The New Quantum Era - innovation in quantum computing, science and technology

Sebastian Hassinger
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Your host, Sebastian Hassinger, interviews brilliant research scientists, software developers, engineers and others actively exploring the possibilities of our new quantum era. We will cover topics in quantum computing, networking and sensing, focusing on hardware, algorithms and general theory. The show aims for accessibility - Sebastian is not a physicist - and we'll try to provide context for the terminology and glimpses at the fascinating history of this new field as it evolves in real time.

  1. 1D AGO

    Are We Computing Quantum in the Wrong Base? with Ivan Deutsch

    tags: [podcast, show-notes] status: draft created: "2026-04-27" generated-by: claude-api--- Are We Computing Quantum in the Wrong Base? with Ivan Deutsch From Bell Tests to Albuquerque Ivan started his PhD at Berkeley in 1987, the year of Alain Aspect's Bell-test experiments, drawn into quantum optics by the foundations of quantum mechanics. He learned about quantum key distribution from Artur Ekert at quantum optics meetings, did a postdoc at France Telecom on optical fiber communications, and was at NIST in 1994 when Artur Ekert delivered a colloquium on Shor's algorithm. NIST then hosted Shor himself. Carl Caves recruited Ivan to UNM to help build what was then called an "information physics group" — predating the term "quantum information." Quantum error correction landed shortly after, brought into the group by then-PhD-student Howard Barnum. Why Neutral Atoms — and the Frenemy Relationship with Ions As a NIST postdoc with Bill Phillips, Ivan met Poul Jessen, beginning a 25-year collaboration on optical lattices and neutral-atom control. Ivan frames the trade-off bluntly: ions are great because they're charged (tight confinement, exquisite control) and terrible because they're charged (Coulomb repulsion limits how many you can pack together). Neutral atoms are the inverse — you can trap a million in an optical lattice, but getting them to talk to each other is hard. Inspired by Dave Wineland's ion-trap work, Ivan and Jessen ported sideband cooling and motional-state control to neutrals. Ivan also organized the 1997 Quantum Control of Atomic Motion workshop, which evolved into SQuInT (Southwest Quantum Information and Technology), now in its 26th year. The Rydberg Story — and What the First Paper Got Right The original Deutsch–Jessen proposal envisioned exciting atoms only to a low-lying state; Rydberg blockade came later as a follow-on. Ivan credits co-author Steve Rolston with the framing — "we just wanted to make the whole thing faster" — and notes the full power of the Rydberg blockade wasn't initially appreciated. What the first paper did get right was the architectural idea of moving large groups of atoms in parallel and bringing them together to interact — a feature now central to the roadmaps of Aurora, QuEra, Atom Computing, and Infleqtion. Qudits: Computing Beyond Base Two Ivan is careful not to evangelize, but the question is real: why encode information in two levels when an atom offers many? The information-density gain is only logarithmic (log D / log 2), but the deeper motivation is fault tolerance. He points to Daniel Gottesman's stabilizer formalism, which was originally developed for qudits, and to recent experiments with Mike Martin at Los Alamos on individually trapped strontium atoms with ten-level nuclear spins — "qudecimals." Earlier ensemble work with Jessen demonstrated arbitrary gates on 16-dimensional qudits in cesium. Spin Cat Codes and Biased Error Correction The most compelling argument for qudits may be embedding a qubit inside a qudit using extra levels for redundancy — directly analogous to bosonic cat codes in microwave cavities. Work led by Ivan's colleague Milad Marvian and student Shiva Prasad Omanakuttan introduces "spin cat codes" that exploit the structure of physical noise in atoms. Ivan emphasizes biased error correction: real errors aren't arbitrary, and codes co-designed with the dominant physical error channels — including leakage and erasure errors, which the experimental community has learned to detect and exploit — can dramatically outperform generic schemes. Building a Quantum Ecosystem in New Mexico Ivan stepped in as director of the Center for Quantum Information and Control (CQuIC) when Carl Caves retired in 2018, just as the National Quantum Initiative was taking shape. Recognizing that New Mexico's research strength wasn't translating into economic benefit for one of the country's poorest states, he advocated for industrial engagement. The result: a partnership with Colorado that won the EDA Tech Hub designation as Elevate Quantum — the only quantum-focused tech hub in the country. Internally, he founded the Quantum New Mexico Institute (QNMI), a joint institute spanning UNM, Sandia, and Los Alamos, now led by Bob Ledoux. Quantinuum has opened an Albuquerque facility, QuEra has announced one, and QNet is building a quantum network in the city. Key Takeaways Ivan helped lay the theoretical foundations for neutral-atom quantum computing in a 25-year collaboration with Poul Jessen, by porting ion-trap control techniques to neutral atoms in optical lattices.The original neutral-atom proposal already contained the parallel atom-movement architecture now central to the roadmaps of QuEra, Pasqal, Atom Computing, Infleqtion, and Aurora — but underestimated the power of Rydberg blockade.Qudits offer only logarithmic gains in information density, but may be transformative for fault tolerance, especially via spin cat codes that mirror bosonic encodings within a single atom.Co-design between theory and experiment — and biased error correction tuned to dominant physical noise like leakage and erasure — is accelerating progress more than either could alone.Elevate Quantum (NM + CO) is the only quantum-focused EDA Tech Hub in the U.S., and is rapidly turning New Mexico's decades of academic and national-lab strength into an industrial ecosystem.Chapters 00:01 — From Berkeley and Bell tests to a postdoc at NIST02:14 — Hearing about Shor's algorithm; Carl Caves recruits Ivan to UNM05:04 — The role of Los Alamos and Sandia in New Mexico's quantum ecosystem07:26 — Meeting Poul Jessen; optical lattices and the ion/neutral-atom trade-off12:38 — Founding SQuInT and bridging ion and neutral-atom communities13:29 — Rydberg blockade: what the original proposal got right and what it missed17:50 — Introducing qudits: why compute in base two?22:12 — Fault tolerance, Gottesman's stabilizers, and qudecimals in strontium24:30 — Spin cat codes, bosonic analogies, and biased error correction28:54 — Working at interfaces: theory/experiment, ions/atoms, academia/industry30:48 — Founding QNMI and winning the Elevate Quantum Tech Hub37:18 — What's next: complexity, noise, neutral-atom hardware, and students

