Pasqal surges 60% in Nasdaq debut as quantum stocks rally

Shares of French quantum-computing company Pasqal surged about 60% in their Nasdaq debut Friday, drawing strong investor appetite for one of the sector's newest public companies.

Pasqal, which builds neutral-atom quantum computers, is among a handful of pure-play quantum firms trading on U.S. exchanges alongside IonQ, Rigetti Computing and D-Wave Quantum. The company's listing adds a European name to a sector that has drawn billions in government and venture funding as researchers race to build machines capable of outperforming classical computers on select tasks.

The debut follows a period of heavy capital-raising across quantum computing, with startups and listed players alike expanding roadmaps toward fault-tolerant machines. Pasqal's first-day surge reflects investor willingness to pay up for exposure to a technology many expect to reshape computing over the coming decade.

The strong opening could lift sentiment across other quantum computing stocks and encourage more European deep-tech companies to pursue U.S. listings. Pasqal's debut also highlights the Nasdaq's pull as a destination for European technology listings, a trend that has accelerated as companies seek deeper pools of growth capital and higher valuations than their home exchanges offer.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.