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Risk Overview Q2, 2026
Risk Distribution
38% Finance & Corporate
28% Tech & Innovation
12% Legal & Regulatory
10% Production
8% Ability to Sell
4% Macro & Political
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
This chart displays the stock's most recent risk distribution according to category. TipRanks has identified 6 major categories: Finance & corporate, legal & regulatory, macro & political, production, tech & innovation, and ability to sell.
Risk Change Over Time
S&P500 Average
Sector Average
Risks removed
Risks added
Risks changed
Quantum Computing Risk Factors
New Risk (0)
Risk Changed (0)
Risk Removed (0)
No changes from previous report
The chart shows the number of risks a company has disclosed. You can compare this to the sector average or S&P 500 average.
The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.
The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.
Risk Highlights Q2, 2026
Main Risk Category
Finance & Corporate
With 19 Risks
Finance & Corporate
With 19 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
50
+3
From last reportS&P 500 Average: 31
50
+3
From last reportS&P 500 Average: 31
Recent Changes
4Risks added
0Risks removed
2Risks changed
Since Jun 2026
4Risks added
0Risks removed
2Risks changed
Since Jun 2026
Number of Risk Changed
2
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 1
2
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 1
See the risk highlights of Quantum Computing in the last period.
Risk Word Cloud
The most common phrases about risk factors from the most recent report. Larger texts indicate more widely used phrases.
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 50
Finance & Corporate
Total Risks: 19/50 (38%)Above Sector Average
Share Price & Shareholder Rights6 | 12.0%
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
Our articles of incorporation grant the Board the power to issue additional shares of common and preferred shares and to designate other classes of preferred shares, all without stockholder approval.Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
Our executive officers and directors possess significant voting power with respect to our common stock, which will limit your influence on corporate matters.As of February 27, 2026, our directors and executive officers collectively beneficially own approximately 12.4% of the shares of our common stock including the beneficial ownership of Dr. Yuping Huang of 10.9% of the shares of our common stock.
As a result, our insiders have the ability to significantly influence our management and affairs through the election and removal of the members of our board of directors (the "Board") and all other matters requiring stockholder approval, including any future merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. This concentrated voting power could discourage others from initiating any potential merger, takeover or other change-of-control transaction that may otherwise be beneficial to our stockholders. Furthermore, this concentrated control will limit the practical effect of your influence over our business and affairs, through any stockholder vote or otherwise. Any of these effects could depress the market price of our common stock.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
You may experience dilution of your ownership interest due to the future issuance of additional shares of our common stock.We are in a capital-intensive business and we do not have sufficient funds to finance the growth of our business or the costs of our development projects or to support our projected capital expenditures indefinitely. As a result, we will very likely require additional funds from future equity or debt financings, which may include the issuance of shares of preferred stock, convertible debt, or warrants to purchase shares of common stock, to purchase capital equipment, complete the development of new products and pay the general and administrative costs of our business. We may in the future issue our previously authorized and unissued securities, resulting in the dilution of the ownership interests of holders of our common stock. We are currently authorized to issue 250,000,000 shares of common stock. The potential issuance of additional shares of common stock or of preferred stock or convertible debt may create downward pressure on the market price of our common stock. We may also issue additional shares of common stock or other securities that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock in the future for capital raising purposes or for other business purposes. Our future issuance of a substantial number of shares of common stock or the sale of a substantial number of shares in the public market, or the perception that such issuances or sales could occur, could adversely affect the prevailing market price of our common stock. A decline in the market price of our common stock could make it more difficult to raise funds through future offerings of our common stock or securities convertible into common stock.
In addition, these new securities could contain provisions, such as priorities on distributions and voting rights, that could affect the value of our existing shares of common stock.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
Future sales of shares of our common stock, or the perception in the public markets that these sales may occur, may depress our stock price.The market price of our common stock could decline significantly as a result of sales of a large number of shares of our common stock. In addition, if our significant stockholders sell a large number of shares, or if we issue a large number of shares, the market price of our stock could decline. Any issuance of additional common stock by us in the future, or warrants or options to purchase our common stock, if exercised, would result in dilution to our existing stockholders. Such issuances could be made at a price that reflects a discount or a premium to the then-current trading price of our common stock. Moreover, the perception in the public market that stockholders might sell shares of our stock or that we could make a significant issuance of additional common stock in the future could depress the market for our shares. These sales, or the perception that these sales might occur, could depress the market price of our common stock or make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5
Our stock price has been and may continue to be volatile or may decline regardless of our operating performance, and you may lose part or all of your investment.The market price of our common stock has in the past and may going forward fluctuate widely in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control, including:
- actions by competitors;- actual or anticipated growth rates relative to our competitors;- the public's response to press releases or other public announcements by us or third parties, including our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC");- economic, legal and regulatory factors unrelated to our performance;- any future guidance that we may provide to the public, any changes in such guidance or any difference between our guidance and actual results;- changes in financial estimates or recommendations by any securities analysts who follow our common stock;- speculation by the press or investment community regarding our business;- litigation;- changes in key personnel; and - future sales of our common stock by our officers, directors and significant stockholders.
In addition, the stock markets, including the Nasdaq on which our common stock is listed, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. These broad market fluctuations may materially affect our stock price, regardless of our operating results. Furthermore, the market for our common stock historically has been limited and we cannot assure you that an active trading market will ever be developed or maintained. The price at which investors purchase shares of our common stock may not be indicative of the price that will prevail in the trading market. Market fluctuations and volatility, as well as general economic, market and political conditions, could reduce our market price. As a result, these factors may make it more difficult or impossible for you to sell your shares of our common stock for a positive return on your investment. In the past, stockholders have instituted securities class action litigation following periods of market volatility. If we were involved in securities litigation, we could incur substantial costs and our resources and the attention of management could be diverted from our business.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6
Shares of our currently issued and outstanding stock may become freely tradable pursuant to Rule 144 and may dilute the market for your shares and have a depressive effect on the price of the shares of our common stock.Some of our outstanding shares of common stock are "restricted securities" within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. In addition, we have issued or obligated to issue options to purchase common stock pursuant to certain employment, director and consultant agreements which shares of common stock, when purchased pursuant to the exercise of such options, would also be considered "restricted securities." As restricted securities, these shares may be resold only pursuant to an effective registration statement or in accordance with the requirements of Rule 144 or other applicable exemptions from registration under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. Rule 144 provides in essence that an Affiliate (as such term is defined in Rule 144(a)(1)) of an issuer who has held restricted securities for a period of at least six months may, under certain conditions, sell every three months, in brokerage transactions, a number of shares that does not exceed the greater of 1% of the issuer's outstanding shares of common stock or the average weekly trading volume during the four calendar weeks prior to the sale. Rule 144 also permits, under certain circumstances, the sale of securities, without any limitation, by a person who is not an Affiliate of the issuer and who has satisfied a one-year holding period. The resale of significant amounts of our common stock under Rule 144 or under any other exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act, if available, or pursuant to subsequent registrations of shares of our common stock, could cause the market price of our shares of common stock to decline significantly.