    45 min

  2. APR 20

    Quantum Chemistry's Classical Limits with Garnet Chan

    Your host, Sebastian Hassinger, is joined on this episode by Garnet Chan, the Bren Professor of Chemistry at Caltech, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and among the most cited computational chemists in the world (34,000+ Google Scholar citations). Garnet is neither a quantum computing booster nor a dismissive skeptic. He's a theorist who works at the exact boundary between what classical algorithms can and cannot do — and who keeps finding that boundary further out than the quantum computing community has claimed. The FeMo-cofactor has been a flagship quantum computing use case for nearly a decade: a catalytic core of the enzyme that fixes atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, and a molecule widely described as "beyond classical reach." Chan's January 2026 paper challenges that framing directly. This conversation explains what was actually solved, what wasn't, and what it would genuinely take for quantum computers to contribute to the chemistry of nitrogen fixation. This episode is for researchers, engineers, and informed observers who want an honest, technically grounded view of where quantum computers genuinely help in chemistry — and where classical methods are more capable than the field has admitted.  What You'll Learn Why the FeMo-cofactor became one of the quantum computing community's favorite benchmark — and why the framing around energy savings from nitrogen fixation is less accurate than it soundsWhat "chemical accuracy" (~1 kcal/mol) actually means as a precision target, and why hitting it classically undermines a decade of quantum resource estimatesWhy real chemical systems are only "slightly entangled" — and what that means for the general argument that quantum computers are the natural tool for quantum chemistryThe difference between a problem being hard and a problem being exponentially hard — and why that distinction matters enormously for quantum advantage claimsWhere the genuine classical wall might be: bridging 15 orders of magnitude in timescale to simulate an enzyme's full catalytic mechanism — and whether quantum computers have anything to say about thatWhy Chan wrote a public blog post explaining his own paper — and what that reveals about the state of discourse in quantum chemistry and the quantum computing industryThe broader impact of quantum information science on chemistry — beyond hardware, the conceptual tools of quantum information have genuinely reshaped how chemists think about many-body statesWhat Chan is actually working toward: a full computational understanding of the nitrogenase reaction mechanism, using machine learning to bridge timescales classically — a decade-long journey he finds genuinely exciting Resources & Links The Central Paper & Commentary Zhai et al. (2026) — "Classical Solution of the FeMo-Cofactor Model to Chemical Accuracy and Its Implications" arXiv:2601.04621 — The January 2026 preprint at the heart of this episode; the classical solution of the standard 76-orbital/152-qubit FeMo-co benchmark.Chan — Quantum Frontiers Blog Post (March 2026) The FeMo-Cofactor and Classical and Quantum Computing — Chan's own accessible commentary on the paper, written in response to widespread misinterpretation; essential reading alongside the paper. Key Papers for Context Chan (2024) — "Spiers Memorial Lecture: Quantum Chemistry, Classical Heuristics, and Quantum Advantage" Faraday Discussions, 254, 11–52 — The formal theoretical framework behind Chan's thinking, including the "classical heuristic cost conjecture"; the deep-dive companion to this episode.Lee et al. (2023) — "Evaluating the Evidence for Exponential Quantum Advantage in Ground-State Quantum Chemistry" Nature Communications — Chan group's landmark 2023 paper concluding that evidence for exponential quantum advantage across chemical space has yet to be found.Begušić & Chan (2023/2024) — "Fast Classical Simulation of Evidence for the Utility of Quantum Computing Before Fault Tolerance" Science Advances — The paper showing classical simulation on a single laptop core could reproduce and exceed IBM's 127-qubit "utility" experiment.Bauer, Bravyi, Motta & Chan (2020) — "Quantum Algorithms for Quantum Chemistry and Quantum Materials Science" arXiv:2001.03685 — A balanced review by Chan and colleagues showing he takes quantum algorithms seriously; useful counterpoint to the skeptical framing.Babbush et al. (2025) — "The Grand Challenge of Quantum Applications" arXiv:2511.09124 — Google Quantum AI's direct engagement with Chan's skeptical position; argues polynomial speedups may still be practically decisive.Computational Chemistry Highlights — Review of FeMo-co Paper compchemhighlights.org — Third-party commentary from Jan Jensen (University of Copenhagen). Tools & Software PySCF — Python-based Simulations of Chemistry Framework https://pyscf.org — The open-source quantum chemistry package co-stewarded by Chan's group; widely used for electronic structure calculations.BLOCK — DMRG and Matrix Product State Algorithms https://github.com/sanshar/Block — Chan group's open-source implementation of density matrix renormalization group methods; the tensor network engine underlying much of this work. Guest Links Chan Lab at Caltech chan-lab.caltech.edu — Research group homepage with publications, software, and group members.Garnet Chan — Caltech Faculty Profile cce.caltech.edu/people/garnet-k-chan — Official Caltech Division of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering page.Google Scholar Profile scholar.google.com — 34,000+ citations across theoretical chemistry and condensed matter physics.Caltech Science Exchange — Ask a Caltech Expert: Quantum Chemistry scienceexchange.caltech.edu — Accessible overview of Chan's perspective for a general science audience. Key Quotes "To a good approximation, you and I are not entangled. That's essentially how people think about molecules — atoms are distinct entities, and you can define each as a local entity because its properties are not intrinsically tied up with some other thing." — Garnet Chan, explaining why most chemical systems are cla...

