Tag: Algorithms
Sumit Kapur (Zapata Quantum): Rebuilding after a failed SPAC to chase quantum utility
My guest today is StSumit Kapur, CEO of Zapata Quantum. We speak about the company’s remarkable phoenix-from-the-ashes story — surviving a quantum winter and a failed SPAC to rebuild as a focused quantum applications company. We discuss Zapata’s partnerships, their landmark cancer research published on the cover of Nature Biotech, and their work on using…
Stephen DiAdamo (Qoro Quantum): Middleware that turns 150,000 lines of quantum code into 20
Stephen DiAdamo, co-founder and CTO of Qoro Quantum, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. DiAdamo discusses Qoro’s position as a software middleware company that abstracts hardware away from applications, walking through the Divi SDK, circuit serialization and parallelization, and an orchestrator that automatically selects between 12 simulation methods on CPU and GPU or dispatches to QPUs…
Corey O’Meara (E.ON): Finding real quantum scaling advantage in grid trading
Yuval Boger interviews Corey O’Meara, Chief Quantum Scientist at E.ON Digital Technology. They discuss how E.ON’s five-person quantum team works with business units to find high-value use cases, especially where classical methods may hit bottlenecks in optimization and machine learning. Corey describes the company’s work on peer-to-peer energy trading and other grid-related applications, and shares…
Lionel Martellini (EDHEC Quantum Institute): Why business leaders need quantum awareness, not quantum washing
Yuval Boger interviews Lionel Martellini, finance professor at EDHEC and founding director of the EDHEC Quantum Institute. Lionel describes his unusual path from finance to astrophysics and why business schools should teach quantum awareness to future leaders. They discuss core quantum concepts, the danger of overhyping “quantum washing,” and the real prospects for quantum applications…
Gil Kalai (Hebrew University): Why correlated noise may block quantum error correction for good
Yuval Boger interviews mathematician Gil Kalai about his long-standing skepticism regarding scalable quantum computing. Kalai explains two main arguments behind his theory: correlated noise that may defeat quantum error correction and complexity-based limits on NISQ devices achieving quantum supremacy. They discuss experimental claims such as Google’s 2019 result, potential tests of Kalai’s conjectures, and the…
Scott Aaronson (UT Austin): Why quantum skepticism keeps losing ground
Yuval Boger interviews Scott Aaronson, a UT Austin computer science professor known for his work on quantum computing theory. They explore the current state of quantum hardware, the narrowing case for quantum skepticism, and the realistic path toward fault-tolerant, useful quantum machines. The conversation also covers quantum algorithms, cryptography risks, ethics, hype in commercialization, and…
Joe Ghalbouni (Ghalbouni Consulting): Algorithms, not hardware, are quantum’s real bottleneck
Joe Ghalbouni is interviewed by Yuval Boger and describes his journey from quantum communication research and teaching in Lebanon to leading quantum and AI initiatives at Point72 and founding Ghalbouni Consulting. They discuss how to educate non-technical audiences, identify sector-specific use cases, and build roadmaps for quantum, AI, HPC, PQC, and QKD, including quantum risk…
Bill Wisotsky (SAS): Why quantum advantage means less data, not just less time
Bill Wisotsky, Principal Quantum Systems Architect at SAS, joins Yuval to discuss SAS’s vendor-agnostic, hybrid approach to quantum and analytics. Highlights include D-Wave warm-starts that let SAS prove optimal kidney-exchange solutions in seconds, as well as QML pilots for fraud and bankruptcy modeling and disaster response. He shares a pragmatic definition of “quantum advantage”, treating…
Sergio Gago (Moody’s/Cloudera): No quantum advantage in finance today, but the gap is closing
Sergio Gago, CTO of Cloudera and former Head of AI & Quantum at Moody’s, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. They discuss a practical, problem-first path to quantum in finance. Sergio contrasts annealers and gate-based systems, emphasizes hybrid workflows for portfolio optimization and Monte Carlo risk, and explores fraud detection and knowledge-graph use cases. Sergio stresses…
Scott Buchholz (Deloitte): Why building quantum skills now beats waiting for hardware
Scott Buchholz, global leader for Deloitte Consulting’s quantum computing efforts, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Scott explains how Deloitte helps clients understand quantum technology and its potential applications, particularly in solving business problems. They discuss the timelines for quantum computing becoming commercially useful, referencing industry roadmaps. He emphasizes Deloitte’s role in bridging the gap between…