Accounting & Financial Operations8 | 16.0%
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1
Delays in filing financial reports, internal control weaknesses, and restatements could hinder our ability to maintain Form S-3 eligibility and adversely affect our business and stock price.Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2
We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and may identify additional material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal control, which may result in material misstatements of our financial statements or cause us to fail to meet our periodic reporting obligations.We have identified material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024 and 2023. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Please see Item 9A. Controls and Procedures included elsewhere in this Annual Report for more information about identified material weaknesses.
We are in the process of designing and implementing measures to improve our internal controls over financial reporting to remediate the material weaknesses described in Item 9A. Controls and Procedures, primarily by implementing additional review procedures within our accounting and finance department, hiring additional personnel within the Company's accounting and finance function, designing and implementing information technology and application controls in our financially significant systems, providing internal resources with enhanced access to accounting literature and research materials, engaging additional external accounting experts to supplement our internal resources and increasing communication with third-party professionals with whom we consult regarding the application of accounting standards on complex transactions and instruments.
While we are designing and implementing measures to remediate the material weaknesses, we cannot predict the success of such measures or the outcome of our assessment of these measures at this time. We can give no assurance that these measures will remediate the weaknesses in internal control or that additional material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting will not be identified in the future. Our failure to implement and maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting could result in errors in our financial statements that may lead to a restatement of our financial statements or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. Further, any failure to implement and maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting, information technology and management processes could adversely affect our financial results and the assessments by our independent registered public accounting firm and their attestation reports, if applicable. Additionally, Astra may not be able to complete our evaluation, testing and any required remediation in a timely fashion. Finally, our current controls and any new controls that we develop may become inadequate because of poor design and changes in our business, including increased complexity resulting from any international expansion.
To comply with the requirements of being a public company, we are undertaking various actions and expect to need to undertake additional actions, such as implementing new internal controls and procedures and hiring additional accounting or internal audit staff. Failure to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act could potentially subject us to sanctions or investigations by the SEC, the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC ("Nasdaq") or other regulatory authorities, which would require additional financial and management resources.
If we are unable to certify the effectiveness of our internal controls, or if our internal controls have material weaknesses, we may not detect errors in a timely manner, our financial statements could be misstated, we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny and a loss of confidence by stakeholders, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations and adversely affect the market price of our securities. We may also face litigation as a result of the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. Any such litigation, whether successful or not, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 3
We currently do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock. As a result, your only opportunity to achieve a return on your investment is if the price of our common stock appreciates.We currently do not expect to declare or pay dividends on our common stock. In addition, in the future we may enter into agreements that prohibit or restrict our ability to declare or pay dividends on our common stock. As a result, your only opportunity to achieve a return on your investment will be if the market price of our common stock appreciates and you sell your shares at a profit.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 4
Our ability to use net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes may be limited in connection with the QPhoton Merger or other ownership changes.We have incurred losses during our history, do not expect to become profitable in the near future and may never achieve profitability. To the extent that we continue to generate taxable losses, unused losses will carry forward to offset future taxable income, if any, until such unused losses expire, if at all.
Under current law, U.S. federal net operating loss carryforwards generated in taxable periods beginning after December 31, 2017, may be carried forward indefinitely, but the deductibility of such net operating loss carryforwards in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2020, is limited to 80% of taxable income, or less. It is uncertain if and to what extent various states will conform to the current law.
In addition, our net operating loss carryforwards are subject to review and possible adjustment by the IRS, and state tax authorities. Under Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), our federal net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes will become subject to an annual limitation in the event of certain cumulative changes in the ownership of the Company. An "ownership change" pursuant to Section 382 of the Code generally occurs if one or more stockholders or groups of stockholders who own at least 5% of a company's stock increase their ownership by more than 50 percentage points over their lowest ownership percentage within a rolling three-year period. Similar rules apply under state tax laws. Our ability to utilize our federal net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes to offset future taxable income or tax liabilities may be limited as a result of ownership changes, including potential changes in connection with the QPhoton Merger, the acquisition of Luminar Semiconductor, Inc., or other transactions. Similar rules may apply under state tax laws.
If we earn taxable income, such limitations could result in increased future income tax liability and our future cash flows could be adversely affected. We have recorded a valuation allowance related to our net operating loss carryforwards and other deferred tax assets due to the uncertainty of the ultimate realization of the future benefits of those assets.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 5
Failure to identify errors in the quantitative models we utilize to manage our business could adversely impact product performance and client relationships.We employ various quantitative models to manage our business. Any errors in the underlying models or model assumptions could have unanticipated and adverse consequences on our business and reputation.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 6
We have a history of accumulated deficits, recurring losses and negative cash flows from operating activities. We may be unable to achieve or sustain profitability or continue operations as planned.We are an early-stage company and we have not generated any material revenues to offset our operating expenses. We incurred negative cash flows from operating activities and recurring net losses in fiscal years 2025, 2024 and 2023. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, our accumulated deficit was $219.2 million and $200.5 million, respectively. If we are unable to generate significant revenues in future periods, we will not be able to achieve profitability, and even if we achieve profitability, we may be unable to maintain it. Beyond this, we may incur significant losses in the future for a number of reasons including other risks described in this document, and we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other unknown events. Accordingly, we may not ever achieve profitability.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 7
We have a history of operating losses and expect to incur significant expenses and continuing losses for the foreseeable future.We incurred net losses each year since 2018 and we expect to continue to incur operating and net losses for the foreseeable future and may never achieve or sustain profitability, even if we begin generating significant revenue from our products and services, which may never occur. Even with significant production, we may never become profitable from the sale of our products and services.
We expect to incur significantly higher losses in future periods as we continue to incur significant expenses in connection with the design, development and manufacturing of our quantum computers and other products and services, and as we expand our research and development activities, invest in manufacturing capabilities, build up inventories of components for our quantum computers and other products, increase our sales and marketing activities, develop our infrastructure, and increase our general and administrative functions to support our growing operations. We may find that these efforts are more expensive than we currently anticipate or that these efforts may not result in revenues, which would further increase our losses. If we are unable to achieve and/or sustain profitability, or if we are unable to achieve the growth that we expect from these investments, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Our business model is unproven and may never allow us to cover our costs.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 8
We are in our early stages and have a limited operating history, which makes it difficult to forecast the future results of our operations.QCi was formed in 2018 and merged with QPhoton in June 2022. As a result of our limited operating history, our ability to accurately forecast our future results of operations is limited, inherently uncertain and subject to numerous factors outside our control, including our ability to plan for and model future growth. Our ability to generate revenues will largely be dependent on our ability to develop and produce a suite of products based on quantum photonic technologies, with steadily increasing capabilities. Our technical roadmap may not be realized as quickly as hoped, or even at all. As a result, our historical results should not be considered indicative of our future performance. Further, in future periods, our growth could slow or decline for a number of reasons, including but not limited to slowing demand for our quantum products and services, increased competition, changes to technology, our inability to scale up our technology, a decrease in the growth of the market, or our failure, for any reason, to continue to take advantage of growth opportunities.
