Bombshell at D-Wave! Rheinmetall and Almonty Industries involved in future technologies, fusion energy, and laser technology!

Almonty Industries: Could fusion energy boost tungsten demand?

While Almonty shares have taken a slight breather in recent days, a new driver of tungsten demand is emerging. Tungsten is already a strategic, high-performance metal. Its extreme temperature resistance and density make it indispensable across high-tech applications – from aerospace and smartphones to defense. Western countries are urgently seeking tungsten suppliers outside China. In this context, Almonty, the largest Western producer with mines in Portugal and South Korea, and soon in the US, cannot be ignored. A new application may further drive demand, as tungsten is now also becoming a key material for a technology that could fundamentally change the energy landscape – nuclear fusion.

Two projects in fusion research have recently delivered encouraging results. The French Tokamak WEST maintained a plasma at around 50 million °C for six minutes. This record was achieved specifically in a "tungsten wall" environment, providing practical data for continuous operation. In South Korea, KSTAR reached 100 million °C for 48 seconds. Tungsten-divertor components are central because they withstand extreme heat in the tokamak's "outlet" area better than previous solutions.

Material considerations are critical. Carbon-based inner walls can bind fusion fuel more strongly to the surface – a disadvantage when plants have to control their tritium balance in the long term and, in the future, have to efficiently replenish or breed tritium in the system. Tungsten is preferable in this regard, but presents its own challenges: even trace tungsten impurities in the plasma can cool it via radiation losses. This makes rigorous diagnostics and purity control essential.

Rheinmetall: Using lasers against drones

Like Almonty, Rheinmetall is also involved in future technologies. Germany's largest defense contractor is expanding its involvement in the field of directed energy weapons. Together with MBDA Germany, the Düsseldorf-based company plans to establish a joint venture for naval laser activities in the first quarter of this year. This is intended to transform the cooperation that has been in place since 2019 into an industrial structure. The goal is to bring high-performance laser weapon systems for maritime applications to series production. This system is intended to complement tube weapons and guided missiles within the German Navy and, in particular, to take over the defense against drones and other highly agile targets in the close and immediate range.

As a technological reference, the companies point to an already integrated naval laser demonstrator that has been tested on board for a year under near-operational conditions. According to the partners, the essential capabilities were demonstrated during this phase: precise tracking, rapid effect, and engagement with minimal collateral damage. The laser can stably track a very small target and focus the energy precisely, even under challenging environmental conditions. After more than 100 firing and tracking tests, the demonstrator was transferred to the Laser Competence Center for further testing, where it is also being used for land-based drone defense tests. Rheinmetall also emphasizes the nationalization of the technology with a view to sovereignty, security of supply, and the creation of jobs in Germany.

D-Wave pays USD 550 million for acquisition

Quantum computing could serve as a model for fusion energy in terms of how quickly the transition from future technology to reality can be achieved. With the breakthrough of the technology last year, quantum companies were among the stock market stars of 2025. D-Wave Quantum's share price, for example, more than quintupled last year. The Company took advantage of the high share price and raised USD 550 million gross in 2025 alone through capital increases. D-Wave is now using part of this for an acquisition.

The plan is to acquire Quantum Circuits. D-Wave plans to use this to expand its business model and, in addition to its established annealing business, bring gate model quantum computers to market more quickly. The agreed purchase price is USD 550 million, consisting of USD 250 million in cash and USD 300 million in D-Wave shares. From D-Wave's perspective, combining its own experience in scalable control of superconducting processors and a production-ready cloud platform with the error-corrected gate model technology developed by Quantum Circuits could significantly shorten the path to "scaled" error correction. There are also additional commercial use cases.

Technologically, the focus is on Quantum Circuits' dual-rail architecture, which is designed to increase the quality of qubits and reduce the hardware requirements for logical qubits with integrated error detection. As the first result of the accelerated roadmap, D-Wave is planning an initial dual-rail system. It is scheduled to be launched on the market as early as 2026. In addition, the acquisition is expected to strengthen D-Wave's "dual-platform" approach (annealing and gate model). As part of the deal, an R&D center will also be established in the US state of Connecticut. The closing is still subject to customary conditions, including antitrust approvals and stock exchange approval of the shares to be issued in consideration. The closing is expected as early as the end of January 2026.

Quantum computing, laser weapons, and fusion energy are changing the world or are expected to do so soon. Almonty does not need any additional drivers, as there is already a shortage of tungsten in the Western world, and prices are at record levels. However, its use in fusion technology would certainly mean another revaluation – and the current one is not yet complete. Rheinmetall shows that it is also working on future topics. This is important because tanks and other heavy equipment do not seem to have a future on the battlefield. D-Wave** is anything but cheaply valued, but it is undoubtedly a basic investment in the quantum sector.