Short Briefings on Long Term Thinking - Baillie Gifford Quantum, space, fusion: 3 firms engineering the future
Feb 3, 2025
Investment manager Luke Ward, from Baillie Gifford’s Private Companies Team, discusses transformative technologies shaping our future: quantum computing, reusable rockets, and nuclear fusion. He highlights PsiQuantum's strategy to revolutionize computing through photonics, SpaceX's innovations making space travel affordable, and SHINE Technologies' advancements in nuclear fusion for clean energy. Ward also explores how these breakthroughs could impact agriculture, telecommunications, and medical treatments, providing a thrilling glimpse into engineering's influence on tomorrow.
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Quantum Matches Quantum Problems
- Quantum computers simulate quantum-mechanical problems that classical supercomputers struggle with.
- Matching the computer's physics to the problem lets us simulate molecules and materials more accurately.
Quantum Could Transform Fertiliser
- Simulating a biological nitrogen-fixing catalyst could replace energy-intensive chemical fertiliser production.
- A single week-long quantum simulation might unlock solutions worth tens of billions of dollars.
Scaling Is The Core Quantum Problem
- Scalability is the central challenge for useful quantum computers, not just qubit quality.
- PsiQuantum pursues silicon semiconductor manufacturing to scale to millions of qubits.