We have also encountered, and will continue to encounter, risks and uncertainties frequently experienced by growing companies in rapidly changing industries. If our assumptions regarding these risks and uncertainties and our future growth are incorrect or change, or if we do not address these risks successfully, our operating and financial results could differ materially from our expectations, and our business could suffer. Our success as a business ultimately relies upon fundamental research and development breakthroughs in the coming years. There is no certainty these research and development milestones will be achieved as quickly as hoped, or even at all.
Debt & Financing1 | 2.0%
Debt & Financing - Risk 1
We will require a significant amount of cash for expenditures as we invest in ongoing research and development and business operations and may need additional capital sooner than planned to pursue our business objectives and respond to business opportunities, challenges or unforeseen circumstances, and we cannot be sure that additional financing will be available. If we are unable to raise additional funding when needed, we may be required to delay, limit or substantially reduce our development efforts.Changed
Corporate Activity and Growth4 | 8.0%
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1
We intend to continue exploring strategic business acquisitions and other business combinations and transactions, which are subject to inherent risks.Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2
We may not be able to scale our business quickly enough to meet customer and market demand, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations or cause us to fail to execute on our business strategies.In order to grow our business, we will need to continually evolve and scale our business and operations to meet customer and market demand. Quantum computing technology has never been sold at large-scale commercial levels. Evolving and scaling our business and operations places increased demands on our management as well as our financial and operational resources to:
- attract new customers and grow our customer base;- maintain and increase the rates at which existing customers use our platform, sell additional products and services to our existing customers, and reduce customer churn;- invest in our platform and product offerings;- effectively manage organizational change;- accelerate and/or refocus research and development activities;- expand manufacturing and supply chain capacity;- increase sales and marketing efforts;- broaden customer support and services capabilities;- maintain or increase operational efficiencies;- implement appropriate operational and financial systems; and - establish and maintain effective financial controls and procedures.
Commercial adoption of quantum computing technology is uncertain and may never occur. We have no experience in producing large quantities of our products and are currently constructing advanced generations of our products. There are significant technological challenges associated with developing, producing, marketing and selling products and services in the high-performance computing industry, including our products and services, and we may not be able to resolve all of the difficulties that may arise in a timely or cost-effective manner, or at all. We may not be able to cost effectively manage production at a scale or quality consistent with customer demand in a timely or economical manner.
Our ability to scale is dependent also upon components that we must source from multiple countries, including China. Our supply chain could be adversely affected by geopolitical tensions, export controls, trade restrictions, tariffs or other changes in U.S. or foreign government policies affecting cross-border commerce. Shortages or supply interruptions in any of these components will adversely impact our ability to generate revenues. Recent tensions between the United States and China have resulted in the U.S.'s imposition of a series of tariffs and other restrictions on imports from China and sourcing from certain Chinese persons or entities, as well as other business restrictions. Further, deterioration in the political relationship between the U.S. and China may result in loss of access to suppliers of key components with little or no warning, which would adversely affect our ability to develop and manufacture our products. We are actively searching for alternative suppliers outside of China, including in the United States, but there is no assurance that we can locate comparable components at reasonable prices within the desired timeframes.
If we commence large-scale development of our quantum computers and other products, they may contain defects in design and manufacture that may cause them to not perform as expected or that may require repair and design changes. Our quantum computers are inherently complex and incorporate technology and components that may not have been used for computing products and that may contain defects and errors, particularly when first introduced. We have a limited frame of reference from which to evaluate the long-term performance of our computers. There can be no assurance that we will be able to detect and fix any defects in our quantum computers in a timely manner that does not disrupt our services to our customers. If our technology fails to perform as expected, customers may seek out a competitor or turn away from quantum computing entirely, each of which could adversely affect our sales and brand and could adversely affect our business, prospects and results of operations. If defects in our technology lead to erroneous outputs, third parties relying on those outputs may draw from them erroneous conclusions, creating a risk that we will be liable to those third parties.
If we cannot evolve and scale our business and operations effectively, we may not be able to execute our business strategies in a cost-effective manner and our business, financial condition, profitability and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 3
We may not manage growth effectively.Our failure to manage growth effectively could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. We anticipate that a period of significant expansion will be required to address potential growth. This expansion will place a significant strain on our management, operational and financial resources. Expansion will require significant cash investments and management resources and there is no guarantee that they will generate additional sales of our products or services, or that we will be able to avoid cost overruns or be able to hire additional personnel to support us. In addition, we will also need to ensure our compliance with regulatory requirements in various jurisdictions applicable to the sale, installation and servicing of our products. To manage the growth of our operations and personnel, we must establish and maintain appropriate and scalable operational and financial systems, procedures and controls and a qualified finance, administrative and operations staff. We may be unable to acquire the necessary capabilities and personnel required to manage growth or to identify, manage and exploit potential strategic relationships and market opportunities.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 4
Acquisitions or divestitures could result in adverse impacts on our operations.In order to grow our business, we may acquire additional assets or companies. For example, we acquired Luminar in February 2026. In connection with these acquisitions or any future acquisitions, there can be no assurance that we will be able to identify, acquire or obtain the required regulatory approvals, or profitably manage the additional businesses or successfully integrate any acquired businesses, products, or technologies without substantial expenses, delays or other operational, regulatory or financial problems. In addition, any acquired businesses, products or technologies may not achieve anticipated revenues and income growth.
Further, acquisitions may involve a number of additional risks, including diversion of management's attention, failure to retain key personnel, or failure to attract the necessary talent to manage organizational growth. We may become responsible for unexpected liabilities that were not discovered or disclosed in the course of due diligence in connection with historical acquisitions and any future acquisitions. Additionally, acquisitions with international operations expose us to greater international business risks. If we do not realize the expected benefits or synergies of an acquisition, such as revenue gains or cost reductions, there could be a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
We may also seek to divest portions of our businesses which may no longer be aligned with our strategic initiatives and long-term objectives. Various factors could materially affect our ability to successfully do so, including the availability of buyers willing to purchase the assets on terms acceptable to us, difficulties in the separation of operations, the diversion of management's attention from other business concerns, the disruption of our business, the potential loss of key employees, and the retention of uncertain contingent liabilities related to the divested business. We cannot assure that we will be successful in managing these or any other significant risks that we encounter in divesting a business or product line, and any divestiture we undertake could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Tech & Innovation
Total Risks: 14/50 (28%)Above Sector Average
Innovation / R&D3 | 6.0%
Innovation / R&D - Risk 1
We have not produced any of our products at volume and we face significant barriers in our attempts to develop and manufacture our products, including the need to invent and develop new technology. If we cannot successfully overcome those barriers, our business will be negatively impacted and could fail.Innovation / R&D - Risk 2
The quantum computing industry is in its early stages and volatile, and if it does not develop, if it develops slower than we anticipate, if it encounters negative publicity or if our quantum computing products and services do not achieve commercial adoption, the growth of our business will be harmed.The nascent market for quantum computers is still rapidly evolving, characterized by rapidly changing technologies, competitive pricing and competitive factors, evolving government regulation and industry standards, and changing customer demands and behaviors. Our success will depend to a substantial extent on the willingness of our potential customers to use, and increase their utilization of, our products and services, as well as on our ability to demonstrate the value of quantum computing to their respective organization, government agencies, and other purchasers of quantum computing offerings. Negative publicity concerning our products and services or the quantum computing industry as a whole could limit market acceptance of our offerings. If our clients and partners do not perceive the benefits of our products and services, or if they do not drive customer engagement, then our market may not develop at all, or it may develop more slowly than we expect. Similarly, individual and industry concerns or negative publicity regarding technophobic views in the context of quantum computing could limit market acceptance of our quantum computing products and services. If any of these events occur, our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results could be harmed.
