D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE:QBTS) reported plans to introduce a gate-model quantum computing simulator expected to be available in September 2026, and its shares rose roughly 3% in premarket trading on the news.
The company described the simulator as the next milestone on its gate-model roadmap, engineered explicitly for error-aware programming. D-Wave said the product will be the first simulator built around dual-rail technology, a design element the firm says will let developers craft applications and workflows that respond to actual processor behavior.
According to the company, the simulator will support up to 21 qubits and offer both ideal and hardware emulation modes. It will include Monte Carlo simulation capabilities intended to model real-time quantum system dynamics. Integration with D-Wave’s Ocean software development kit is planned, and users will be able to reach the simulator through the firm’s Leap cloud platform.
D-Wave said it will make quantum development bundles available that grant access to the simulator alongside its systems. The company outlined Starter and Premium packages that provide monthly access allocations and guidance from D-Wave’s technical team. Specific pricing for these bundles will be provided upon request.
"D-Wave’s gate-model quantum simulator is an important step in bringing our gate-model roadmap to customers," said Dr. Trevor Lanting, chief development officer at D-Wave. "What makes our approach different is that error awareness is built into the architecture through dual-rail technology, giving developers access to error-detection data and real-time control capabilities that can help them design more resilient quantum applications."
The announcement follows a recent disclosure from D-Wave detailing its approach to fault-tolerant quantum computing. The company describes itself as the only dual-platform quantum computing firm offering both annealing and gate-model systems, along with associated software and services.
Investors reacted in early trading, with the stock gaining about 3% in the premarket as market participants absorbed the product roadmap update and details on developer access and bundled offerings.
What the company announced
- Gate-model quantum simulator expected in September 2026.
- Dual-rail, error-aware architecture; support for up to 21 qubits.
- Multiple emulation modes, Monte Carlo real-time dynamics simulation, Ocean SDK integration, and Leap cloud access.
- Starter and Premium development bundles with monthly allocations and company guidance; pricing on request.