Shares of quantum computing company IonQ ( IONQ 5.48%) raced higher this week. The stock was up by 28.5% as of Friday morning, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Several stocks across the quantum computing industry fell sharply Wednesday after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the technology is likely still years away.

Canadian pension manager PSP just sold nearly 20 million shares of quantum-computing firm D-Wave. It plans to sell another 20 million.

This is what's happening on Wednesday, as quantum computing investors cheer some kind words from Microsoft's strategic missions and technologies chief, Mitra Azizirad, who last night urged quantum investors to get ready, because "we are right on the cusp of seeing quantum computers solve meaningful problems and capture new business value."

Interactive Brokers highlighted investors snapping up quantum computing stocks such as IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) over the past frenzied week in the space. IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) and D-Wave Quantum (NYSE:QBTS) ascended into the fifth and 13th spots on the trading platform’s 25 most-active symbols over the past week,

Rigetti Computing and D-Wave Quantum, the second- and fourth-biggest gainers in the Russell 3000 Index on Tuesday, were up 22% and 24%, respectively. Peers Quantum Computing and I

Therefore, Huang's prediction that quantum computers won't go mainstream for 15 to 30 years sounds reasonable. It took Nvidia about two decades for its gaming and professional vis