While artificial intelligence (AI) is all the rage in the tech investing realm right now, quantum computing is the next emerging technology. Quantum computing could change what technologies are feasible, including some aspects of AI. If it can successfully be developed to commercial viability, this technology will take the world by storm, and investors will want to be positioned to take advantage of its growth years in advance of when it actually occurs, as the market will price huge anticipated growth into shares as that hoped-for success gets closer. Indeed, many quantum computing stocks have already experienced huge run-ups, including D-Wave Quantum (QBTS 2.83%). Since the start of 2024, D-Wave's stock is up an incredible 1,460%. While that sounds like an impressive gain (and it is), at its peak last fall, D-Wave was up nearly 5,000%. This makes me wonder if the stock could return to that peak in the near future. Is it too late to buy D-Wave Quantum's stock? Or is now a perfect time? D-Wave is taking a different approach to quantum computing Most of the companies attempting to develop quantum computers are focused on relatively general-purpose machines. D-Wave Quantum isn't. It's working on a technology known as quantum annealing, which is designed to find the lowest or nearly the lowest energy states in a system. This makes it perfect for finding solutions for optimization problems like those that come up in logistic networks and AI inference. While the variety of tasks for which a quantum annealing system would be suitable is limited compared to what a general-purpose quantum computer would be useful for, D-Wave's technology could be applied to some of the areas where quantum computing is expected to be brought to bear first. In fact, D-Wave has already used its systems to help multiple businesses