    41 min

  3. APR 17

    Quantum Open Source with Will Zeng and Ziyaad Bhorat

    Quantum Open Source with Will Zeng and Ziyaad Bhorat In this special live-streamed discussion, Will Zeng, co-founder of the Unitary Foundation, and Ziyaad Bhorat, VP at the Mozilla Foundation, join host Sebastian Hassinger to unpack their co-authored white paper, The Open Foundation Quantum Technology Needs. The paper argues that open source quantum software is structurally underfunded — too applied for academic grants, too public-good for venture capital — and that philanthropic organizations need to step in before the window closes. This conversation arrives at a pivotal moment. Google recently published a paper showing Shor's algorithm could break ECDLP-256 with roughly 500,000 physical qubits — a 20x improvement over prior estimates — while Oratomic launched claiming 10,000 reconfigurable atomic qubits may be sufficient for cryptographically relevant computation. The timelines are compressing. The question is whether the software ecosystem can keep pace with the hardware.The video of our conversation can be viewed on YouTube. What you'll learn Why open source quantum software falls into a structural funding gap between academic grants and venture capital — and what that means for the field's trajectoryHow Mozilla Foundation evaluates emerging technology fields for philanthropic intervention, and what specifically convinced them quantum was ripe for engagementWhat Google's 20x efficiency gain for Shor's algorithm and the Oratomic launch mean for Q-Day timelines and post-quantum migration urgencyWhy the "quantum Linux" analogy is useful but incomplete — and what the real risk is (fragmentation, not monopoly)How Unitary Foundation's microgrant program ($4,000, six months) has become a faster on-ramp to quantum careers than traditional academic pathwaysWhat PyMatching, PyZX, and other microgrant-funded projects reveal about the scalability of small open source investmentsWhy open source benchmarking through Metriq Gym matters — and why vendor-driven benchmarks can't fill this roleHow the Qiskit team reductions at IBM illustrate the fragility of corporate-backed open source in quantumWhat specific policy asks the quantum open source community has for the NQI reauthorizationThe von Neumann vs. ENIAC lesson: why openness wins over secrecy in building transformative computing platforms Resources & links The Open Foundation Quantum Technology Needs — The white paper by Zeng, Castanon, and Bhorat (March 2026) that anchors this conversationUnitary Foundation — 501(c)(3) non-profit building, governing, and sustaining open source quantum software since 2018 Mozilla Foundation — Non-profit championing open source and internet health, supporting Unitary Foundation's quantum workMitiq — Open source toolkit for quantum error mitigationMetriq — Community-driven quantum benchmarking platform Metriq Gym — Open source benchmarking suite for quantum computers Unitary Compiler Collection (UCC) — Quantum circuit compilation toolsQuTiP — Quantum Toolbox in Python, stewarded by Unitary FoundationPyMatching — Open source decoder for quantum error correction, originally funded by a UF microgrant PyZX — ZX-calculus library for quantum circuit optimization, also originating from UF support Unitary Hack — Annual bug bounty hackathon connecting open source quantum projects with global contributors CSIS Commission on U.S. Quantum Leadership — Warning on quantum decryption surprise referenced in the white paperWill Zeng — President and co-founder of Unitary Foundation; Partner at Quantonation; DPhil in Quantum Information, University of OxfordZiyaad Bhorat — VP of Imagination and Strategic Growth, Mozilla Foundation; PhD in Political Science, UCLA Key quotes "Do we want a future where quantum computers are developed by secret government contractors with specialized PhDs who have top secret security clearances? Or do we want a future where quantum computers are built in the private sector, competing to provide economic value to everyone around the world?" — Will Zeng "Do not be afraid to experiment. We're doing ourselves a disservice to be slow, especially in a space that really warrants experimentation." — Ziyaad Bhorat, on his message to philanthropic colleagues "There's billions of people on the planet who want to do exciting and interesting things. Building quantum technology is one of those. If you have enough motivation, you just need to provide some on-ramps." — Will Zeng "We should put forward an affirmative vision of what that future should look like and drive towards it — because otherwise it will be built in secret." — Ziyaad Bhorat "The US spends 30, 35 billion on potato chips every year. There's a lot of room to grow." — Will Zeng, on the scale of quantum investment relative to what's neededRelated episodes Ep 19: Quantum Error Mitigation using Mitiq with Misty Wahl — Deep dive into Mitiq, one of Unitary Foundation's flagship open source projects discussed in this episode.Ep 35: Quantum Benchmarking with Jens Eisert — Explores the challenges of quantum benchmarking that Will Zeng addresses with the Metriq platform.Ep 29: Quantum Education and Community Building with Olivia Lanes — Parallels to the community-first approach to workforce development that both guests advocate.Ep 53: Fostering Quantum Education with Emily Edwards — The Q12 initiative's approach to quantum education, complementing UF's open source on-ramps.Ep 79: Building a Quantum Ecosystem from Scratch with Martin Laforest — How Quebec built a quantum ecosystem — relevant context for the white paper's argument about building open infrastructure early. Subscribe & connect Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify |

