infrastructureScore 65/100Research
Rigetti investing in dilution refrigeration capacity and materials improvements to scale to 1,000 qubits over 3 years
“In support of that roadmap, the Company has continued investing in dilution refrigeration capacity and related infrastructure that can support higher-qubit-count systems... The Company remains focused on improving coherence time, which management has identified as a key factor in raising fidelity further. Rigetti is pursuing chip design, fabrication, materials, and process improvements.”
Why it matters
Rigetti is committing significant capex to dilution refrigeration infrastructure and materials science—specialized, high-cost equipment with limited suppliers. This signals both a bottleneck (cryogenic cooling capacity is scarce in quantum) and a pick-and-shovel opportunity for equipment makers.
Investment implication
Suppliers of dilution refrigerators, cryogenic systems, and specialized materials (e.g., superconductor fabrication inputs) may see order acceleration. Companies like Oxford Instruments (OXIG.L) and Janis Research (private) are potential beneficiaries. Rigetti's infrastructure bet also suggests capex intensity will remain elevated through 2029.