Rigetti Computing's stock surged 5.21% during pre-market trading on Thursday, as positive analyst coverage and growing optimism around the quantum computing sector fueled investor interest.

The movement follows the publication of an interview with Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Troy Jensen, who covers quantum computing stocks including Rigetti. In the interview, Jensen expressed a shift from skepticism to belief in the quantum computing industry's potential for commercialization. He specifically mentioned Rigetti Computing as a company he rates "Buy" and discussed how the presence of industry giants like IBM and Google in the superconducting quantum computing space—the same methodology Rigetti specializes in—creates standards and accelerates development for all players.

Jensen highlighted that quantum computing is approaching key technical milestones and could begin solving previously unsolvable problems within the next one to two years. This growing confidence in the sector's timeline and the specific positive mention of Rigetti appear to have driven the pre-market rally for the quantum computing company.