Company Description
Rigetti Computing, Inc. (Nasdaq: RGTI) is a quantum technology company focused on full-stack quantum and quantum-classical computing. The company develops and operates quantum computers based on superconducting qubits, and delivers access to these systems through cloud services and on-premises hardware. Rigetti is described in multiple company communications as a pioneer in full-stack quantum computing, reflecting its work across chip design, fabrication, system integration, and software access.
Core business and quantum computing platform
Rigetti’s business centers on building and operating gate-based quantum computers and making them available to enterprise, government, and research clients. The company operates quantum computers over the cloud through its Rigetti Quantum Cloud Services (QCS) platform. QCS enables users to run quantum programs on Rigetti hardware via public and private cloud environments. Company materials state that Rigetti has operated quantum computers over the cloud since 2017 and that its proprietary quantum-classical infrastructure provides high-performance integration with cloud systems for practical quantum computing.
In addition to cloud access, Rigetti sells on-premises quantum computing systems. These systems are intended for national laboratories, quantum computing centers, and other research environments. Earlier company descriptions reference on-premises systems with qubit counts between 24 and 84 qubits, while more recent announcements highlight 9-qubit Novera quantum processing units (QPUs) and systems in the 9–108 qubit range. The Novera QPU is described as a 9-qubit processor based on Rigetti’s Ankaa-class architecture, designed to plug into a customer’s existing cryogenic and control systems for hands-on quantum computing research and development.
Technology: superconducting qubits and chiplet architecture
Rigetti’s quantum computers are based on superconducting qubits. Company communications state that superconducting qubits are widely believed to be a leading qubit modality because of their maturity, scalability, and fast gate speeds. Rigetti reports gate speeds of 50–70 nanoseconds on its systems and notes that these speeds are about 1,000 times faster than other modalities such as ion traps and neutral atoms, according to its own comparisons.
A key aspect of Rigetti’s approach is its proprietary modular, chiplet-based architecture. The company states that it developed the industry’s first multi-chip quantum processor for scalable quantum computing systems, achieving entanglement across chip boundaries. Building on this work, Rigetti has introduced Cepheus-1-36Q, a 36-qubit multi-chip quantum computer composed of four 9-qubit chiplets. Company disclosures describe Cepheus-1-36Q as the industry’s largest multi-chip quantum computer at the time of its release and highlight a 2x reduction in two-qubit gate error rate compared with a prior system, achieving a median two-qubit gate fidelity of 99.5%.
Rigetti is also developing Cepheus-1-108Q, a 108-qubit quantum computing system based on twelve 9-qubit chiplets and the same modular architecture. The company characterizes Cepheus-1-108Q as its highest qubit count system to date and as the industry’s largest modular quantum computing system. Rigetti reports that its 108-qubit system has reached a median two-qubit gate fidelity of 99%, while its 9-qubit and 36-qubit systems have achieved 99.7% and 99.6% median two-qubit gate fidelities, respectively, based on internal performance measurements discussed in company announcements.
Products and systems
Rigetti’s product portfolio, as described in its public communications, includes:
- Rigetti Quantum Cloud Services (QCS): A cloud platform through which global enterprise, government, and research clients access Rigetti quantum computers. QCS integrates with public and private clouds and is used to pursue quantum computing research and development.
- Novera QPU and Novera quantum computing systems: A 9-qubit quantum processing unit based on the Ankaa-class architecture, featuring a square lattice of qubits and tunable couplers for high-fidelity two-qubit operations. Novera systems include the processor, compatible cryogenic infrastructure, and control systems for controlling, calibrating, and reading out qubit states. Rigetti describes Novera systems as suitable for research on qubit behavior, control optimization, gate design and characterization, decoherence mitigation, and quantum algorithm development.
- Cepheus-1-36Q: A 36-qubit, four-chiplet, multi-chip quantum computer that is released for general availability on the Rigetti QCS platform and is expected to be available through other cloud providers. Company materials emphasize its chiplet-based architecture, improved error rates, and enhanced coupler design.
