Entangled Things

In Episode 89, Patrick speaks with Murray Thom, Vice President of Quantum Technology Evangelism at D-Wave Quantum, Inc.  The team discusses  Machine Learning Models, redefining problems for Quantum Computers, and Quantum Supremacy. Murray Thom, VP of Quantum Technology Evangelism at D-Wave, has more than 20 years of experience in the quantum computing industry. A globally recognized speaker and thought leader, Murray helps businesses and organizations around the world understand quantum computing and the transformational impact it can have for them today. In previous roles at D-Wave, he was responsible for the development and delivery of the Leap quantum cloud service and the Ocean open-source tools. Murray has led teams engaged in customer projects related to applications, algorithms, and performance testing. He has even assembled a few early quantum computers by hand.

In Episode 88, Patrick and Ciprian welcome back Tim Hollebeek from Digicert. They dive into the latest concerns surrounding learning with errors, the future security of encryption, and both current and emerging standards.Timothy Hollebeek,  Industry and Standards Technical Strategist at DigiCert, Inc. has nearly two decades of computer security experience, including eight years working on innovative security research funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. He remains heavily involved as DigiCert’s primary representative in multiple industry standards bodies, including the CA/Browser Forum, striving for improved information security practices that work with real-world implementations. A mathematician by trade, Tim spends a lot of time considering security approaches to quantum computing.  

In Episode 87 Patrick speaks with returning guest Himadri Majumdar, co-founder and chief executive of SemiQon, and first time guest Vishal Chatrath, CEO of Quantrolox.  The team explores building commercially focused supply chains to support automating qubit characterization, and how competition fosters innovation.Himadri Majumdar is the Co-founder and chief executive of SemiQon. SemiQon builds silicon-based quantum processors for the million-qubit era. Prior to co-founding SemiQon he was the Program Manager for Quantum Technologies at VTT. In his role he helped companies in quantum technology domain - especially fabless start-ups - to utilize VTT’s R&D expertise and infrastructure in quantum technologies. Himadri was also a founding member of the Finnish Quantum technologies ecosystem, InstituteQ, and led the business arm of the ecosystem, BusinessQ. His ambition is to see SemiQon, and quantum technology in general, becoming a Finnish and global success story through cooperation and strategic partnerships. Himadri has 20 years of experience in innovation and innovation management and is also trained as an experimental physicist. SemiQon’s mission is to realise the promise of quantum computing by delivering scalability through powerful, resilient, and cost-effective quantum processors. SemiQon’s technology builds upon decades of development and know-how from the semiconductor industry, making its silicon processors commercially competitive and well-suited for mass-manufacturing. SemiQon is a spin-off from VTT, Finland and it operates at the Micronova Center for Applied Micro and Nanotechnology in Espoo, Finland.With over 25 years of experience in the deep-tech, Vishal Chatrath is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for building innovative products using cutting-edge technologies. He is the co-founder and CEO of QuantrolOx, an Anglo-Finnish spinout from Oxford University that is developing automation software to accelerate the scaling of quantum computers. Vishal experience spans across opto-electronics, smartphone SW, navigation systems, automotive, AI and quantum technologies. He has held various roles in research, manufacturing, operations, R&D, strategy, product management and business development. He has founded and led several startups, including Secondmind, an AI company, and VocalIQ, that was acquired by Apple in 2015. He is also an active advisor to promising deep tech startups and a member of the Founders Pledge, a community of entrepreneurs who commit to donate a portion of their personal proceeds to effective social causes. Vishal is a global citizen who has lived in 15 cities across 11 countries, from the Equator to the Arctic.QuantrolOx, an Oxford University spinout, is the developer of Quantum EDGE software for qubit, and quantum processor tune up automation. We envision a world where the bring-up, characterisation and testing or every qubit will be fully automated enabling quantum scientists to spend less time tuning qubits and more time on advancing quantum computing, thereby accelerating the path to practical quantum computers.Quantum EDGE integrates with major quantum hardware providers by building on open-architecture principles enabling organisations to select the best components for their quantum systems.

