Artificial intelligence and the investment in its trends and innovators has been the key driver of stock market growth in 2025. Companies from nearly every segment see value in AI technologies, offering some powerful boons for investors with AI exposure in their portfolios. That's before including the specific firms driving innovation in artificial intelligence. Those firms are in an "AI arms race" that includes quantum computing, with IBM the latest to stake its claim.
IBM (IBM) announced this past week that its quantum computing error correction algorithm can run on standard Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) processing chips. That news not only indicates a major step forward for IBM, but for quantum computing more generally.
Should the firm be correct that its research shows it can solve common quantum computing problems, that would push the entire segment forward. More than that, however, that common AMD chips can run that program represents a major step forward for quantum computing.
"Implementing it, and showing that the implementation is actually 10 times faster than what is needed, is a big deal," IBM director of research Jay Gambetta told Reuters.
The possible leap in processing power brought by quantum computers could turbocharge AI innovation. Already, in 2024, some AI programs were leveraging quantum computing "transformers" to potentially analyze problems in chemistry and encryption.
The ROBO Global Artificial Intelligence ETF (THNQ) offers exposure to IBM as one of numerous companies tied to the AI growth narrative. The strategy tracks the ROBO Global Artificial Intelligence Index. In doing so, the fund invests in both AI innovators and firms poised to benefit from advances in the transformational technology. The strategy also offers exposure to /AMD which could also benefit from this quantum computing news.
Together, that has helped the AI-focused ETF return 19.2% over the last three months as of October 23rd. That has outperformed the fund's ETF Database Category in that time. What's more, the strategy has also outperformed over one, three, and five year periods, as well. The fund could present an appealing option for those looking to add AI innovation from another angle to their portfolios.
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The ROBO Global Artificial Intelligence Index is the underlying index for the ROBO Global Artificial Intelligence ETF (THNQ) and the L&G Artificial Intelligence UCITS ETF (AIAI.LN).