    1h 2m

  4. APR 7

    Simulating Quantum Materials with Arnab Banerjee

    Summary This episode is for anyone following the quantum utility debate or curious about how quantum computers will actually contribute to scientific discovery. Arnab Banerjee — assistant professor at Purdue, guest scientist at Oak Ridge's Quantum Science Center, and one of the most-cited experimentalists working at the intersection of quantum materials and quantum computing — walks us through his career-spanning journey from growing magnetic crystals to programming qubits. You'll hear how Banerjee's frustration with classical tools that couldn't explain his own experimental data drove him to quantum computing, why a quantum spin liquid is like the vortex that forms when you throw a stone into water, and how his team used 50 qubits on IBM's Heron chip to reproduce the spectroscopic fingerprint of a real material — KCuF3 — matching data collected at Oak Ridge and the UK's ISIS neutron source. He also offers a nuanced assessment of where different quantum computing platforms excel, drawing on hands-on experience with IBM, QuEra, and D-Wave. What you'll learn What a quantum spin liquid actually is and why its collective behavior — like vortices on water — could enable naturally error-protected qubitsHow neutron scattering works as a quantum probe — using the neutron's own spin and de Broglie wavelength to reveal both atomic positions and energy levels simultaneouslyWhy Banerjee's team chose to benchmark quantum simulation against known experimental data first before tackling classically intractable problemsWhat the IBM Heron benchmarking paper actually showed — reproducing spinon excitations in KCuF3, a one-dimensional Heisenberg chain, with quantitative agreement to neutron dataHow different quantum computing modalities serve different materials science problems — IBM for fast, cheap operations on 2D lattices; trapped ions for all-to-all connectivity; D-Wave and QuEra for Ising-like HamiltoniansHow close we are to quantum advantage in materials simulation — Banerjee estimates 70-90 "good enough" qubits in 2D geometry could reach classically inaccessible regimesWhy Kitaev quantum spin liquids could provide a fundamentally different path to fault tolerance — topological protection from decoherence built into the material itself, not imposed through software Resources & links Papers & research Benchmarking quantum simulation with neutron-scattering experiments (March 2026) — The news hook: IBM Heron processor reproduces real neutron scattering data from KCuF3. First direct validation of quantum simulation against experimental measurements of a real material. Proximate Kitaev quantum spin liquid behaviour in a honeycomb magnet (2016) — Banerjee et al., Nature Materials. The career-defining paper providing first experimental evidence for Kitaev spin liquid behavior in alpha-RuCl3. Discover Magazine Top 100 Stories (#18). Neutron scattering in the proximate quantum spin liquid alpha-RuCl3 (2017) — Banerjee et al., Science. Comprehensive neutron scattering study revealing fractional spinon excitations. Materials for quantum technologies roadmap (2025) — Applied Physics Reviews. Banerjee's roadmap paper on the pipeline from material discovery to quantum devices.Lessons from alpha-RuCl3 for atomically thin materials (Nov 2025) — What the decade-long study of alpha-RuCl3 teaches about 2D quantum materials.Guest & lab links  Quantum Spins Laboratory, Purdue University — Banerjee's research groupORNL Profile: Traversing the Unknown, Befriending Uncertainty — Oak Ridge profile on Banerjee's research philosophy Purdue News: Keck Foundation Grant for Quantum Spin Liquids — $1.2M grant to probe Majorana bound states with optical techniquesCoverage of the IBM benchmarking work - IBM Newsroom: Quantum Computer Simulates Real Magnetic Materials — IBM's announcement of the benchmarking resultNature News: Quantum simulations verified by experiments for the first time — Nature's coverage of the milestoneOrganizations & facilities - DOE Quantum Science Center at Oak Ridge — $115M National Quantum Initiative center where Banerjee is a guest scientistSpallation Neutron Source, Oak Ridge — The neutron scattering facility central to Banerjee's experimental workISIS Neutron and Muon Source, Rutherford Appleton Lab — UK facility where part of the KCuF3 data was collected Key quotes & insights "The entire electronic industry is built around trying to avoid quantum effects as much as possible. This is the time when we need to make quantum our friend instead of our enemy." "In a quantum spin liquid, the spin directions move collectively in dancing patterns that look extremely ordered — but if you take a snapshot, the individual spins feel completely random." — On why spin liquids are like vortices in water "A spin is a qubit is a spin." — On why quantum magnets and quantum processors are fundamentally the same physics "We need to know whether what we are doing really makes sense. That's what this experiment is about." — On why benchmarking against known results must come before tackling unsolved problems "I would like to simulate the entire standard model using a quantum computer." — When asked what problem he'd throw at an unlimited quantum computer   Related episodes Ep 6: Better Qubits Through Material Science with Nathalie DeLeon — The materials science perspective on improving qubit quality, from diamond color centers to surface physicsEp 13: The Mysterious Majorana with Leo Kouwenhoven — The topological quantum computing vision that Kitaev materials could enable through a different routeEp 74: Majorana Qubits with Chetan Nayak — Microsoft's engineered approach to topological protection — contrast with Banerjee's materials-first pathEp 25: Material Science with Houlong Zhuang at Q2B Paris — Using quan...