- Cepheus-1-108Q: A 108-qubit modular system composed of twelve 9-qubit chiplets, designed to extend Rigetti’s chiplet architecture to higher qubit counts.
Rigetti also notes that it designs and manufactures its quantum chips in-house at Fab-1, which it describes as the industry’s first dedicated and integrated quantum device manufacturing facility. This in-house fabrication capability supports the company’s chiplet-based architecture and its focus on scaling qubit counts and improving performance.
Customers, use cases, and collaborations
According to company announcements, Rigetti serves global enterprise, government, and research clients. Its cloud-accessible systems and on-premises installations are used by national laboratories, quantum computing centers, academic institutions, and technology companies for quantum computing research and development. Examples cited in company communications include:
- National laboratories and defense-related research, including projects with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) focused on superconducting quantum networking and quantum networking hardware.
- Academic collaborations, such as a Memorandum of Understanding with Montana State University and the installation of a 9-qubit Novera QPU at MSU’s QCORE research and innovation center, described as the first academic institution with an on-premises Rigetti quantum computer.
- International R&D organizations, including a Memorandum of Understanding with India’s Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) to explore co-development of hybrid quantum computing systems and related technologies, and to support government laboratories and academic users.
- Commercial customers purchasing Novera systems, including an Asian technology manufacturing company and a California-based applied physics and artificial intelligence startup, which intend to use the systems as testbeds for developing quantum expertise, benchmarking quantum technologies, and conducting research in quantum hardware and error correction.
Rigetti also participates in broader ecosystem initiatives. Company communications describe support for NVIDIA NVQLink, an open platform for integrating AI supercomputing with quantum computers. Rigetti and NVIDIA have demonstrated integration of a Novera QPU with NVIDIA DGX Quantum to calibrate a quantum processor using AI tools. Rigetti’s superconducting qubit processors are presented as well suited for such hybrid systems due to their fast gate speeds and scalability.
Quantum networking and hybrid systems
Beyond standalone quantum processors, Rigetti is involved in quantum networking research. In collaboration with QphoX, the company has been awarded a contract from AFRL to advance superconducting quantum networking. Company descriptions explain that a central challenge in networking superconducting quantum computers is converting microwave signals used to control qubits into optical photons that can travel over optical fibers. The joint project aims to deliver systems that provide entanglement between superconducting qubits and optical photons, using single-photon microwave–optical transducers developed by QphoX together with Rigetti’s superconducting qubits.
Rigetti also highlights hybrid quantum-classical computing as an important direction. Its systems are designed to integrate with high-performance computing and AI infrastructure, as reflected in collaborations with partners such as NVIDIA and in initiatives with organizations like C-DAC that focus on hybrid HPC–quantum missions. These collaborations are described as supporting research on hybrid quantum systems, enabling technologies, and workforce development.
Geographic footprint and market context
Rigetti’s public descriptions note that it derives the majority of its revenue from the United States, based on prior summaries of its business. The company also references plans to establish an Italian subsidiary to pursue business opportunities and talent in Italy, and it engages with partners and customers in regions such as Asia and Europe through collaborations and system deployments. Company communications characterize the quantum computing market as being significantly funded by government initiatives, citing external research on global quantum computing investments, and position Rigetti’s offerings within that context of government, academic, and industrial research funding.
Capital markets and listing
Rigetti Computing, Inc. is listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the ticker symbol RGTI, with warrants trading under RGTIW, as disclosed in its Form 8-K. The company has discussed equity financing activities in its financial results communications, including an at-the-market equity offering program used to raise capital for working capital, capital expenditures, and other corporate purposes. These disclosures indicate that Rigetti is positioning itself to support the commercial scale-up of its superconducting gate-based quantum computers.
Position within quantum computing
Across its press releases and regulatory filings, Rigetti consistently describes itself as a pioneer in full-stack quantum computing, emphasizing its work from chip design and fabrication at Fab-1 to system-level integration and cloud access via QCS. Its focus on superconducting qubits, chiplet-based architectures, multi-chip processors, and hybrid quantum-classical integration defines its role within the broader quantum computing ecosystem as presented in its own materials.