Tal David (Quantum Art): Scaling trapped ions with multi-qubit gates instead of shuttling
Tal David, CEO and co-founder of Quantum Art, is my guest on this week’s Superposition Guy’s Podcast. We delve into Quantum Art’s focus on full-stack quantum computing using trapped ions. Tal and I explore their unique architecture, which emphasizes sophisticated multi-qubit gate operations, the use of optical tweezers for segmenting ion chains, and dynamic reconfigurability…
Scott Genin (OTI Lumionics): Classical emulation of 80 qubits still beats quantum chemistry claims
My guest today is Scott Genin, Vice President of Materials Discovery at OTI Lumionics. Scott outlines his role in overseeing materials design and simulation programs, focusing on OLEDs and cathode patterning materials. He highlights OTI’s growth and its strategic integration of quantum-inspired methods due to current limitations in quantum computing. Scott remains optimistic about the…
Andrea Tabacchini (Quantum Brilliance): Room-temperature diamond qubits built for the edge
Andrea Tabacchini of Quantum Brilliance joins Yuval to discuss room-temperature quantum computing. Quantum Brilliance develops compact, diamond-based quantum accelerators for edge applications like robotics and satellites. Andrea explains their nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center technology, enabling stable qubits without cryogenic cooling. With innovations in deterministic defect placement and scalable nanoelectronics, they aim to launch a commercial 60–100…
Daniel Porat & Emanuele Dalla-Torre (Quantymize): Fitting an 800,000-qubit problem into 5,000
Daniel Porat and Prof. Emanuele Dalla-Torre of Quantimize join Yuval Boger to discuss their work in quantum optimization and hybrid quantum-classical algorithms. Daniel, CEO of Quantimize, describes how the company focuses on real-world optimization problems in industries like energy, e-commerce, and scheduling, leveraging quantum computing to enhance efficiency. Emanuele, a professor at Bar-Ilan University, explains…
Simon Borger (Patent Attorney): Quantum Patent Filings Are Exploding, But No Trolls Yet
Simon Borger, a physicist turned patent attorney, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. They discuss the evolving intellectual property landscape in quantum technologies. Simon shares insights on global patent trends, the role of startups versus large companies, and the challenges of filing patents for quantum innovations. They explore how to balance academic publishing with IP protection,…
Zoran Krunic (Amgen): Why Small Clinical Trial Datasets Suit Quantum Machine Learning
Zoran Krunic, Senior Manager of Data Science at Amgen Research and Development, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Zoran and Yuval talk about leveraging quantum machine learning for clinical trial data, the challenges of implementing new technologies in regulated environments, combining quantum computing with generative AI, strategies for scaling quantum efforts in biopharma, and much more.
Toby Cubitt (Phasecraft): Why gate fidelity, not qubit count, sets quantum’s timeline
Toby Cubitt, the person with the best name in quantum, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Toby is also co-founder, CTO, and Chief Science Officer of Phasecraft, a quantum algorithms company developing highly efficient algorithms tailored for near-term quantum hardware. We discuss Phasecraft’s approach to bridging the gap between quantum demonstrations and useful applications, the role…
Yianni Gamvros (Quantum Signals): Classical AI now, quantum upside for trading later
Yianni Gamvros and Iordanis Kerenidis, co-founders of Quantum Signals, a new startup focusing on B2B software for financial services, are interviewed by Yuval Boger. Yianni and Iordanis discuss their strategy of building classical AI pipelines to deliver immediate value to customers while planning to integrate quantum enhancements as the technology matures. They explore the challenges…
Constantin Gonciulea & Charlee Stefanski: Teaching developers to think in quantum algorithms
Charlee Stefanski and Constantin Gonciulea, co-authors of Building Quantum Software, are interviewed by Yuval Boger. Charlee, a software engineer, and Constantin, an expert in math and quantum computing, discuss their new book aimed at developers and readers with a basic background in math and programming, emphasizing a deeper understanding of quantum algorithms like Grover’s algorithm…
Mariia Mykhailova (Microsoft): Bridging the gap from qubit basics to real quantum algorithms