    40 min

  5. APR 1

    Quantum Advantage Achieved with Dominik Hangleiter

    Has quantum advantage actually been achieved — or is the field still arguing over its own milestones? Dominik Hangleiter, one of the leading theorists working on quantum computational advantage, joins the podcast to make the case that it has, explain why so many physicists remain unconvinced, and map the path toward fault-tolerant, verifiable quantum advantage. Why This Episode Matters If you follow quantum computing and want to cut through the noise around quantum advantage claims, this episode is for you. Dominik Hangleiter — an Ambizione Fellow at ETH Zürich and postdoctoral fellow at UC Berkeley's Simons Institute — has spent over a decade studying the boundary between what quantum and classical computers can do. His March 2026 paper "Has quantum advantage been achieved?" synthesizes years of experiments, classical simulation attacks, and complexity theory into a clear-eyed assessment. Whether you're an experimentalist, a theorist, or simply quantum-curious, you'll come away with a sharper understanding of what's been demonstrated, what hasn't, and what comes next. What You'll Learn Why random circuit sampling became the primary arena for proving quantum advantage — and why the task's "uselessness" is a feature, not a bugHow the linear cross-entropy benchmark (XEB) works as a statistical proxy for verifying classically intractable quantum computationWhy audiences of physicists are still split on whether quantum advantage has been demonstrated, despite multiple experiments since 2019What "peaked circuits" are and how they interpolate between random sampling and structured computationHow post-quantum cryptography (learning with errors) exploits problems that quantum computers can't solve — and what that reveals about quantum computation's limitsWhy basic arithmetic is surprisingly hard for fault-tolerant quantum computers, and how that bottlenecks algorithms like Shor'sHow fault-tolerant compilation co-designs quantum circuits with error-correcting codes to make advantage experiments scalableThe difference between "native" quantum operations and the overhead required for universal fault-tolerant computationWhy the interplay between quantum and classical computing strengths — not quantum dominance — may define the field's future Resources & Links Papers & Articles Has quantum advantage been achieved? — Hangleiter's March 2026 paper synthesizing the quantum advantage debateComputational Advantage of Quantum Random Sampling — Hangleiter & Eisert's comprehensive review in Reviews of Modern Physics (2023)Fault-Tolerant Compiling of Classically Hard IQP Circuits on Hypercubes — The Harvard/ETH collaboration on fault-tolerant IQP circuits (PRX Quantum 2025)Secret-Extraction Attacks against Obfuscated IQP Circuits — Hangleiter & Gross's attack paper breaking proposed verification protocols (PRX Quantum 2025)Verifiable Measurement-Based Quantum Random Sampling with Trapped Ions — Experimental realization with the Innsbruck trapped-ion group (Nature Communications 2025) Blog Series & Commentary Has quantum advantage been achieved? (Quantum Frontiers blog series) — The three-part mini-series on the Caltech IQIM blog that grew into the paperScott Aaronson's reaction — Endorsement on Shtetl-Optimized: "quantum supremacy on contrived benchmark problems has almost certainly been achieved by now" Guest Links Dominik Hangleiter — personal website & publicationsGoogle Scholar profile (4,372 citations)QuICS profile (University of Maryland) Key Quotes & Insights "Really what sets random circuit sampling apart is that it's really programmable. I give an input to the device, I design a circuit — I draw it randomly, yes — but then I give the circuit to the device, and whoever controls the device runs the circuit and gives me back the samples." — On why RCS qualifies as genuine computation"We typically do in physics experiments a lot of extrapolation, a lot of circumstantial experiments that validate that the experiment you really care about is actually what you want to probe. And that's the sense in which I think these random circuit sampling experiments have been verified." — On the physics-style epistemology of quantum advantage"Classical computers are really good at doing basic arithmetic, but quantum computers — it's really hard to do basic arithmetic. And that's for the reason that fault tolerance is very restrictive in terms of the operations that you can do on encoded information." — On the surprising asymmetry between quantum and classical capabilities"I can't just tell the quantum computer to give me the outcome I want. There's rules to it. And how those rules apply to computational problems that we face in the real world beyond quantum simulation is, I think, a really intriguing challenge." — On the structured nature of quantum interference"Maybe there's a world where we can stitch together different hardware systems and won't have a single platform that wins the race." — On heterogeneous quantum architecturesRelated Episodes Ep 35: Quantum Benchmarking with Jens Eisert — Hangleiter's PhD advisor discusses benchmarking quantum devices — essential context for understanding how we measure quantum performance.Ep 12: Quantum Supremacy to Generative AI and Back with Scott Aaronson — Aaronson's perspective on quantum supremacy and computational complexity — directly relevant to the advantage debate.Ep 73: Peaked quantum circuits with Hrant Gharibyan — The peaked circuits approach discussed in this episode, explained in depth.Ep 47: Megaquop with John Preskill and Rob Schoelkopf — The road to a million quantum operations — the scale needed for the fault-tolerant advantage Hangleiter envisions.Ep 74: Majorana qubits with Chetan Nayak — Another approach to fault tolerance with different native capabilities — relevant to Hangleiter's point about modality-specific strengths. Calls to Action Dominik's Quantum Frontiers blog series is one of the most accessible deep dives on quantum advantage available anywhere — start there if you want to explore beyond this conversation. Links in the show notes. Subscribe: ...

