Investors always are on the lookout for the next great technology or innovation that could transform the world. They aim to invest early and benefit as the story develops and goes on to generate growth. This happened in the area of artificial intelligence (AI), as these stocks led indexes higher last year and continue to gain this year.

Today, quantum computing may represent a similar opportunity. Like AI, quantum computing could be a game changer. It's at an even earlier stage of development, with real-world use cases a bit farther down the road. This offers investors time to get in on these stocks and share in their potential successes.

Quantum computing is based on the principles of quantum mechanics, involving the behavior of subatomic particles to solve problems. These computers have the ability to scale exponentially, allowing them to address questions out of reach for today's classical computers.

The field still faces certain challenges, such as accuracy and the ability to readily scale up quantum platforms for widespread use, so investing in a pure-play quantum company today comes with some risk. But here's the good news: You can invest in quantum companies and still play it safe by getting in on the following two great buys right now.

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1. Alphabet

You may know Alphabet (GOOG -0.27%) (GOOGL -0.22%) for its ownership of a tool you use daily -- Google Search -- or its Google Cloud business. That's why this particular company makes a safe quantum computing bet. It already generates billions of dollars in revenue, thanks to those businesses, and future prospects there are strong, too.

Innovator Alphabet also has gotten in on the quantum computing business and announced a big achievement late last year. The company presented its Willow quantum chip and said it has the ability to reduce errors when scaling up with more qubits, or the elements that store and process data. This is an important point since, as mentioned above, errors have been a challenge for quantum systems.

Alphabet's Willow also showed its strength by quickly performing a computation that would have taken one of today's supercomputers a time that surpasses the age of the universe. Alphabet says it expects the Willow line of chips to reach the goal of showing the usefulness of quantum computing in real world problems. It's also important to note that, with Alphabet's more than $23 billion in cash, the company can support research and development in this area.

Today, Alphabet trades for about 18x forward earnings estimates, down from more than 20x a few months ago. That looks dirt cheap for this profitable business, which also may deliver quantum computing growth.

2. Microsoft

Like Alphabet, Microsoft (MSFT -1.02%) offers you the opportunity to get in on a profitable well-established tech giant and, at the same time, bet on the future of quantum computing. Microsoft has a long track record of earnings growth, thanks to its software and cloud services businesses -- but the company also continues to innovate in new areas such as AI and quantum computing.

Earlier this year, Microsoft presented its Majorana 1 quantum chip, one that it expects to bring quantum computing to the forefront in a matter of years -- a much shorter time period than the decades spoken of by some industry experts. This chip uses a new material that allows for the production of more reliable qubits that can scale.

On top of this, Microsoft also launched a "quantum ready" program to help companies prepare to apply quantum to their businesses. The program assists customers in a variety of ways, from building practical applications to accessing quantum computers for the testing of various problems.

Microsoft is positioning itself to potentially become a quantum technology leader as it develops chips, but also to work closely with customers in a consulting role.

Meanwhile, like Alphabet, Microsoft's main business continues to see revenue climb, so investors can benefit from this growth as the newer quantum story unfolds. Today, Microsoft shares trade for 32x forward earnings estimates, down from 36x just last month. This offers investors a solid buying opportunity for a tech leader that also may win in quantum computing down the road.