Mariia Mikhailova, Principal Quantum Software Engineer at Microsoft Quantum, and author of “Quantum Programming in Depth”, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Mariia describes the book which addresses the practical skills needed to implement real quantum algorithms. She emphasizes the importance of having a solid foundation in quantum programming and highlights her approach to teaching, which…
Hrant Gharibyan (BlueQubit): Hardware-agnostic software for near-term quantum advantage
Hrant Gharibyan, co-founder and CEO of BlueQubit, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Hrant describes the company’s focus on developing quantum algorithms and software solutions for complex classical and quantum problems, such as material simulation and optimization. Hrant discusses key projects, including a DARPA collaboration involving neutral atom quantum computers and work with Honda Research Institute…
Shengtao Wang & Jonathan Wurtz (QuEra): Why neutral atom error correction could make quantum chemistry useful
Shengtao Wang, Quantum Algorithms and Applications manager at QuEra, and Jonathan Wurtz, a Senior Scientist in his group, are my guests on This week’s Superposition Guy’s Podcast. We delve into their work at QuEra, focusing on quantum algorithm development and the applications of neutral atom quantum computers. Shengtao shares insights on the evolving landscape of…
Chris (ChatGPT): An AI’s Take on Hybrid Quantum-HPC Integration
Chris (ChatGPT) is interviewed by Yuval Boger on The Superposition Guy’s Podcast. They discuss the integration of quantum computing into high-performance computing (HPC) environments, the unique needs of quantum users, and the future of quantum technology in solving business problems. Chris highlights the importance of hybrid classical-quantum models, user education, and the evolving quantum ecosystem.…
Mike Biercuk & Natasha Sachdeva (Q-CTRL): Error tools make today’s noisy hardware solve real problems
Natasha Sachdeva and Michael Biercuk from Q-CTRL are interviewed by Yuval Boger. They discussed their groundbreaking research on combinatorial optimization problems, achieving significant results with Q-CTRL’s error tools and modified algorithms. Michael highlighted their dual focus on quantum computing and sensing, emphasizing the practical applications of their technology. They also addressed the practical implications for…
Kathrin Spendier (XPRIZE): A $5 million hunt for real quantum advantage
Kathrin Spendier, the technical prize director of XPRIZE Quantum Applications, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Kathrin discussed her role in driving the quantum applications competition. The competition aims to discover quantum algorithms that demonstrate quantum advantage for real-world problems, with a $5 million prize purse divided over three years. She explained the application process, the…
Bob Sorensen (Hyperion Research): Why enterprises are moving quantum back on-premises
Bob Sorensen, chief analyst for quantum computing at Hyperion Research, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. They discuss the growing interest in on-premises quantum computing, their recent survey of the substantial potential ROI for enterprises using quantum optimization processes, the reality of Quantum AI, useful lessons that quantum vendors can learn from HPC vendors, and much…
Nikolaj Zinner (Kvantify): Faster VQE Algorithms for Real-World Drug Discovery
Nikolaj Zinner, co-founder of Kvantify, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Kvantify focuses on leveraging quantum computing for real-world applications, notably in optimization and computational drug discovery, through a unique algorithm, fast VQE, that efficiently calculates small molecules. Despite challenges in scaling and skepticism around variational algorithms, Nikolaj is optimistic about the field’s potential. He describes…
MIT iQuHack Winners (QuEra Challenge): Cracking Max Independent Set on Neutral Atoms
A team of undergraduates who excelled at MIT’s Quantum Hackathon are interviewed by Yuval. They discuss their journey, the challenge they tackled—optimizing the “maximum independent set problem” on a quantum computer for machine learning applications—and their personal backgrounds and aspirations in quantum computing. They all exhibit a shared interest in leveraging quantum computing to solve…
Enrique Solano & Daniel Volz (Kipu Quantum): Quantum Advantage Is Closer Than the Consensus Thinks
Daniel Volz and Kike Solano from Kipu Quantum. We discuss their focus on achieving quantum advantage, the significant progress they are seeing, their hardware-dependent approach and application-specific strategies. Daniel and Kike predict that optimization and machine learning will be among the first areas to demonstrate practical quantum advantage, describe their geopolitical approach and much more.