    37 min

  6. MAR 23

    Scaling Quantum Hardware Like Semiconductors with Matthijs Rijlaarsdam

    Scaling Quantum Hardware Like Semiconductors with Matthijs Rijlaarsdam The quantum computing industry has been stuck at roughly 100 qubits for years — not because of physics, but because of wiring. Matthijs Rijlaarsdam, co-founder and CEO of QuantWare, explains how his company's 3D vertical chip architecture (VIO) could break through that ceiling to 10,000 qubits by 2028, and why the quantum industry needs to start thinking like the semiconductor industry if it wants to actually deliver on its promises. Episode Summary This conversation is for anyone trying to understand why quantum computers haven't scaled as fast as promised — and what it would take to change that. Matthijs brings an unusual perspective as a computer scientist (not a physicist) who co-founded QuantWare out of TU Delft's QuTech to become the world's first commercial supplier of superconducting quantum processors. Rather than building a full quantum computer, QuantWare sells QPUs as components — the "TSMC of quantum." In this episode, Matthijs walks through the VIO architecture that routes signals vertically through stacked chiplets instead of along chip edges, why specialization and volume economics are the only realistic path to useful quantum computing, and how the Dutch quantum ecosystem punches far above its weight thanks to consistent long-term investment. What You'll Learn Why the quantum industry is stuck at ~100 qubits — and how 90% of current chip area is consumed by signal routing, not qubits, creating a fundamental scaling wallHow VIO's 3D chiplet architecture breaks the wiring bottleneck by routing signals vertically through stacked silicon modules, enabling 10,000-qubit processors that are physically smaller than today's 100-qubit chipsWhy quantum computing will be heterogeneous — different platforms (superconducting, trapped ions, neutral atoms) have different trade-offs analogous to CPUs vs. memory vs. storage in classical computingThe economics that make specialization inevitable — why cable costs need to drop from EUR 1,500 per line to cents, and why volume manufacturing is the only way to get thereHow QuantWare's three business models mirror the semiconductor industry — selling packaged QPUs (Intel model), foundry services (TSMC model), and packaging services for third-party chipsWhy the Dutch quantum ecosystem succeeds — consistent decade-plus government investment in QuTech, EUR 600M+ to Quantum Delta NL, and the WENEC report recommending EUR 9.4 billion for quantum infrastructureWhat "Quantum Open Architecture" means in practice — how making QPUs commercially available lowers barriers for the entire industry, similar to how standardized PC components enabled the computing revolutionQuantWare's roadmap: VIO-40K shipping in 2028 with up to 10,000 qubits, and a path to 1 million qubits using arrays of chiplet modules Resources & Links Company QuantWare — world's first and largest commercial supplier of superconducting quantum processorsVIO Technology — QuantWare's 3D vertical integration and optimization architectureVIO-40K announcement — press release on the 10,000-qubit scaling breakthrough Coverage & Analysis PostQuantum: QuantWare's 10,000-qubit chip — a real scaling bet — the most balanced independent analysis of VIO-40K's claims and limitationsTechCrunch: Dutch startup QuantWare seeks to fast-track quantum computing — Series A coverageNextBigFuture: QuantWare 10K qubits in 2028 and 1 million in 2029 — Q2B keynote reporting Partnerships Mentioned Quantum Utility Block (QUB) with Q-CTRL and Qblox — turnkey quantum computer kitElevate Quantum Q-PAC in Colorado — first US Quantum Open Architecture system Ecosystem & Policy QuantWare 2026 industry predictions — QuantWare's view on entering the kiloqubit eraQuTech — TU Delft quantum research institute where both QuantWare co-founders did their graduate workQuantum Delta NL — Dutch national quantum technology program (EUR 600M+)DARPA HARK program — Heterogeneous Accelerated Roadmap using Quantum Solutions; referenced by Matthijs as validation of the heterogeneous quantum computing thesis Key Insights "There is no path towards useful quantum computing without specialization. That is a total fantasy." — Matthijs Rijlaarsdam on why volume economics and the semiconductor model are inevitable for quantum "The difference between EUR 1,500 and 10 cents per cable line — that's all volumes and yields." — on how manufacturing scale, not physics breakthroughs, will drive the next phase of quantum cost reduction "If you look at it on a cost-per-qubit basis, VIO-40K at EUR 50 million is actually a 10x reduction from where we are today. Anyone claiming they'll do it for less is just not telling something realistic." — on the real economics of scaling quantum hardware "Imagine if you were a company today and you wanted to do interesting stuff in AI, but you first had to develop a three nanometer process to make the chips. It would be completely ridiculous. And in quantum, that's what everyone is doing." — on why vertical integration won't survive at scale "Good companies will get funded. We have in general not been restricted by access to capital ourselves." — on navigating European deep-tech venture capital   Related Episodes Ep 41: Dual-rail superconducting qubits with Rob Schoelkopf — deep dive into superconducting qubit architectures and scaling approachesEp 48: Qolab Emerges from Stealth Mode with John Martinis — another vision for scaling superconducting qubits to millions, from a different architectural angleEp 59: Silicon Spin Qubits with Andrew Dzurak from D...