In addition, our growth and future demand for our products is highly dependent upon the adoption by developers and customers of quantum computers, as well as on our ability to demonstrate the value of quantum computing to our customers. Delays in future generations of our quantum computers or technical failures at other quantum computing companies could limit acceptance of our products and services. Negative publicity concerning our products and services or the quantum computing industry as a whole could limit acceptance of our products and services. While we believe that quantum computing will solve many large-scale problems, it is possible that such problems may never be solvable by quantum computing technology. If our customers and partners do not see the benefits of our products and services, or if our products and services do not drive commercial sales, then demand for our products and services may not develop at all, or it may develop slower than we expect. If any of these events occur, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Innovation / R&D - Risk 3
Even if we are successful in developing our products and executing our strategy, competitors in the industry may achieve technological breakthroughs that render our quantum computing systems obsolete or inferior to other products.Our continued growth and success depend on our ability to innovate and develop quantum computing technology in a timely manner and effectively market these products. Without timely innovation and development, our quantum computing products and services could be rendered obsolete or less competitive by changing customer preferences or because of the introduction of a competitor's newer technologies. We believe that many competing technologies will require a technological breakthrough in one or more problems related to science, fundamental physics or manufacturing. While it is uncertain whether such technological breakthroughs will occur in the next several years, that does not preclude the possibility that such technological breakthroughs could eventually occur. Any technological breakthroughs that render our technology obsolete or inferior to other products could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Trade Secrets4 | 8.0%
Trade Secrets - Risk 1
We may not be able to protect our source code from copying if there is an unauthorized disclosure of source code.Trade Secrets - Risk 2
We may face patent infringement and other intellectual property claims that could be costly to defend, result in injunctions and significant damage awards, or limit our ability to use certain key technologies in the future, all of which could harm our business.Our success depends, in part, on our ability to develop and commercialize our products and services without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the intellectual property rights of third parties. However, we may not be aware that our products, services or technologies are infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating third-party intellectual property rights and such third parties may bring claims alleging such infringement, misappropriation or violation.
For example, there may be issued patents of which we are unaware, held by third parties that, if found to be valid and enforceable, could be alleged to be infringed by our current or future products, services or technologies. Also, because patent applications can take years to issue and are often afforded confidentiality for some period of time, there may currently be pending applications, unknown to us, that later result in issued patents that could cover our current or future products, services or technologies. The strength of our defenses will depend on the rights asserted, the interpretation of these rights, and our ability to invalidate the asserted rights. However, we could be unsuccessful in advancing non-infringement and/or invalidity arguments in our defense.
Although we carry general liability insurance, our insurance may not cover potential claims of this type or may not be adequate to indemnify us for all liability that may be imposed. We cannot predict the outcome of lawsuits and cannot ensure that the results of any such actions will not have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Even if the claims do not result in litigation or are resolved in our favor, these claims, and the time and resources necessary to resolve them, could divert the resources of our management and harm our business and operating results. Further, there could be public announcements of the intellectual property litigation, and if securities analysts, investors or others perceive the potential impact to be negative or risks to be substantial, it could have an adverse effect on the price of our common stock. The occurrence of infringement claims may grow as the market for our products, services and technologies grows. Accordingly, our exposure to damages resulting from infringement claims could increase and this could further exhaust our financial and management resources.
Trade Secrets - Risk 3
Our inability to secure patent protection or enforce our patent rights could have a material adverse effect on our ability to prevent others from commercializing similar products or technology.The application and registration of patents involves complex legal and factual questions. As a result, we cannot be certain that the patent applications that we file will result in patents being issued or that our patents (including licensed patents) and any future patents that do issue will afford protection against competitors with similar technology. Numerous patents and pending patent applications owned by others exist in the fields in which we have developed and are developing our products and services, and this may make it difficult for us to obtain certain patent coverage on our own. Any of our existing or pending patents may also be challenged by others on the basis that they are otherwise invalid or unenforceable. Furthermore, patent applications filed in foreign countries are subject to laws, rules and procedures that differ from those of the United States, and thus we cannot be certain that foreign patent applications related to issued U.S. patents will be issued.
Even if our patent applications succeed, it is still uncertain whether these patents (or any of the issued patents exclusively licensed to us) will be contested, circumvented, invalidated, found to be unenforceable or limited in scope in the future. The rights granted under any issued patents may not provide us with meaningful protection or competitive advantages. The intellectual property rights of others could bar us from licensing and exploiting any patents that issue from our pending applications, and the claims under any patents that issue from our patent applications may not be broad enough to prevent others from developing technologies that are similar or that achieve results similar to ours. In addition, patents issued to us may be infringed upon or designed around by others and others may obtain patents that we need to license or design around, either of which would increase costs and may adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.
Trade Secrets - Risk 4
Any failure to obtain, maintain and protect our intellectual property rights could impair our ability to protect and commercialize our proprietary products and technology and cause us to lose our competitive advantage.Our success depends, in significant part, on our ability to obtain, maintain, enforce and defend our intellectual property rights, including patents and trade secrets. We rely upon a combination of the intellectual property protections afforded by patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws in the United States and other jurisdictions, as well as license agreements and other contractual protections, to establish, maintain and enforce rights in our proprietary technologies. In addition, we seek to protect our intellectual property rights through nondisclosure and invention assignment agreements with our employees and consultants and through non-disclosure agreements with business partners and other third parties.
However, we may not be able to prevent unauthorized use of our intellectual property. Our trade secrets may also be compromised, which could cause us to lose our competitive advantage. Third parties may attempt to copy or otherwise obtain, use or infringe our intellectual property.
