IONQ Inc. (IONQ), a prominent quantum computing company, experienced a significant 5.16% plunge in its stock price during pre-market trading on Friday. This decline comes amid a broader sell-off in the quantum computing sector, fueled by concerns over the industry's near-term profitability and the challenges in competing with tech giants like Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL).
The recent surge in quantum computing stocks, triggered by Alphabet's unveiling of its Willow quantum chip, has raised questions about the sustainability of the hype surrounding these companies. Investors appear to be reassessing the speculative nature of these stocks, as the path to practical, scalable applications and profitability remains uncertain and requires substantial ongoing investments.
Concerns have been raised about IONQ's research and development spending levels, which some analysts argue are relatively small compared to the company's promises and valuation. Citron Research pointed out that IONQ allocated $33 million to R&D last quarter, a fraction of the larger R&D expenditures of tech giants like Google, who are better positioned to lead the quantum computing revolution with their vast resources and established experience.
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