    37 min

  7. MAR 16

    Engineering the Quantum Future with Brian Gaucher

    Ever wonder why quantum computing still feels like a "cool science experiment" instead of a deployable technology? After two decades building wireless standards and quantum systems at IBM, Brian Gaucher argues that engineering—not physics—has become the critical bottleneck holding back quantum technologies from real-world impact. Why this episode matters This conversation is essential for anyone trying to understand why quantum technologies haven't yet transitioned from laboratory demonstrations to scalable industrial applications. Brian co-authored the recent ERVA report that identifies the specific engineering challenges blocking quantum progress across computing, sensing, and biological applications. If you're a researcher, engineer, or technology leader wondering how quantum moves from promising science to transformational technology, this episode provides the roadmap. The discussion reveals why materials engineering, not theoretical breakthroughs, will determine which nations lead the quantum economy—and why coordinated investment in nanoscale manufacturing infrastructure needs to happen now, before manufacturing ecosystems become geographically concentrated like semiconductors. What you'll learnHow engineering precision has replaced theoretical understanding as the primary quantum bottleneck across computing, sensing, and biological applicationsWhy superconducting qubit fabrication still resembles lab experiments despite being labeled an "engineering problem" since 2016—and what's needed to achieve semiconductor-level reproducibilityThe specific materials challenges blocking quantum scaling: surface and interface noise control, defect management, cryogenic packaging, and atomic-layer precision manufacturingWhy quantum computing will require hundreds of interconnected dilution refrigerators rather than single large systems, and the engineering implications of distributed quantum architecturesHow AI and quantum computing create bidirectional acceleration opportunities: AI enabling quantum calibration and error mitigation, while quantum enhances optimization and molecular simulation workloadsWhy quantum standards development faces a chicken-and-egg problem that won't resolve until reproducible quantum advantage is demonstrated—but must be ready immediately afterwardHow regional quantum initiatives like Illinois Quantum Network and Elevate Quantum balance necessary specialization against harmful fragmentation in the pre-standards eraWhy the semiconductor industry's offshore manufacturing migration offers critical lessons for maintaining quantum manufacturing leadership in the United Statesqubitsok — Cut Noise. Work Quantum. The quantum computing job board and arXiv research digest built for the community. Job seekers & researchers: Subscribe free at qubitsok.com — weekly job alerts + daily paper digest filtered by 400+ quantum tags. Hiring managers: Post your quantum role and reach 500+ targeted subscribers. Use code NEWQUANTUMERA-50 for 50% off your first listing at qubitsok.com/post-job.Resources & links Papers & reports ERVA Report: Engineering Research to Advance Quantum Technologies - The comprehensive analysis Brian co-authored on translating quantum science into engineering frameworksNational Quantum Initiative Act - Current federal quantum research coordination legislation awaiting reauthorizationOrganizations & initiatives Chicago Quantum Exchange - Regional quantum research consortium Brian mentions as a model for coordinated developmentIBM Quantum Network - Brian's former organization advancing quantum computing applicationsIEEE Quantum Engineering - Standards organization Brian suggests should lead quantum standardization effortsStandards & technology platforms IEEE 802.11 Standards - The Wi-Fi standardization work Brian contributed to, demonstrating how standards unlock technology ecosystemsQiskit - IBM's quantum software development platformOpenQASM - Quantum assembly language specification for quantum instruction setsGuest links Brian Gaucher's Design News Interview - Recent discussion of quantum engineering workforce developmentKey insights "Quantum advantages is going to come not just from better qubits alone, but really from better engineering. The physics is truly exciting in the discovery aspects, but that in itself is not going to go anywhere without a bigger picture wrapped around it." "We understand the fundamental physics. What we need to do is get to reproducible, scalable fabrication and interface control remains one of the limiting things." "Scientific leadership alone doesn't guarantee you long-term manufacturing leadership. We know this from semiconductors—the US remains strong in research and design, but manufacturing ecosystems went offshore." "Once manufacturing ecosystems become geographically concentrated, you can't rebuild this stuff. So you need to address this earlier on and not wait." "If we break encryption, every old email and text and bank statement that you've ever had becomes open. The enormity of such a risk should be driving someone crazy." Related episodes Ep 47: Megaquop with John Preskill and Rob Schoelkopf - Deep dive into superconducting quantum computing architectures and scaling challengesEp 52: Quantum Error Correction Codes with Kenneth Brown - Essential background on the error mitigation Brian discusses as an AI-quantum intersectionEp 61: The Quantum Internet with Stephanie Wehner - Quantum communications standards and infrastructure development