Monitoring and detecting unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult and costly, and the steps we have taken or take in the future to prevent infringement or misappropriation may not be sufficient. Any enforcement efforts we undertake, including litigation, could be time-consuming and expensive and could divert management's attention, which could harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition. In addition, existing intellectual property laws and contractual remedies may afford less protection than needed to safeguard our intellectual property portfolio, and third parties may develop competitive offerings in a manner that leaves us with limited means to enforce our intellectual property rights against them.
Patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws vary significantly throughout the world. A number of foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as do the laws of the United States. Therefore, our intellectual property rights may not be as strong or as easily enforced outside of the United States and efforts to protect against the unauthorized use of our intellectual property rights, technology and other proprietary rights may be more expensive and difficult outside of the United States.
Failure to adequately protect our intellectual property rights could result in our competitors using our intellectual property to offer products, potentially resulting in the loss of some of our competitive advantage and a decrease in our revenue, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.
Cyber Security2 | 4.0%
Cyber Security - Risk 1
Computer malware, viruses, hacking, phishing attacks and spamming could harm our business and results of operations.Cyber Security - Risk 2
Cybersecurity risks and the failure to maintain the integrity of data belonging to the Company could expose us to data loss, litigation and liability, and our reputation could be significantly harmed.We may from time to time collect and retain large volumes of data relating to our business and from our customers for business purposes, including for transactional and promotional purposes, and our various information technology systems enter, process, summarize and report such data. The integrity and protection of this data is critical to our business. Maintaining compliance with the evolving regulations and requirements applicable to data security and information privacy protection could be difficult and may increase our expenses. In addition, a penetrated or compromised data system or the intentional, inadvertent or negligent release or disclosure of data could result in theft, loss or fraudulent or unlawful use of data relating to our company or our employees, independent distributors or preferred customers, which could harm our reputation, disrupt our operations, or result in remedial and other costs, fines or lawsuits.
Remote work has become more common and has increased risks to our information technology systems and data, as more of our employees utilize network connections, computers and devices outside our premises or network, including working at home, while in transit and in public locations. In addition, future or past business transactions (such as acquisitions or integrations) could expose us to additional cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities, as our systems could be negatively affected by vulnerabilities present in acquired or integrated entities' systems and technologies. Furthermore, we may discover security issues that were not found during due diligence of such acquired or integrated entities, and it may be difficult to integrate companies into our information technology environment and security program.
Technology5 | 10.0%
Technology - Risk 1
Our quantum computing systems may not be compatible with some or all industry-standard software and hardware in the future, which could harm our business.Technology - Risk 2
Growing our customer base depends upon the effective operation of our applications with operating systems, networks and standards that we do not control.We will be dependent on the interoperability of our applications with operating systems that we do not control, and any changes in such systems that degrade our potential products' functionality or give preferential treatment to competitive products could adversely affect the usage of our applications on quantum processing units. Additionally, in order to deliver high quality products, it is important that our products work well with a range of quantum computers, conventional computers, systems, networks and standards that we do not control. We may not be successful in developing relationships with key participants in the quantum computing industry or in developing products that operate effectively with these technologies, systems, networks or standards.
Technology - Risk 3
Our use of generative AI tools may pose risks to our proprietary software and systems and subject us to legal liability.Added
We use generative AI tools in our business, and we expect to use generative AI tools in the future, including to generate code and other materials incorporated into our products, proprietary software and systems, and for other internal and external uses. Generative AI refers to deep-learning models that can generate new data, such as text, images and other content, by analyzing and emulating existing data. Advanced generative AI tools, which may produce content indistinguishable from that generated by humans, are a relatively novel development, with benefits, risks and liabilities still unknown. Recent decisions of governmental entities and courts (such as the U.S. Copyright Office, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit) interpret U.S. copyright and patent law as limited to protecting works and inventions created by human authors and inventors, respectively. We are therefore unlikely to be able to obtain U.S. copyright or patent protection for works or inventions wholly created by a generative AI tool, and our ability to obtain U.S. copyright and patent protection for source code, text, images, inventions, or other materials, which are developed with some use of generative AI tools, may be limited, if available at all. Likewise, the availability of such IP protections in other countries is unclear. In addition, we may have little or no insight into and no control over the content and materials used by vendors to train these generative AI tools. There is ongoing litigation over whether the use of copyrighted materials to train the AI models used in these tools is lawful, and the impact of decisions in such litigation on our use of generative AI tools is unknown. Additionally, our use of third-party generative AI tools to develop source code, text, images, inventions, or other materials may expose us to greater risks than utilizing contracted human developers, as third-party generative AI vendors typically do not provide warranties or indemnities with respect to the output generated by such generative AI tools, and generative AI tools may also hallucinate, providing output that appears correct but is erroneous.
Additionally, while we employ practices designed to evaluate, track and mitigate risk around our use of third-party generative AI tools, our use of such tools may inadvertently violate a third party's rights, be non-compliant with the applicable terms of use or our other legal obligations, or result in a security or privacy risk or data leakage. Our use of this technology could result in additional compliance costs, regulatory investigations and actions, and lawsuits. For example, we may face claims from third parties claiming infringement of their intellectual property rights or mandatory compliance with open-source software or other license terms with respect to software or other materials or content we believed to be available for use and not subject to license terms or other third-party proprietary rights. Any of these claims could result in legal proceedings and could require us to purchase costly licenses, comply with the requirements of third-party licenses, or limit or cease using the implicated software or other materials or content, unless and until we can re-engineer such software, materials or content to avoid infringement or change the use of, or remove, the implicated third-party materials, which could reduce or eliminate the value of our technologies and services. Our use of generative AI tools to generate code may also present additional security risks because the generated source code may contain security vulnerabilities. Additionally, the vendors of these generative AI tools may fail to comply with their contractual obligations to us regarding the confidentiality or security of any data or other inputs provided to such vendor or outputs generated by their generative AI tools. Our sensitive information or that of our customers could be leaked, disclosed, or revealed as a result of or in connection with our employees', personnel's or vendors' use of third-party generative AI technologies.
Technology - Risk 4
We have experienced in the past and could also suffer future disruptions, outages, defects and other performance and quality problems with our quantum computing products and services, our production technology partners or with the public cloud, data centers and internet infrastructure on which we rely.Our business depends on our quantum computing systems being available through the cloud with a high level of reliability. We have experienced, and may in the future further experience, disruptions, outages, defects and other performance and quality problems with our systems. We have also experienced, and may in the future experience, disruptions, outages, defects and other performance and quality problems with the public cloud and internet infrastructure on which our systems rely. These problems can be caused by a variety of factors, including failed introductions of new functionality, vulnerabilities and defects in proprietary and open- source software, hardware components, human error or misconduct, capacity constraints, design limitations, denial of service attacks or other security-related incidents, foreign objects or debris, weather, construction, supply chain events, or accidents and other force majeure. We do not have a contractual right with our public cloud providers that compensates us for any losses due to availability interruptions in the public cloud.
