The Smartest Quantum Computing Stock to Buy for 2026 - The Motley Fool

By Will Healy – Jan 18, 2026 at 3:55AM EST KEY POINTS Quantum computing is not yet a key focus for the Google parent. Alphabet's massive free cash flow likely makes it a safer holding than a money-losing pure-play stock in the same industry. Quantum computing stocks have attracted significant investor attention, especially over the last year. Its exponentially faster computing power and potential for productivity gains have prompted investors to bid many stocks in this category up to stratospheric highs. The high valuations have made investing in many of these stocks extremely risky. That might mean interested investors may want to take a more indirect approach to investing in this sector. In other words, it arguably makes sense to consider a more diversified tech giant such as Google parent Alphabet ( GOOGL +1.11% ) ( GOOG +1.00% ). Image source: Getty Images. Why Alphabet? Admittedly, investors know Alphabet best for Google Search, Android, and perhaps, more recently, Google Cloud and autonomous vehicle company Waymo. Also, Alphabet doesn't detail many of these business segments or quantum computing in its quarterly reports, which might dissuade investors interested only in the company's quantum technology. However, Alphabet is a company with a $4 trillion market cap, and it is an artificial intelligence (AI) pioneer. Those attributes give it the resources and the in-house knowledge to pursue a technology like quantum computing, and it has done just that. Its quantum chip, called Willow, can perform the standard benchmark calculation in five minutes, one that would take a traditional computer an estimated 10 septillion years! Also, Willow can reduce errors as it increases the number of quantum bits, called qubits. Error rates have tended to increase with the number of qubits, making that breakthrough all the more significant. Moreover, start-up quantum computing companies like IonQ and Rigetti Computing are generating tremendous losses and must spend precious capital simply to keep their doors open. In contrast, Alphabet can afford to make massive investments in this technology. In 2025, it pledged between $91 billion and $93 billion in capital expenditures (capex). It also generated $74 billion in free cash flow over the trailing 12 months, a figure that does not include capex spending. To be sure, it probably allocated most of that capital to its AI-related efforts. Nonetheless, one can assume that quantum computing claimed a significant share of that capital as it works to meet a milestone of developing a large, error-corrected quantum computer that can control 1 million qubits. Such a breakthrough could make Alphabet a top quantum computing company going forward. Expand NASDAQ: GOOGL Alphabet Today's Change (1.11%) $3.37 Current Price $305.65 KEY DATA POINTS Market Cap $3.7T Day's Range $303.03 - $306.48 52wk Range $140.53 - $349.00 Volume 1.1M Avg Vol 33M Gross Margin 59.68% Dividend Yield 0.28% Alphabet as a quantum computing stock Instead of investing in a pure-play start-up, buying Alphabet stock could be the smartest play to gain exposure to the quantum computing industry. Indeed, investors should not expect any detailed mention of quantum computing in its financials for the foreseeable future. They should also expect that the technology will not make a significant contribution to Alphabet's financials anytime soon. Nonetheless, its tremendous resources and breakthroughs in quantum computing likely mean Alphabet is going to be a force in this industry. That technical prowess and the company's financial stability should offer investors safety and success as they seek to profit from this emerging technology. 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Before The Motley Fool, Will was a freelance writer covering stocks and personal finance for MSN Money, Yahoo! Finance, and Nasdaq. Earlier in his career, he was an expert in geographic information systems, applying spatial and IT skills to perform RF and demographic analysis in the telecom industry. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Texas A&M University and an MBA in finance and strategy from the University of Texas at Dallas. TMFWillHealy @HealyWriting STOCKS MENTIONED Alphabet NASDAQ: GOOGL $305.65 (+1.11%) +$3.37 Alphabet NASDAQ: GOOG $304.42 (+0.98%) +$2.96 *Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.