    40 min

  8. MAR 9

    Quantum Engineering with David Reilly and Tom Ohki

    Revolutionary Quantum Engineering with David Reilly and Tom Ohki Have you ever wondered what it takes to build computing systems that work at temperatures colder than outer space? David Reilly and Tom Ohki are tackling this exact challenge, leading a "special ops" team of engineers from their unique position at Emergence Quantum—the startup born from Microsoft's Station Q program. They're not just building quantum computers; they're creating the entire infrastructure ecosystem that will make scalable quantum computing possible. Episode Summary This episode explores how quantum computing's most challenging engineering problems are being solved from the ground up. David Reilly (former Station Q lead) and Tom Ohki (ex-Raytheon BBN Technologies) share their journey from academic research to building Emergence Quantum—a company focused on the systems-level challenges of quantum computing and beyond. Unlike typical quantum startups racing to build better qubits, Emergence takes a "qubit-agnostic" approach, focusing on the critical control systems, cryogenic electronics, and infrastructure needed to scale any quantum platform. Their work spans from cryo-CMOS control systems that operate at millikelvin temperatures to revolutionary applications of cryogenic cooling in classical data centers. What You'll Learn How cryo-CMOS technology solves the fundamental wiring bottleneck that prevents quantum computers from scaling beyond hundreds of qubitsWhy the "special ops" team model enables breakthrough engineering when tackling unprecedented technical challenges across quantum and classical computingHow cryogenic cooling could transform classical data centers by dramatically reducing power consumption and improving processor performanceThe systems-level thinking required to build quantum computers that actually work at scale, beyond just improving individual qubit performanceWhy Australia offers unique advantages for deep tech R&D companies focused on long-term hardware development rather than venture-driven growthHow quantum computing infrastructure development creates spillover benefits for classical computing, sensing, and other cryogenic applicationsThe historical parallels between today's quantum engineering challenges and the foundational R&D that built the internet and early computing systemsWhy "qubit-agnostic" approaches to control systems provide more flexibility as quantum hardware continues evolvingCompany & Guest Links Emergence QuantumDavid ReillyTom OhkiResearch & Papers Nature paper on cryo-CMOS coexistence with spin qubits Historical cryo-CMOS researchOrganizations Mentioned Microsoft Station Q (former quantum research division)Raytheon BBN Technologies (internet pioneer, quantum research)University of Sydneyqubitsok — Cut Noise. Work Quantum. The quantum computing job board and arXiv research digest built for the community. Job seekers & researchers: Subscribe free at qubitsok.com — weekly job alerts + daily paper digest filtered by 400+ quantum tags. Hiring managers: Post your quantum role and reach 500+ targeted subscribers. Use code NEWQUANTUMERA-50 for 50% off your first listing at qubitsok.com/post-job.Technologies & Concepts Cryo-CMOS: CMOS electronics operating at cryogenic temperaturesDilution refrigerators: Ultra-low temperature cooling systemsSuperconducting quantum devices and control systemsKey Insights "We recognize that although quantum is very much moving into more traditional engineering domains, there's still so much fundamental research—you have to walk both paths. It will be both fundamental science and applied engineering, all at the same time." — David Reilly on the dual nature of quantum development"Every member had this deep expertise, and we were able to progress in a flexible agile way. That was exactly the secret." — Tom Ohki on building high-performing technical teams"You could ask the question: what are the attributes of scalable qubits, given the constraints of what you can build at the control layer?" — David Reilly on systems-level thinking"If you don't believe in [scaling classical cryogenic computing], but you believe in quantum computing, there's some mismatch here—because the fundamental aspects are completely identical." — Tom Ohki on infrastructure requirements"We're not trying to disrupt the incumbent technology. We're trying to improve it. But along the way, we're building the foundation for a world beyond that." — David Reilly on their strategic approach Community & Next Steps Ready to dive deeper into quantum systems engineering? Subscribe to New Quantum Era to catch every episode exploring the engineering breakthroughs that will define quantum computing's future. Share this episode with colleagues working on complex technical systems—the insights on team dynamics and long-term R&D strategy apply far beyond quantum computing. Join our community of quantum computing professionals, researchers, and technically curious minds who are shaping this field's development.

    49 min
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4.4
out of 5
45 Ratings

About

Your host, Sebastian Hassinger, interviews brilliant research scientists, software developers, engineers and others actively exploring the possibilities of our new quantum era. We will cover topics in quantum computing, networking and sensing, focusing on hardware, algorithms and general theory. The show aims for accessibility - Sebastian is not a physicist - and we'll try to provide context for the terminology and glimpses at the fascinating history of this new field as it evolves in real time.

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