In Episode 86: In this visionary episode, Patrick and Ciprian dive into the evolving world of artificial intelligence. They explore groundbreaking developments in GPT and large language models, assess the commercial stability of quantum computing, and discuss the upcoming discoveries and solutions poised to transform our future. Tune in to Episode 86 of 'Entangled Things' for an in-depth analysis of the technologies shaping our tomorrow.

In Episode 85, Patrick and Ciprian speak with returning guest Steven Girvin of Yale University. The team discusses error correction, Rydberg states, erasure errors, and dual rail encoding.Dr. Steve GirvinAfter graduating in a high school class of 5 students in the small village of Brant Lake, NY and completing his undergraduate degree in physics from Bates College, Dr. Girvin earned his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Princeton University in 1977. Dr. Girvin joined the Yale faculty in 2001, where he is Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics and Professor of Applied Physics.  From 2007 to 2017 he served as Yale’s Deputy Provost for Research, overseeing strategic planning for research across Yale.  From 2019 to 2021, he served as founding director of the Co-Design Center for Quantum Advantage, one of five national quantum information science research centers funded by the Department of Energy.  Along with his experimenter colleagues Michel Devoret and Robert Schoelkopf, Professor Girvin co-developed ‘circuit QED,’ the leading architecture for construction of quantum computers based on superconducting microwave circuits.  Dr. Girvin is a Foreign Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and Member of the US National Academy of Sciences.  In 2007, he and his collaborators, Allan H. MacDonald and James P. Eisenstein were awarded the Oliver E. Buckley Prize of the American Physical Society for their work on the fractional quantum Hall effect.   In 2019, he and coauthor Kun Yang published the textbook “Modern Condensed Matter Physics” with Cambridge University Press.  

In Episode 84, Patrick speaks with Ryan Lafler, President and CTO of Quantum Corridor. They discuss communications systems, Quantum key distribution, and high transmission networks.Ryan Lafler co-founded Quantum Corridor, LLC, in early 2022 and serves as the President and Chief Technology Officer of the company. Ryan has more than 20 years of experience developing telecommunications solutions and has had considerable success constructing data and voice networks at scale. He previously co-founded Coeo Solutions, LLC, a managed service provider that has established fiber networks across 39 of 50 states in the U.S. He also founded FIT Telco, a telecommunications consulting firm supplying expertise in critical bandwidth for more than 30 international providers across the country. As President and CTO of Quantum Corridor, Ryan is responsible for day-to-day pathway and asset management, as well as the design, implementation and management of Quantum Corridor’s network. He possesses extensive experience and a comprehensive technical understanding of telecommunications and fiber networks, which will facilitate the advancement of capabilities and efficiencies in Quantum Corridor while providing innovative solutions with new technologies. Originally from Arizona, Ryan is a Tool fan, an auto fanatic and lives in the west suburbs of Chicago. 

In Episode 83, Patrick and Ciprian speak with returning guest Dr. Prineha Narang of UCLA. The team discusses distributed quantum sensor networks, lasers, magnons, and new technology application opportunities through organic conversations.Dr. Prineha Narang is a Professor in Physical Sciences and Electrical and Computer Engineering at UCLA with an interdisciplinary group spanning areas of physics, chemistry, and engineering. Prior to moving to UCLA, she was an Assistant Professor of Computational Materials Science at Harvard University. Before starting on the Harvard faculty in 2017, Dr. Narang was an Environmental Fellow at HUCE, and worked as a research scholar in condensed matter theory in the Department of Physics at MIT. She received an M.S. and Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Caltech. Her group works on theoretical and computational quantum materials, non-equilibrium dynamics, and quantum information science. Narang’s work has been recognized by many awards and special designations, Narang’s work has been recognized by many awards and special designations, including the 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship in Physics, Maria Goeppert Mayer Award from the American Physical Society, 2023 ONR Young Investigator Award, 2022 Outstanding Early Career Investigator Award from the Materials Research Society, Mildred Dresselhaus Prize, Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, a Max Planck Sabbatical Award from the Max Planck Society, and the IUPAP Young Scientist Prize in Computational Physics all in 2021, an NSF CAREER Award in 2020, being named a Moore Inventor Fellow by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, a Top Innovator by MIT Tech Review (MIT TR35, )and a leading young scientist by the World Economic Forum in 2018. In 2017, she was named by Forbes Magazine on their “30under30” list for her work in atom-by-atom quantum engineering, that is, designing materials at the smallest scale, using single atoms, to enable the leap to quantum technologies. Dr. Narang has held leadership roles in a DOE EFRC ‘Photonics at Thermodynamic Limits’, DOE NQI Quantum Science Center, and the NSF ERC ‘Center for Quantum Networks’, among others. Her continued service to the science community includes chairing the Gordon Conference on Ultrafast and Cooperative Phenomena, Materials Research Society (MRS) Spring Meeting (2022) and the MRS-Kavli Foundation Future of Materials Workshop: Computational Materials Science (2021), organizing APS, Optica (OSA), and SPIE symposia, and a leadership role in APS’ Division of Materials Physics. Narang is an Associate Editor at ACS Nano of the American Chemical Society, an Associate Editor at Applied Physics Letters of the American Institute of Physics, and the Editorial Advisory Boards of Nano Letters and Advanced Photonics. Dr. Narang is also the founder and Chief Technology Officer of Aliro, a VC-backed US quantum network company. At Aliro, she spearheads the effort in quantum information, towards commercializing scalable quantum networks.

