI model, Gemini. Google's counterproposal would still allow for the company to split revenue with competing browsers. The company's lawyers have said that banning Google from competing for search distribution contracts only serves to help large rivals like Microsoft at the expense of consumers, browser companies and device makers. Mehta told the DOJ that if he were to cut off Google's payments to Apple, Mozilla and others to distribute its search engine, it would cause widespread market harm. "Every single distribution partner said, 'This would harm us.' Some have gone so far to suggest this would put them out of business," Mehta said. "Is that an acceptable outcome, to fix one market and harm others?" he asked, referring to the browser and device maker industries. "That's a fair question," Dahlquist replied. But "that is asking the court to put private interests ahead of the public interest." He added that the government does not "dispute the possibility of some private impact." Mehta asked if it would work to create any exceptions to the payment ban, a possibility Dahlquist rejected, saying that even Apple's Eddy Cue wasn't fully opposed to the government's proposals. Apple stands to lose tens of billions of dollars in annual payments from Google if the DOJ's proposals are to be adopted and revenue sharing is paused for the next 10 years. "I think you're right that Mr. Cue wants more choice and he may be willing to be paid less money" for more choice, Mehta responded. "I just don't know whether he wants to live in a world where he can't get paid anything for no choice." The company's lead lawyer John Schmidtlein objected to any payment ban. "Banning the payments here would not be addressing the unlawful conduct," he said. "It would not be connected to the violation in this case." Existential threat AI chatbots are already seen as an existential threat to traditional search engines, as they can address users' questions directly with AI-drafted responses - replacing the need to present people with a long list of search results pointing across the web. Google has argued that the government's proposals are too extreme, saying they would hurt American consumers and the economy, as well as weaken U.S. technological leadership. Google argues that it is the market leader in search because of more than 20 years of innovation. It says people use its service because it is the best. Schmidtlein asserted on Friday that the court should focus on addressing the specific conduct found to be illegal, rather than imposing extensive remedies - including on Google's generative AI products - that he said could fundamentally restructure the market. But Mehta also appeared skeptical of the tech giant's argument for more limited remedies, indicating he is seriously considering including AI-related measures in his decision. "It seems to me that to simply say, 'look, just open up the avenues of distribution,' without providing any further remedies that are forward-looking and that would allow competitors to actually be rivals here, sells the remedy portion of this short," Mehta commented. Schmidtlein countered that gen AI products are not in the relevant market for search. "There is no evidence that gen AI products have been harmed by any of the conduct issue in this case," he said. "They couldn't have been, they weren't around, right?" Perplexity, OpenAI As the trial unfolded in April and May, some representatives from AI companies told the court they are already being stymied by Google. Perplexity's Dmitry Shevelenko testified that Google's contract with Lenovo Group Ltd.'s Motorola blocked the smartphone maker from setting Perplexity as the default assistant on its new devices. Motorola "can't get out of their Google obligations and so they are unable to change the default assistant on the device," the Perplexity executive said. Representatives of two prominent AI startups - OpenAI and Perplexity AI - also testified their companies would be interested in buying Chrome if Google were forced to divest it. Much of the discussion in the first part of the day focused on what data, and how much of it Google would be forced to syndicate to rivals so they can build their own search engines. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai testified in April that the Justice Department's proposal to share search data with rivals constituted a "de facto" divestiture of the company's search engine. On Friday, Mehta told government lawyer Dahlquist that he is "not looking to kneecap Google" but to instead bolster potential competitors. "We are trying to kickstart competitors, we are not trying to put them on equal footing on day one." ___ Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
據報 Google Lens 即將可於 YouTube Shorts 中使用
平時在看短片時看到感興趣的東西，小編的做法是立刻暫停再 screen cap，方便記下外貌又或者型號，再用 Google Lens將物品搜尋出來。不過大家在未來就不用再截圖才用 Google Lens 搜尋。據報 YouTube Shorts 正測試加入 Google Lens 的功能，令用戶可以更輕鬆地搜尋影片中的內容以獲取更多相關資訊。 這項功能預計本週開始向所有 Shorts 用戶推送，當啟用後用戶可在暫停影片時，從上方選單中選擇 Google Lens，然後點擊或圈起影片中需要的元素再去搜尋。搜尋結果與視覺比對結果會直接在 Shorts 畫面上以疊加的方式去顯示，令用戶更清楚是否有正確搜尋出來。 在宣布 Lens 會推出測試版的 YouTube 說明頁面中的公告指出，由於Lens in Shorts正處於測試階段，用戶不會在搜尋結果中看到廣告。此外，公告亦提到「Lens 體驗不適用於含有 YouTube 購物聯盟連結或付費產品推廣的 Shorts」。雖然這次的測試版暫時不見商業化元素，但相信未來幾可肯定會有廣告上的合作關連，畢竟YouTube 的廣告收入相當龐大，Google 絕不會看漏這條財路吧。 更多內容： Engadget YouTube 說明頁面 緊貼最新科技資訊、網購優惠，追隨 Yahoo Tech 各大社交平台！ 🎉📱 Tech Facebook： 🎉📱 Tech Instagram： 🎉📱 Tech WhatsApp 社群： 🎉📱 Tech WhatsApp 頻道： 🎉📱 Tech Telegram 頻道：