Joe Fitzsimons (Horizon Quantum): Turning legacy code into quantum programs
Joe Fitzsimons, CEO of Horizon Quantum Computing, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Joe describes the company’s approach of building software development tools that aim to accelerate classical code and make it run more efficiently on quantum hardware. They discuss the advantages and disadvantages of abstraction layers, the potential for quantum computing in chemistry, and much…
Misha Lukin, Dolev Bluvstein & Harry Zhou (Harvard/QuEra): 48 logical qubits from moving atoms
Professor Misha Lukin (Harvard), Dolev Bluvstein (Harvard), and Harry Zhou (Harvard and QuEra) are interviewed by Yuval Boger. They discuss their recent Harvard-led work in quantum error correction, published in Nature, highlighting the evolution from physical to logical qubits and the realization of up to 48 logical qubits. The authors emphasize the significance of error…
Charles Roques-Carmes (Stanford): Turning optical parametric oscillators into tunable random number generators
Charles Roques-Carmes, a Science Fellow at Stanford University, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Charles discusses his work on using optical parametric oscillators as a form of random number generator with controllable bias. He elaborates on the potential applications of this technology in trainable randomness for Bayesian neural networks and logistics planning, previews the next steps…
Marcin Dukalski (Aramco): Quantum Computing for Subsurface Imaging in Oil and Gas
Marcin Dukalski, of the Aramco Research Center, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Marcin discusses his team’s focus on advanced computing for Aramco’s upstream business. He elaborates on the computationally intensive nature of subsurface imaging and how they are working to make it more manageable through quantum computing. He envisions a hybrid approach, combining quantum and…
Carmen Recio & Sergio Gago (Moody’s Analytics): Finding Quantum’s Real Value in Financial Risk Modeling
Carmen Recio and Sergio Gago, from Moody’s Analytics, are interviewed by Yuval Boger. They discuss the intersection of quantum and AI, the importance of quantum computing in financial risk modeling, machine learning, and optimization, the need for businesses to stay ahead of the curve by understanding how quantum computing integrates into existing processes, Moody’s role…
Murray Thom (D-Wave): Quantum annealing is already running in production
Murray Thom, Vice President of Quantum Business Innovation at D-Wave Systems is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Murray and Yuval discuss D-Wave case studies, why customers move or don’t move to production, their future gate-based machine, the applicability of annealers to machine learning, quantum-inspired solutions, and much more.
Elham Kashefi (NQCC): Why the UK built a decade-long national quantum strategy
Elham Kashefi, Chief Scientist of the UK National Quantum Computing Center, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Elham and Yuval discuss the history and future of this national strategy, the new Quantum Solutions Lab, quantum-inspired algorithms, what blind quantum computing is, and much more.
Scott Genin (OTI): Quantum-Inspired Chemistry Cuts OLED Candidates by 90%
Scott Genin, Vice President of Materials Discovery at OTI Lumionics, discusses the company’s work in developing novel materials for OLED displays and how the organization is commercializing advanced materials science research that originated from the University of Toronto. During the interview with Yuval Boger, Genin explains OTI’s role as a specialty chemical company serving major…
Yudong Cao (Zapata Computing): Betting Quantum Advantage on Generative Modeling, Not Chatbots
Yudong Cao, Co-Founder and CTO of Zapata Computing, joins Yuval Boger to discuss how the company is bringing quantum advantage to enterprise customers through quantum algorithms and quantum-related classical techniques. The conversation explores Zapata’s customer-centric approach to solving critical business problems, whether through quantum or alternative methods, and how the company balances working with both…
Nir Minerbi (Classiq): why gate-level coding breaks down past a few dozen qubits
Nir Minerbi, Co-Founder and CEO of Classiq, is interviewed by Yuval Boger to discuss his quantum software company’s mission to make quantum computing scalable and accessible for industrial applications. Minerbi explains how Classiq applies design automation methods from classical computing to overcome the current limitations of gate-level quantum software development, which becomes impractical as qubit…
Matt Johnson (QCWare): Application software still waits on quantum hardware to mature
Matt Johnson, co-founder and CEO of QCWare, joins Yuval Boger to discuss his journey from military and finance backgrounds into founding a quantum computing software company with the goal of delivering practical quantum advantage. Johnson shares his advice for aspiring quantum computing entrepreneurs, emphasizing the importance of thoroughly mapping the industry, honestly assessing differentiation, and…
Sam Stanwyck (NVIDIA): Why quantum code needs to live inside classical code
Sam Stanwyck, Group Product Manager of Quantum Computing at NVIDIA, is interviewed by Yuval Boger to discuss the latest developments in NVIDIA’s quantum computing initiatives. Since their last conversation, NVIDIA has expanded beyond cuQuantum, its GPU-accelerated quantum circuit simulation library, to introduce QODA (Quantum Optimized Device Architecture), a programming model designed to enable seamless co-programming…
Bob Coecke (Quantinuum): How Diagrams Replaced Equations in Quantum Theory
Bob Coecke, Chief Scientist at Quantinuum, is interviewed by Yuval Boger to discuss his work in quantum theory visualization and his upcoming book “Quantum in Pictures,” co-authored with Stephano Gogioso. Coecke explains how he has reformulated quantum theory using diagrammatic languages and the ZX-calculus, making complex quantum concepts accessible to a broad audience from teenagers…
Roman Orus (Multiverse Computing): Why vertical expertise beats quantum-first thinking
Summary Roman Orus, founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Multiverse Computing is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Roman and Yuval spoke about developing quantum applications for customers, whether the right solution for the customer comes from a vertical-specific company or a quantum-centric company, their operating philosophy, and much more.
