Shares of Rigetti Computing (RGTI) are soaring 8.81% during Thursday's intraday trading session, as the quantum computing sector experiences a broad-based rally. The significant uptick in RGTI's stock price follows a strong pre-market performance and comes on the heels of impressive first-quarter results from industry peer D-Wave Quantum.

The surge in Rigetti Computing's stock is part of a larger trend observed across the quantum computing sector. D-Wave Quantum, a leader in the industry, reported record first-quarter revenue and a narrower quarterly loss, sending its shares skyrocketing by 34%. This positive sentiment has spilled over to other quantum computing stocks, with companies like Quantum Computing Inc. (QUBT) and IonQ Inc. (IONQ) also seeing notable gains.

Investors appear to be showing increased interest in quantum computing technologies, driven by the sector's potential for groundbreaking advancements. D-Wave's CEO Alan Baratz described their recent quarter as "arguably the most significant in D-Wave's history," highlighting achievements such as the sale of an Advantage quantum machine to a German supercomputing center. As the quantum computing industry continues to evolve and demonstrate real-world applications, stocks like Rigetti Computing may experience heightened volatility and investor attention in the coming months.