Episode82In Episode 82, Patrick and Ciprian celebrate three years of Entangled Things.The team discusses different modalities, shifting perspectives, and the importance of the algorithms. 

In Episode 81, Patrick and Ciprian speak with returning guest Garland Garris of Accenture Federal Services, and first time guest Rima Oueid of the United States Department of Energy.The team discusses Quantum Computing in space, international development interest, and complimentary technologies to push development timelines.As Accenture Federal Services Quantum Security Lead, Garland Garris, provides Insider Threat, Law Enforcement, Intelligence, cybersecurity expertise and leadership to help guide the company’s cybersecurity business initiatives. Garland is the former Senior Leader responsible for cybersecurity for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), one of the founders of the FBI’s Insider Threat Center and provisioned implementation of multiple data science, investigative and analytic systems. An expert in Insider Threat Programs, Data Analytics, Cyber defense and operational programs, Garris brings 29 years of professional experience, 15 of which were served within national security agencies.Rima Kasia Oueid is a Senior Commercialization Executive at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Technology Transitions, where she leads market development activities and commercialization of emerging DOE technologies with a focus on quantum information science, transportation, grid modernization, and space-based applications. She builds public private partnerships, identifies use cases, and develops innovative business models to accelerate market adoption and bankability of quantum computing, quantum communications/security, quantum sensing, artificial intelligence, microgrids, and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies. Rima is the architect and lead of the DOE V2X Partnership with major OEMs, utilities, and bidirectional charging companies.  She is also a DOE representative on the board of the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QEDC), serves as the chair of QEDCs Use Case Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on Quantum Sensing, and a member of the Quantum Computing and Quantum Networking/Communications TACs.

In Episode 80, Patrick speaks with Sayon Chanda, Senior Scientist at National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), one of US Department of Energy's leading federal research laboratories in Denver Colorado.The team discusses the NISQ era of Quantum Computing, the complexities of current electric utility configurations, and how electric utilities can prepare for a post quantum future. Learn more: https://www.nrel.gov/news/program/2023/quantum-computers-can-now-interface-with-power-grid-equipment.htmlSayonsom Chanda is a senior scientist at National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Boulder, Colorado. He works in the intersection of advanced computing technologies and the electric power grid. For last seven years, he has worked extensively in implementation of AI technology for electric utilities in North America. Recently, his work on interfacing quantum computers and power grid simulators for developing industrial applications of quantum computing for solving the complex challenges of our times - including energy insecurity and climate change. Prior to joining NREL, Dr. Chanda was a Senior Data Scientist at National Grid in New York and an electrical engineer at Idaho National Laboratory. He is also the co-founder of two tech start-up companies where he helped them raise venture capital and develop commercial solutions for the utility industry. Over a dozen prominent conferences in the United States and abroad have invited him to speak on AI applications in the Energy industry, including a TEDX talk in 2021. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Washington State University, has published more than 18 articles in journals with a high impact factor and holds three patents in cloud computing for power systems. He is also the author of a book “Resiliency of Electricity Distribution Systems," published by Wiley in the United Kingdom.