Any disruptions, outages, defects and other performance and quality problems with our quantum computing system or with the public cloud, internet, and other infrastructure on which they rely could result in reduced use of our systems, increased expenses, including service credit obligations, and harm to our brand and reputation, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Technology - Risk 5
We rely on access to high-performance third-party classical computing through public clouds and high-performance computing centers to deliver quantum products and services to customers. We may not be able to maintain connectivity with these resources, which could make it harder for us to reach customers or deliver products and services in a cost-effective manner.Our products and services may from time to time incorporate high-performance classical computing through public clouds to provide services to end users and our partners. These public cloud services are predominantly on Amazon Web Services at the present time.
Any material change in our contractual and other business relationships with Amazon Web Services or other cloud providers could result in reduced use of our products and services, increased expenses, including service credit obligations, and harm our brand and reputation, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Further, if our contractual and other business relationships with our partners are terminated or suspended, either by our partner or by us, or suffer a material change to which we are unable to adapt, such as the elimination of services or features on which we depend, we would be unable to provide our quantum computing products and services business at the same scale and would experience significant delays and incur additional expense in transitioning customers to a different public cloud provider.
Legal & Regulatory
Total Risks: 6/50 (12%)Below Sector Average
Regulation3 | 6.0%
Regulation - Risk 1
We and the third parties with whom we work are subject to stringent and evolving U.S. and foreign laws, regulations and rules, contractual obligations, industry standards, policies and other obligations related to data privacy and security. Our (or the third parties with whom we work) actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations could lead to regulatory investigations or actions; litigation (including class claims) and mass arbitration demands; fines and penalties; disruptions of our business operations; reputational harm; loss of revenue or profits; loss of customers or sales; and other adverse business consequences.Added
Regulation - Risk 2
Government actions and regulations, such as tariffs and trade protection measures, especially in China and the United States, may adversely impact our business, including our ability to obtain products from our suppliersGovernment actions and regulations, such as tariffs and trade protection measures, may limit our ability to obtain products from our suppliers or sell our products and services to customers. Political challenges between the United States and countries in which our suppliers are located and changes to trade policies, including tariff rates and customs duties, trade relations between the United States and those countries and other macroeconomic issues could adversely impact our business. During the last few years, including under the new Presidential administration, the United States has imposed tariffs on certain products imported into the United States from China and some other countries, and China and some other countries have imposed tariffs on U.S. imports in response. The U.S. government continues to add additional entities, in China and elsewhere, to restricted party lists affecting the ability of U.S. companies to provide products and technology and, in certain cases, services, to these entities and, in some cases, to receive products, technology or services from these entities. The U.S. government also continues to increase end-use restrictions on the provision of products, technology and services to China and other countries including end-uses related to advanced computing. The new U.S. presidential administration has signaled its intention to use U.S. trade policy, including tariffs and other trade restrictions, as an important foreign policy tool presenting uncertainty regarding the impact of future trade policies on our business. As such, there is also a possibility of future tariffs, trade protection measures or other restrictions imposed on our products or on our customers by the United States, China or other countries that could have a material adverse effect on our business. Our technology could be deemed a matter of national security and, as such, our customer base could be tightly restricted. We also may accept government grants that place restrictions on the business' ability to operate. Any such actions could impact our business operations and have a material adverse effect on our business prospectus, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, the Chinese government exercises significant control over China's economy through the allocation of resources, control of the incurrence and payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting of monetary policy and provision of preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. Changes in any of these policies, laws and regulations could adversely affect the overall economy in China or our Chinese suppliers, which could harm our business through higher supply costs, reduced availability or both.
Also, due to concerns with the security of products and services from certain telecommunications equipment and services companies based in China, U.S. Congress has enacted bans on the use of certain Chinese-origin components or systems either in items sold to the U.S. government or in the internal networks of government contractors and subcontractors (even if those networks are not used for government-related projects). Further, the Chinese government has responded to these U.S. actions by developing an unreliable entity list, which may limit the ability of companies on the list to engage in business with Chinese counterparties.
In June 2022, the import restrictions contained in the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act ("UFLPA") became effective. The UFLPA creates a rebuttable presumption that any goods mined, produced or manufactured, wholly or in part, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region ("XUAR") of China, or produced by a listed entity, were made with forced labor and would therefore not be entitled to entry at any U.S. port. Importers may be required to present clear and convincing evidence that such goods are not made with forced labor. While we do not source items from the XUAR or from listed parties, and we have increased our supply chain diligence, there is risk that our ability to import components and products may be adversely affected by the UFLPA.
Given the relatively fluid regulatory environment in China and the United States and uncertainty regarding how the U.S. government or Chinese and other foreign governments will act with respect to tariffs and international trade agreements and policies, a trade war, further governmental action related to tariffs or international trade policies, or additional tax or other regulatory changes in the future could directly and adversely impact our financial results and results of operations. We cannot predict what actions may ultimately be taken with respect to trade relations between the United States and China or other countries, what products may be subject to such actions or what actions may be taken by the other countries in retaliation. If we are unable to obtain or use components for inclusion in our products, if component prices increase significantly or if we are unable to export or sell our products to any of our customers, our business, liquidity, financial condition and/or results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.
Regulation - Risk 3
We are subject to governmental export and import controls that could impair our ability to compete in international markets due to licensing requirements and subject us to liability if we are not in compliance with applicable laws.Our products, technology and services are subject to U.S. export control and import laws and regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations, U.S. Customs regulations, and various economic and trade sanctions regulations administered by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. U.S. export control and economic sanctions laws include restrictions or prohibitions on the sale or supply of certain products, technologies, and services to U.S. Government embargoed or sanctioned countries, governments, persons and entities. In addition, certain products and technology may be subject to export licensing or approval requirements. Exports of our products and technology must be made in compliance with export control and sanctions laws and regulations. If we fail to comply with these laws and regulations, we and certain of our employees could be subject to substantial civil or criminal penalties, including the possible loss of export or import privileges, fines that may be imposed on us and responsible employees or managers and, in extreme cases, the incarceration of responsible employees or managers.
In addition, various countries regulate the import of certain encryption technology, including through import permit and license requirements and have enacted laws that could limit our ability to distribute our products and technologies or could limit our end customers' ability to implement our services in those countries. Changes in our products or technologies or changes in applicable export or import laws and regulations also may create delays in the introduction and sale of our products and technologies in international markets or, in some cases, prevent the export or import of our products and technologies to certain countries, governments or persons altogether. Any change in export or import laws and regulations, shift in the enforcement or scope of existing laws and regulations, or change in the countries, governments, persons or technologies targeted by such laws and regulations could also result in decreased use of our products and services or in our decreased ability to export or sell our products and services to existing or potential customers. Any decreased use of our products and services or limitation on our ability to export or sell our products and services would likely adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We expect to incur significant costs in complying with these regulations. Regulations related to quantum computing are currently evolving and we face risks associated with changes to these regulations.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities2 | 4.0%
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 1
We may become subject to legal proceedings that could have a material adverse impact on our financial position and results of operations.Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 2
We may become subject to product liability claims, which could harm our financial condition and liquidity if we are not able to successfully defend or insure against such claims.We may become subject to product liability claims, even those without merit, which could harm our business prospects, operating results, and financial condition. We may face inherent risk of exposure to claims in the event that our products do not perform as expected or malfunction. A successful product liability claim against us could require us to pay a substantial monetary award. Moreover, a product liability claim could generate substantial negative publicity about our quantum computers and business and inhibit or prevent commercialization of other future quantum computers, which would have material adverse effects on our brand, business, prospects and operating results. Any insurance coverage might not be sufficient to cover all potential product liability claims. Any lawsuit seeking significant monetary damages either in excess of our coverage, or outside of our coverage, may have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business and financial condition. We may not be able to secure additional product liability insurance coverage on commercially acceptable terms or at reasonable costs when needed, particularly if we do face liability for our products and are forced to make a claim under our policy.