Helmut Katzgraber (Amazon): Why Quantum Projects Must Start With a Business Problem
Summary Helmut Katzgraber, Global Practice Lead at the Amazon Quantum Solutions Lab, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Helmut and Yuval discuss the process by which the Quantum Solution Lab helps customers, successful projects with BMW and Goldman Sachs, advice for customers thinking about such projects, and much more.
Lubinski, Langione & Gokhale (Quantum Circuits, BCG, Infleqtion): Why Quantum Benchmarks Still Don’t Agree
Summary Tom Lubinski, Chief Software Architect for Quantum Circuits, Matt Langione, a partner at the Boston Consulting Group, and Pranav Gokhale, VP of Software at Infleqtion, are interviewed by Yuval Boger. Tom, Matt, Pranav and Yuval talk about quantum benchmarking – why benchmarks are important, what types of benchmarks exist, whether end-users should care, standardization…
Ordoñez, Korpas & Kerenidis (Moody’s, HSBC, QCWare): Does Monte Carlo’s quadratic speedup survive contact with real hardware?
Summary Three experts in quantum Monte Carlo: Quantum Monte Carlo with Gustavo Ordoñez of Moody’s Analytics, Giorgios Korpas of HSBC, and Iordanis Kerenidis of QCWare, are interviewed by Yuval Boger. They talk about what quantum Monte Carlo is, the difference from classical Monte Carlo, how soon before it becomes a production-ready algorithm, and much more.…
Daniel Volz (Kipu Quantum): Compressing the Timeline to Quantum Advantage
Summary Daniel Volz, co-founder and CEO of Kipu Quantum, a software company working to accelerate the delivery of quantum advantage, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Daniel and Yuval talk about what Daniel learned about quantum at McKinsey and BASF, their optimized approach to quantum algorithms, the expected timescale for quantum advantage, and much more. Access…
Sabrina Maniscalco (Algorithmiq): Quantum advantage for life sciences before fault tolerance
Summary Sabrina Maniscalco, co-founder and CEO of Algorithmiq, a company that is bringing quantum to life and to life sciences, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Sabrina and Yuval talk about Algorithmiq’s approach to achieving quantum advantage for life science applications using NISQ-era gate-based machines, her prediction for when quantum advantage will be achieved, the journey…
Thom, Lorenzo & Gago (D-Wave, InspirationQ, Moody’s): Why honest TSP benchmarks matter more than hype
Summary Murray Thom, VP of Product Management at D-Wave, Sam Lorenzo, CEO at InspirationQ, and Sergio Gago, Managing Director – Quantum Computing at Moody’s Analytics, are interviewed by Yuval Boger. Murray, Sam, Sergio, and Yuval discuss quantum and non-quantum approaches to solving the Travelling Salesperson Problem, benchmarking for TSP, how companies should approach optimization problems,…
Aurelie Helouis (InfinityQ): An analog quantum computer built for optimization, not gates
Summary Aurelie Helouis, founder and CEO of InfinityQ Technologies, developer of an analog quantum computer, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Aurelie and Yuval talk about the types of problems that such a computer can solve, a unique application in the world of online gaming, and much more. Read the full transcript on the Quantum Computing…
Mads Bahrami (Wolfram): Bringing Quantum Computing into Mathematica’s Symbolic Engine
Summary Mads Bahrami, Manager of Educational Programs and Quantum Projects at Wolfram is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Mads and Yuval talk about the quantum capabilities of Mathematica, the types of users that might find it interesting, the difference between Mathematica and Qiskit as it relates to quantum computing, and much more. The full transcript is…
Alex Khan (ZebraKet): What Testing Every Amazon Braket Backend Actually Teaches You
Summary Alex Khan, Quantum Computing Entrepreneur and CEO of ZebraKet is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Alex and Yuval talk about Alex’s book “Quantum Computing Experimentation with Amazon Braket,” his experience working with different hardware and software packages on Braket, the best way for optimization experts to get into quantum computing, and much more.
Eduardo Miranda & Brian Siegelwax (Plymouth): Composing music with quantum circuits
Summary Yuval Boger interviews Prof. Eduardo Miranda and Brian Siegelwax, authors of “Teaching Qubits to Sing: Mission Impossible?”, a fascinating work about creating music with quantum computers. They talk about how the program works, their plans for future work, finishing Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony, and much more.