Rigetti's 7.88% Drop with 18th-Highest $3.66B Trading Volume as NVIDIA Partnership Drives Quantum-AI Synergy

Market Snapshot

Rigetti Computing (RGTI) experienced a significant decline on October 28, 2025, with its stock falling 7.88% to close the day. Despite the drop, the stock remained among the most actively traded equities, securing the 18th-highest trading volume of $3.66 billion. This high liquidity underscores investor interest in the quantum computing pioneer, though the sharp price correction suggests mixed market sentiment following key developments.

Key Drivers

Rigetti’s partnership with NVIDIA to support the NVQLink platform emerged as a central event shaping the stock’s performance. The collaboration, announced at NVIDIA’s GTC conference in Washington, D.C., positions Rigetti as a key player in integrating quantum computing with AI supercomputing. NVQLink, described as an open architecture for low-latency, high-throughput connectivity between quantum processors (QPUs) and classical systems, aims to accelerate hybrid computation development. Rigetti’s CEO emphasized the platform’s potential to enhance quantum advantage by enabling seamless integration of its superconducting qubit processors with NVIDIA’s AI infrastructure. The demonstration of a full-scale Rigetti quantum computer at NVIDIA’s booth further highlighted the company’s technological relevance in the hybrid computing ecosystem.

However, the market’s initial optimism appears to have been tempered by ambiguity in NVIDIA’s broader announcements. While Rigetti was cited as one of 17 quantum computing partners in the NVQLink initiative, NVIDIA also revealed a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy to build seven new AI supercomputers. Some analysts and traders interpreted this as a potential shift in focus away from pure-play quantum computing stocks, leading to a sell-off in Rigetti and other quantum firms like IonQ. David Williams of Benchmark Co. noted that this conflation of “AI supercomputers” and “quantum computers” may have triggered a misread of the news, despite the two technologies being intended to work synergistically.

Rigetti’s technological strengths also played a role in the narrative. The company’s superconducting qubit processors, which offer fast gate speeds and scalability, are well-suited for hybrid systems. The integration of Rigetti’s Novera QPU with NVIDIA’s DGX Quantum in previous projects demonstrated the viability of AI-driven quantum calibration, reinforcing its position in the industry. Nevertheless, the stock’s performance highlights the challenges of commercializing quantum computing, where long-term potential often clashes with short-term market realities.

The broader quantum computing sector’s volatility further contextualized Rigetti’s movement. The announcement of NVQLink, while a milestone, coincided with a general selloff in quantum stocks, reflecting investor caution. Analysts attributed this to lingering skepticism about the timeline for quantum computing’s practical applications, a concern amplified by NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang’s earlier remarks about the need for patience in the field. Rigetti’s stock, like its peers, remains sensitive to both sector-specific news and macroeconomic factors, including interest rates and funding availability.

In sum, Rigetti’s 7.88% decline reflects a complex interplay of strategic advancements, market misinterpretations, and sector-wide dynamics. While the NVQLink collaboration signals progress in hybrid computing, the stock’s trajectory underscores the challenges of aligning technical milestones with investor expectations in a nascent industry.