Environmental / Social1 | 2.0%
Environmental / Social - Risk 1
We have in the past failed, and may in the future, fail to achieve complete compliance with all of our privacy, data protection or security obligations, including contractual obligations with customers.Added
Production
Total Risks: 5/50 (10%)Below Sector Average
Manufacturing1 | 2.0%
Manufacturing - Risk 1
The integration of LSI, NuCrypt and NHanced and the scaling of our Arizona thin-film lithium niobate facility and planned "FAB 2" present significant execution risks.Added
Employment / Personnel1 | 2.0%
Employment / Personnel - Risk 1
In order to compete, we must attract, retain and motivate key associates, and the failure to do so could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.Supply Chain2 | 4.0%
Supply Chain - Risk 1
TFLN Optical Chips manufacturers, suppliers and distributors are concentrated primarily in China and other parts of East Asia, which is an area that is or may be subject to geopolitical uncertainty, trade disputes and restrictions, environmental disasters, and other risks. Any disruption to the operations of these manufacturers or distributors could cause significant delays in the production or shipment of our products and impact our financial condition.Supply Chain - Risk 2
We depend on certain suppliers to source products. Failure to maintain our relationship with any of these suppliers, or a failure to replace any of these suppliers, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.Changed
We buy our products and supplies from companies that manufacture and source products from the United States and abroad. Our ability to develop and maintain relationships with qualified suppliers who can satisfy our standards for quality and delivery in a timely and efficient manner is a significant challenge. For certain photonic integrated circuits and related III-V components used in our devices, there are very few qualified suppliers, and in some cases a single source. Any failure to maintain our relationship with any of our key suppliers, or a failure to replace any such supplier that is lost, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
We may be required to replace a supplier if their products do not meet our quality or safety standards, or if the United States government imposes restrictions on trade with certain countries, such as China. In addition, our suppliers could discontinue selling products at any time for reasons that may or may not be in our control or the suppliers' control, including shortages of raw materials, environmental and social supply chain issues, public health emergencies, labor disputes or weather conditions. Disruptions in transportation lines or geopolitical conditions including the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the war between Israel and Hamas, the state of the military conflict between Israel and Hezbollah or an invasion of Taiwan by China, may also cause global supply chain issues that affect us or our suppliers. While we generally have multiple sources of supply, we do rely on a single supplier for materials in some cases. The loss of, or substantial decrease in the availability of, products from our suppliers, or the loss of a key supplier, temporarily or permanently, could result in a material shortage of products, which could lead to price escalations that we may be unable to offset by our prices to our customers. When supply chain issues are later resolved and prices return to normal levels, we may be required to reduce the prices at which we sell our products to our customers in order to remain competitive. In addition, even where these risks do not materialize, we may incur costs as we prepare contingency plans to address such risks. Our operating results and inventory levels could suffer if we are unable to promptly replace a supplier who is unwilling or unable to satisfy our requirements with a supplier providing similar products. In addition, our suppliers' ability to deliver products may also be affected by raw material and commodity cost volatility or financing constraints caused by credit market conditions, which could materially and negatively impact our net sales and operating costs, at least until alternate sources of supply are arranged. Requalification of alternate suppliers can be lengthy and may require design changes, additional testing, and customer or regulatory re-approvals, which could delay or prevent product development or shipments and increase cost of revenue. Any delay or unavailability of key products required for our development activities in a timely or cost-effective manner could delay or prevent us from further developing our products and services on our expected timelines or at all and could materially harm our business.
Costs1 | 2.0%
Costs - Risk 1
We may be unable to reduce the production cost sufficiently, which may prevent us from pricing our quantum systems competitively.Ability to Sell
Total Risks: 4/50 (8%)Below Sector Average
Competition2 | 4.0%
Competition - Risk 1
The quantum computing industry is competitive and we may not be successful in competing in this industry or establishing and maintaining confidence in our long-term business prospects among current and future partners and customers.Competition - Risk 2
Even if the market in which we compete achieves its anticipated growth levels, our business could fail to grow at similar rates, if at all.Our business model depends on our ability to expand and scale our operations and to increase our sales and support capability. Even if the market in which we compete meets the size estimates and growth forecasted, our business could fail to grow at similar rates, if at all.
Our growth is dependent upon our ability to successfully expand our products and services, retain customers, bring in new customers and retain critical talent. Unforeseen issues associated with scaling up and constructing quantum computing technology at commercially viable levels could negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our growth is dependent upon our ability to successfully market and sell our quantum computers and quantum computing products and services. We do not have experience with the large-scale production and sale of quantum computing technology. Our growth and long-term success will depend upon the development of our sales and production capabilities.
Moreover, because of our advanced technology, our customers will require particular support and service functions, some of which are not currently available and may never be available. If we experience delays in adding such support capacity or servicing our customers efficiently, or experience unforeseen issues with the reliability of our technology, we could overburden our servicing and support capabilities. Similarly, increasing the number of our products and services would require us to rapidly increase the availability of these services. Failure to adequately support and service our customers may inhibit our growth and ability to expand.
There is no assurance that we will be able to ramp our business to meet our sales, manufacturing, installation, servicing and quantum computing targets, that expected growth levels will prove accurate or that the pace of growth will continue at the current rate. Failure of QCi to grow at rates similar to that of the broader quantum computing industry may adversely affect our operating results and ability to effectively compete within the industry.
Sales & Marketing2 | 4.0%
Sales & Marketing - Risk 1
If our products and services fail to deliver customer value to a broader range of customers than classical approaches, our business, financial condition and future prospects may be harmed.Sales & Marketing - Risk 2
Our future growth and success depend on our ability to sell effectively to government entities and large enterprises.Our potential customers are likely to include government agencies and large commercial enterprises. Therefore, our future success will depend on our ability to effectively sell our products to such customers. Sales to these end-customers involve risks that may not be present (or that are present to a lesser extent) with sales to non-governmental agencies or smaller customers. These risks include, but are not limited to, (i) increased purchasing power and leverage held by such customers in negotiating contractual arrangements with us and (ii) longer sales cycles and the associated risk that substantial time and resources may be spent on a potential end-customer that elects not to purchase our solutions. In addition, government contracts generally include the ability of government agencies to terminate early which, if exercised, would result in a lower contract value and lower than anticipated revenues. Such government contracts also may limit our ability to do business with foreign governments or prevent us from selling our products in certain countries.
