Quantum computing stocks took investors on a wild ride recently. See why one unexpected tech giant might be a smarter quantum play today.

Quantum-computing stocks are lower, and although they’re small and not making much money, an escalating trade war could complicate their businesses.

Investors are always on the lookout for the next big thing, and following the success of AI in recent years, it’s no surprise to see stocks in the quantum computing space soaring. IonQ (IONQ) has emerged as one of the frontrunners in the space,

One path to amassing a fortune is to identify the next big thing and invest in the companies poised to emerge as the leaders in it. For example, you might have bought shares of Microsoft in the early days of the PC or Amazon in the early innings of the internet.

The Nvidia CEO, who made Elon Musk and Larry Ellison "beg" for more AI GPUs, argued that quantum computing remains unreliable. Huang said that “very useful quantum computers” are probably two decades down the road.

Quantum computing is still in its infancy but holds significant potential to transform industries, particularly when integrated with artificial intelligence (AI). Unlike traditional computers, which process data using bits that can be either zero or one,

For example, last month when Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said useful quantum computers would be ready about 20 years from now, longer than some investors had hoped, stocks like Rigetti and D-wave sank more than 30% in one trading session. Companies like Microsoft are less likely to be as sensitive to these sorts of messages.