Tag: NeutralAtoms
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…
Mehmet Sanliol (Evercore): Why quantum valuations hinge on 2030 revenue multiples and consolidation
Yuval Boger interviews Mehmet Sanliol, managing director at Evercore covering quantum technologies and semiconductors. They discuss how investors value public quantum companies, when private companies should consider IPOs or SPACs, and why consolidation may shape the next phase of the industry. Mehmet also shares his perspective on technical and market signals that could affect valuations,…
Robert Wille (Munich Quantum Software Company): Why quantum needs chip-design tools, not just algorithms
Yuval interviews Robert Wille, a computer scientist and co-founder focused on quantum computing software. They discuss the field’s transition from research to practical deployment, the need for heterogeneous and hardware-agnostic software stacks, and the integration of quantum into HPC environments. Robert explains the importance of design automation, open-source strategy, and AI-assisted development, arguing that quantum’s…
Sebastian Hassinger (The New Quantum Era): why neutral atoms lead the qubit race for now
This week, I interview Sebastian Hassinger, host of The New Quantum Era podcast, and author of a new book by the same name. Sebastian and I have many things in common beyond our jobs in quantum. We are both podcasters, neither of us has a PhD, and we are both authors of new books -…
Klea Dhmitri (Hamamatsu): Photonics as the hidden backbone of quantum hardware scaling
Klea Dhmitri of Hamamatsu joins Yuval to discuss the company’s role as a photonic component provider for trapped-ion and neutral-atom quantum computers. She explains key technologies such as photomultiplier tubes (PMTs), SPADs, and quantitative CMOS cameras, and how scaling to larger qubit arrays changes requirements for speed, resolution, and integration. Klea also shares how customer…
Matt Kinsella (Infleqtion): Why Neutral Atoms Build Clocks, Sensors, and Qubits Alike
Yuval Boger interviews Matt Kinsella, CEO of Infleqtion. They discuss Infleqtion’s neutral-atom strategy, including its combination of quantum computing, sensing, and timing products, and why Matt believes that diversified approach strengthens both the business and the technology stack. Matt also shares his timeline for commercially useful quantum computing, his reaction to Google entering neutral atoms,…
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…
Tom Darras (Welinq): Scaling quantum computers by banking entanglement in quantum memories
Yuval Boger interviews Tom Darras, CEO and co-founder of Welinq. They discuss how quantum networking uses shared entanglement to interconnect quantum processors, enabling modular scale-out clusters and quantum-safe connectivity between data centers. Tom explains the technical building blocks—qubit-photon interfaces, optical networks, entangled photon sources, and especially quantum memories—as well as the performance metrics that matter…
Bert de Jong (Berkeley Lab QSA): Why DOE science needs far less precision than cryptography
Bert de Jong, Director of the Quantum Systems Accelerator (QSA) at Berkeley Lab, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Bert describes how the center develops superconducting, trapped-ion, and neutral-atom technologies in parallel, and the importance of certification in verifying quantum computations. They discuss the roadmap for integrating quantum into HPC at NERSC, the cost and scaling…
Yuval Boger (QuEra): Why Google bet on neutral atoms for logical qubits
Yuval Boger, Chief Commercial Officer at QuEra, is interviewed by guest host Jack Krupanski. Yuval shares his journey into quantum, discusses the recent Google investment, QuEra’s roadmap, the importance of government support, and the potential for a “quantum winter.” Jack and Yuval also discuss the evolution of quantum computing as part of the broader HPC…
Renaud Béchade (Anzaetek): Why hospitals with too little data need quantum machine learning
Renaud Béchade, founder of Anzaetek, a quantum software company based in Korea, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Renaud shares insights about the company’s work in quantum machine learning (QML) for hospitals, focusing on managing limited medical data, federated learning, and potential quantum solutions for personalized medicine. They also discuss hardware-software co-design, the quantum ecosystem in…
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…
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…
Andrei Dragomir (Aquark Technologies): Shrinking Cold Atom Sensors to Phone Size
Andrei Dragomir, CEO of Aquark Technologies, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. His company, emerging from the University of Southampton, focuses on miniaturizing quantum devices, particularly for sensing applications, aiming to transform room-sized quantum systems into mobile phone-sized units. Aquark is also part of NATO Diana accelerator and is pioneering in enhancing the practicality and robustness…
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…
Kanav Setia (QBraid): Access Every Quantum Computer From One Platform
Kanav Setia, the co-founder and CEO of QBraid, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Qbraid is a one-stop platform that allows users to access various quantum software and hardware solutions. Kanav and Yuval discuss the benefits of QBraid for both beginners and advanced users, the company’s plans for future development, the potential for high-level programming languages…
Karla Loida (DLR): Betting €740 Million on Every Quantum Hardware Platform at Once
Karla Loida, Project Lead for Quantum Computing Hardware at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), discusses her role overseeing all hardware activities for Germany’s major quantum computing initiative, which has received 740 million euros in government funding over four years. She explains how the DLR commissions various industry partners, startups, and established companies to build quantum…
Scott Faris (Infleqtion): One Photonics Roadmap Builds Clocks, Sensors, and Quantum Computers
Scott Faris, CEO of Infleqtion (formerly ColdQuanta), joins Yuval Boger to discuss his company’s broad portfolio in quantum technology and its business model centered on using lasers to manipulate atoms for various applications. Faris explains how Infleqtion leverages 16 years of quantum research expertise to offer components and technology for quantum sensors, quantum computing, and…
Alex Keesling & Nate Gemelke (QuEra): Why analog neutral atoms may reach fault tolerance first
Summary Alex Keesling, CEO, and Nate Gemekle, CTO of QuEra, a company building quantum computers based on neutral atoms with a unique analog quantum computation mode, are interviewed by Yuval Boger. Alex, Nate, and Yuval discuss why QuEra chose a different path toward universal, fault-tolerant quantum computers, the significance of recent qubit shuttling experiments, what…
Bob Sutor (ColdQuanta): Why quantum sensors may beat quantum computers to market
Summary Dr. Bob Sutor, VP of Corporate Development at ColdQuanta is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Bob spoke about leaving IBM, what he has learned about the quantum market in the past year, whether quantum sensors will become mainstream before quantum computing, and much more.