Microsoft Offers Better Quantum Computing Exposure at Multi-Year Valuation Low
Microsoft's $3 trillion AI stock has quietly built a full-stack quantum computing platform in the background, allowing developers to run quantum programs on hardware from partners like IonQ and Rigetti.
Azure Quantum is a cloud service that provides an 'open, flexible, and future-proofed path' for customers, adapting to their actual work needs. This approach differs from single-hardware vendors trying to persuade the world to build on their platform.
The company's quantum roadmap has matured, with Azure Quantum Elements announced in 2023, aiming to compress 250 years of chemistry and materials science progress into the next 25. This system combines high-performance computing, AI models from the AI4Science team, and quantum capabilities to search a larger design space for new materials and molecules.
Microsoft now makes money from AI and high-performance computing while building the bridge to a future quantum supercomputer. In contrast, pure-play names like IonQ and Rigetti are pushing the frontier but depend heavily on how quickly quantum workloads move from pilots to production.