Government agencies and large organizations often undertake a significant evaluation process that results in a lengthy sales cycle. Our contracts with government agencies are typically structured in phases, with each phase subject to satisfaction of certain conditions. As a result, the actual scope of work performed pursuant to any such contracts, in addition to related contract revenue, could be less than total contract value. In addition, product purchases by such organizations are frequently subject to budget constraints, multiple approvals and unanticipated administrative, processing and other delays. Finally, these organizations typically have longer implementation cycles, require greater product functionality and scalability, require a broader range of services, demand that vendors take on a larger share of risks, require acceptance provisions that can lead to a delay in revenue recognition and expect greater payment flexibility. All of these factors can add further risk to business conducted with these potential customers and could lead to lower revenue results than originally anticipated.
Additionally, changes in government spending could negatively impact us. Our anticipated future revenues from the U.S. government are expected to result from contracts awarded under various U.S. government programs. Cost cutting, including through consolidation and elimination of duplicative organizations, has become a major initiative for within the U.S. government. Significant reduction in U.S. government spending could have adverse consequences on our prospects, financial position, results of operations and business.
Macro & Political
Total Risks: 2/50 (4%)Below Sector Average
Economy & Political Environment2 | 4.0%
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 1
Unfavorable conditions in our industry or the global economy could limit our ability to grow our business and negatively affect our results of operations.Economy & Political Environment - Risk 2
Unstable market and economic conditions may have serious adverse consequences on our business, financial condition and share price.From time to time the global economy, including credit and financial markets, has experienced extreme volatility and disruptions, including severely diminished liquidity and credit availability, declines in consumer confidence, declines in economic growth, inflation rates higher than historical norms, higher interest rates, bank failures and uncertainty about economic stability. Any volatility or disruptions in market and economic conditions may have adverse consequences on us or the third parties on whom we rely. If the equity and credit markets were to deteriorate, including as a result of political unrest or war, it may make any necessary financing more difficult to obtain in a timely manner or on favorable terms, more costly or more dilutive. While inflation rates have during the last 18 months or so have been more in line with historical levels, the higher than anticipated inflation rates experienced in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic did, and any similar higher than normal and/or unexpectedly high inflation rates in the future, may adversely affect us by increasing our costs, including labor and employee benefit costs, and costs for equipment and system components associated with system development. In addition, higher inflation could also increase our customers' operating costs, which could result in reduced budgets for our customers and potentially less demand for our products and services. Any significant increases in inflation and related increase in interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Further, subsequent decreases in inflation and interest rates may not result in a reduction of costs.
See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.
FAQ
What are “Risk Factors”?
Risk factors are any situations or occurrences that could make investing in a company risky.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that publicly traded companies disclose their most significant risk factors. This is so that potential investors can consider any risks before they make an investment.
They also offer companies protection, as a company can use risk factors as liability protection. This could happen if a company underperforms and investors take legal action as a result.
It is worth noting that smaller companies, that is those with a public float of under $75 million on the last business day, do not have to include risk factors in their 10-K and 10-Q forms, although some may choose to do so.
How do companies disclose their risk factors?
Publicly traded companies initially disclose their risk factors to the SEC through their S-1 filings as part of the IPO process.
Additionally, companies must provide a complete list of risk factors in their Annual Reports (Form 10-K) or (Form 20-F) for “foreign private issuers”.
Quarterly Reports also include a section on risk factors (Form 10-Q) where companies are only required to update any changes since the previous report.
According to the SEC, risk factors should be reported concisely, logically and in “plain English” so investors can understand them.
How can I use TipRanks risk factors in my stock research?
Use the Risk Factors tab to get data about the risk factors of any company in which you are considering investing.
You can easily see the most significant risks a company is facing. Additionally, you can find out which risk factors a company has added, removed or adjusted since its previous disclosure. You can also see how a company’s risk factors compare to others in its sector.
Without reading company reports or participating in conference calls, you would most likely not have access to this sort of information, which is usually not included in press releases or other public announcements.
A simplified analysis of risk factors is unique to TipRanks.
What are all the risk factor categories?
TipRanks has identified 6 major categories of risk factors and a number of subcategories for each. You can see how these categories are broken down in the list below.
1. Financial & Corporate
- Accounting & Financial Operations - risks related to accounting loss, value of intangible assets, financial statements, value of intangible assets, financial reporting, estimates, guidance, company profitability, dividends, fluctuating results.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights – risks related to things that impact share prices and the rights of shareholders, including analyst ratings, major shareholder activity, trade volatility, liquidity of shares, anti-takeover provisions, international listing, dual listing.
- Debt & Financing – risks related to debt, funding, financing and interest rates, financial investments.
- Corporate Activity and Growth – risks related to restructuring, M&As, joint ventures, execution of corporate strategy, strategic alliances.
2. Legal & Regulatory
- Litigation and Legal Liabilities – risks related to litigation/ lawsuits against the company.
- Regulation – risks related to compliance, GDPR, and new legislation.
- Environmental / Social – risks related to environmental regulation and to data privacy.
- Taxation & Government Incentives – risks related to taxation and changes in government incentives.
3. Production
- Costs – risks related to costs of production including commodity prices, future contracts, inventory.
- Supply Chain – risks related to the company’s suppliers.
- Manufacturing – risks related to the company’s manufacturing process including product quality and product recalls.
- Human Capital – risks related to recruitment, training and retention of key employees, employee relationships & unions labor disputes, pension, and post retirement benefits, medical, health and welfare benefits, employee misconduct, employee litigation.
4. Technology & Innovation
- Innovation / R&D – risks related to innovation and new product development.
- Technology – risks related to the company’s reliance on technology.
- Cyber Security – risks related to securing the company’s digital assets and from cyber attacks.
- Trade Secrets & Patents – risks related to the company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and to infringement claims against the company as well as piracy and unlicensed copying.
5. Ability to Sell
- Demand – risks related to the demand of the company’s goods and services including seasonality, reliance on key customers.
- Competition – risks related to the company’s competition including substitutes.
- Sales & Marketing – risks related to sales, marketing, and distribution channels, pricing, and market penetration.
- Brand & Reputation – risks related to the company’s brand and reputation.
6. Macro & Political
- Economy & Political Environment – risks related to changes in economic and political conditions.
- Natural and Human Disruptions – risks related to catastrophes, floods, storms, terror, earthquakes, coronavirus pandemic/COVID-19.
- International Operations – risks related to the global nature of the company.
- Capital Markets – risks related to exchange rates and trade, cryptocurrency.