Quantum computing stocks surge on report Trump administration seeking stakes, joining Intel, rare earths

Published

2 days ago

October 23, 2025

admin

Parts of the IBM Quantum System Two are displayed at IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York on June 6, 2025.

Angela Weiss | Afp | Getty Images

The Trump administration is in talks with several quantum-computing firms about giving the Commerce Department equity stakes in exchange for federal funding, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

The Journal, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter, said the companies include IonQ, Rigetti Computing and D-Wave Quantum. Other firms, such as Quantum Computing Inc. and Atom Computing, are considering similar arrangements, it added.

IonQ and D-Wave shares each jumped 9% in early trading Thursday. Rigetti added 7%. Quantum Computing was up 11%.

The news aligns with recent efforts by Washington to take stakes in major companies within industries seen as vital to U.S. national security, especially those receiving public funds.

One of the earliest examples under U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term came when the Defense Department invested $400 million in American rare earths company MP Materials for about a 15% stake in the company.

A month later, the government took a roughly 10% stake in semiconductor firm Intel — the only American company capable of making advanced AI processors on U.S. soil.

Stock Chart IconStock chart icon

IonQ, 1 day

The stakes in quantum computing companies would come with minimum funding awards of $10 million each, according to the Journal, citing people familiar with the matter. Other technology companies are also expected to compete for the grants.

An interventionist shift in Washington

The U.S. government’s growing interest in taking stakes in private companies is quite unprecedented in recent decades, especially outside of a financial crisis, signaling an ideological shift toward greater intervention in certain industries.

However, the Trump administration will not take stakes in nonstrategic industries, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC in an exclusive interview on Oct. 15. “We do have to be very careful not to overreach,” he said.

Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick have argued that the government should benefit from a company’s success in cases where federal funds have played a role in its growth.

The targeted industries also appear to reflect Washington’s focus on technological and economic competition with China.

The U.S. stake in MP Materials, for example, came after China restricted exports of rare earth elements —essential components in high-tech products — prompting Washington to boost efforts to build its domestic supply chain.

Intel’s funding also aligns with U.S. efforts to strengthen its domestic semiconductor industry to support its broader race for dominance in artificial intelligence.

Quantum computing, which utilizes quantum mechanics to solve problems beyond the capabilities of today’s most supercomputers, is likely viewed as one of the next strategically critical technologies for Washington to focus on, due to its massive economic and security implications.

Experts believe that the advanced tech could revolutionize fields including medicine, finance, and materials science by solving complex problems currently impossible for traditional computers, and pose major cybersecurity threats if it falls into the hands of adversaries.

Technology

More demand than supply gives companies an edge, Jim Cramer says

Published

6 hours ago

October 24, 2025

admin

More demand than supply gives companies an edge, Jim Cramer says

“Supply constrained,” are the two of the most important words CNBC’s Jim Cramer said he’s heard so far during earnings season and explained why this dynamic is favorable for companies.

“When you’re supplied constrained, you have the ability to raise prices, and that’s the holy grail in any industry,” he said.

Intel‘s strong earnings results were in part because of more demand than supply, Cramer suggested. He noted that the company’s CFO, David Zinsner, said the semiconductor maker is supply constrained for a number of products, and that “industry supply has tightened materially.”

Along with Intel, other tech names that are also supply constrained and performing well on the market include Micron, AMD and Nvidia, Cramer continued.

These companies don’t have enough product in part because the storage needs of artificial intelligence are incredible high, Cramer said. He added that he thinks demand has overwhelmed supply because semiconductor capital equipment companies didn’t manufacture enough of their own machines as they simply didn’t anticipate such a volume of orders.

Outside of tech, Cramer said he thinks airplane maker Boeing and energy company GE Vernova are also supply constrained, adding that he thinks the former will say it’s short on most of its planes when it reports earnings next week. GE Vernova is supply constrained with its power equipment, like turbines that burn natural gas, he continued, which is the primary energy source for the ever-growing crop of data centers.

GE Vernova and Boeing are also set to be winners because they make big-ticket items that other countries can buy from the U.S. to help close the trade deficit, Cramer added.

“In the end, we have more demand than supply in a host of industries and that’s the ticket for good stock performance,” he said. “I don’t see that changing any time soon.”

Jim Cramer’s Guide to Investing

Sign up now for the CNBC Investing Club to follow Jim Cramer’s every move in the market.

Disclaimer The CNBC Investing Club holds shares of Nvidia and GE Vernova.

Questions for Cramer?
Call Cramer: 1-800-743-CNBC

Want to take a deep dive into Cramer’s world? Hit him up!
Mad Money Twitter – Jim Cramer Twitter – Facebook – Instagram

Questions, comments, suggestions for the “Mad Money” website? madcap@cnbc.com

Technology

3 takeaways from Intel earnings: Cash flow, foundry progress and hardware surprise

Published

11 hours ago

October 24, 2025

admin

3 takeaways from Intel earnings: Cash flow, foundry progress and hardware surprise

Wall Street remains skeptical on Intel despite its return to profitability

Intel snapped a losing streak of six straight quarterly losses and returned to profitability in the third quarter.

In its first earnings report since the Trump administration acquired a 10% stake in the company, the U.S. chipmaker posted strong revenue, noting robust demand for chips that it expects to continue into 2026.

Client computing revenue, which includes chips for PCs and laptops, grew 5% year over year, benefiting from PC market stabilization and artificial intelligence PC prospects.

CEO Lip-Bu Tan said in a call with analysts Thursday that artificial intelligence “is a strong foundation for sustainable long-term growth as we execute.”

The chip strength and demand were bright spots, but there were areas of concern as well, with the company’s foundry business still needing a big break.

Here are three takeaways from the chipmaker’s Q3 report:

Cash flow

“We significantly improved our cash position and liquidity in Q3, a key focus for me since becoming CEO in March,” Tan said on a call with analysts Thursday.

Intel landed an $8.9 billion investment from the U.S. government in August, along with $2 billion from Softbank, but has not yet received the $5 billion tied to a deal with Nvidia. The company expects that deal to close by the end of Q4.

With all of those transactions completed, plus the Altera sale, Intel will have $35 billion in cash on hand, CFO David Zinser told CNBC.

The U.S. government is the company’s biggest shareholder, and Intel stock is up more than 50% since Aug. 22, when Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced the deal.

“Like any shareholder, we have to keep in touch with them,” Zinser said of the U.S. stake. “We don’t tell them how the numbers are going before the quarter. We generally talk to them like Fidelity,” another Intel shareholder.

Stock Chart IconStock chart icon

Intel 3-month stock chart.

Foundry

The firm’s foundry remains a work in progress.

Revenue fell 2% over the year before, and it has yet to land a major customer.

Intel now has two fabs running 18A nodes, which are designed for AI and high-performance computing applications.

“We are making steady progress on Intel 18A,” Tan said of its latest chip technology. “We are on track to bring Panther Lake to market this year.”

Zinser said the more advanced 14A nodes won’t be put in supply until the company has “real firm demand.”

Old stuff still selling

Zinser said the company’s older chipmaking processes, or nodes, have continued to do well, “and that was probably the part that was more unexpected.”

Zinser said the chipmaker met some of the central processing unit (CPU) demand with inventory on hand, but they will be behind in Q1, “probably Q2 and maybe in Q3.”

The supply crunch has been with older Intel 10 and 7 manufacturing technologies.

Many customers are opting for less advanced hardware to refresh their operating systems, demonstrating enterprises aren’t waiting for cutting-edge chips when proven technology gets the job done.