The Superposition Guy's Podcast

Constanza Bustamante, a research fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is interviewed by Yuval Boger to discuss quantum policy at the nexus of national and economic security. Constanza contrasts China’s state-led, scale-oriented model with the U.S.’s science-first, private-sector translation approach; traces bipartisan continuity from the National Quantum Initiative Act through today; and examines Europe’s growing techno-nationalism and reciprocity gaps. Constanza argues broad tariffs risk hobbling a nascent U.S. quantum supply chain, explores quantum sensing as a near-term “atomic advantage”, weighs research-security safeguards against academic openness, and much more.

Vijoy Pandey, who leads Cisco’s Outshift incubation group, and Reza Nejabati, Cisco’s head of quantum research, are interviewed by Yuval Boger. They discuss Cisco’s strategy to enable distributed quantum computing and a future “quantum internet.” Vijoy and Reza explain why Cisco won’t build QPUs, focusing instead on room-temperature, telecom-band entanglement networking. They discuss Cisco's aim is to make networking a “no-brainer” and push modality complexity to the edge via transducers and even entanglement-mode conversion, the argument that scale-out plus scale-up will reach “million usable qubits” faster, and much more.

Bert de Jong, Director of the Quantum Systems Accelerator at Berkeley Lab, shares insights on cutting-edge quantum technologies. He discusses the integration of superconducting and trapped-ion systems, and the importance of error correction in quantum computing. Bert highlights unique strategies for overcoming cost and scaling challenges, and emphasizes the need for industry collaboration and workforce training starting in high schools. He believes significant scientific impacts from quantum computing are on the horizon, potentially within five years.

Sebastian Weidt, CEO and co-founder of Universal Quantum, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. They discuss his company’s unique approach to building scalable trapped-ion quantum computers. Sebastian explains how Universal Quantum focuses on overcoming key scaling challenges—such as error-free modular connections, laser-free control, and integrated electronics—rather than rushing small systems to market. He contrasts their 70K cooling and qubit-shuttling architecture with other modalities, addresses trade-offs like gate speed, and shares why algorithmic execution speed can offset slower clock cycles. Sebastian and Yuval also talk about the company’s €70M DLR contracts, its emphasis on software alongside hardware, and Sebastian’s view that quantum utility will likely emerge north of 10,000 qubits. Reflecting on entrepreneurship, he shares lessons learned about market education, the company’s engineering-heavy team, and much more.

Scott Buchholz, the Global Quantum Computing Lead at Deloitte, shares his expertise in how quantum technology can solve real business problems. He discusses the timelines for commercial viability and Deloitte's key role in demystifying quantum jargon for clients. Scott highlights their development of quantum-inspired machine learning solutions and the importance of strategic vendor selection. With insights into the intersection of quantum computing and various industries, he emphasizes building the right teams to prepare for future advancements.

Yuval Boger interviews Tal David, CEO and co-founder of Quantum Art, a quantum computing company based in Israel focused on full-stack quantum computing with trapped ions. They discuss Quantum Art's unique architecture, which emphasizes sophisticated multi-qubit gate operations, optical tweezers for segmenting ion chains, and dynamic reconfigurability for scaling up to millions of qubits. Tal highlights the company's roadmap, including launching a 50-qubit system by 2025 and a 1,000-qubit system by 2027, with a long-term goal of achieving a million-qubit system. Tal also addresses the challenges and advantages of their approach, particularly regarding error correction and speed, and mentions collaborations with companies like NVIDIA and BlueQubit, emphasizes the importance of focusing on scalable architectures, and much more.

Scott Genin, Vice President of Materials Discovery at OTI Lumionics, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. 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 future of quantum but emphasizes the need for further advancements, particularly regarding error correction and cost efficiency. He also shares insights on a novel encoding method that allows OTI to emulate up to 80 qubits classically, significantly improving their simulation capabilities. They segway into the potential for quantum computing to impact vibronic spectra calculations, the importance of achieving meaningful results within a competitive business environment, and much more.

Preeti Chalsani, Chief Quantum Officer at Intersect Illinois, and Harley Johnson, CEO of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, are interviewed by Yuval Boger. Preeti and Harley discuss the rapid creation and ambitious goals of the IQMP, a state-backed initiative to support the scale-up of quantum computing and microelectronics. They talk about the park’s public-private structure, a $500M infrastructure investment by the state, early tenants like PsiQuantum and and Diraq, and its emphasis on workforce development and cross-sector collaboration. They also explore Illinois’ unique advantages as well as the challenges of infrastructure timelines, community impact, managing expectations in a fast-moving field, and much more.

Michele Dallari, co-founder and CEO, and Marco Polini, co-founder, of Planckian, are interviewed by Yuval Boger. Michele and Marco talk about their company’s novel superconducting chip architecture, which uses global control and always-on ZZ interactions to drastically reduce wiring complexity and improve scalability. They discuss the advantages of controlling many qubits with just two or three classical lines, their early-stage experimental progress, and the software adaptations required to compile algorithms for their architecture. The conversation also touches on Italy’s growing quantum ecosystem, Planckian’s collaborative approach to chip manufacturing, their excitement about recent advances in pulse engineering to compensate for fabrication imperfections—and much more.

Romana Schirhagl, co-founder, and Deepak Veeregowda, CEO of QT Sense, are interviewed by Yuval Boger. QT Sense develops quantum sensing technology using NV center sensors in nanodiamonds for biomedical applications. Romana explains how their technology measures magnetic noise from free radicals inside cells, indicating cellular stress, similar to a small-scale MRI. Deepak discusses the company's product, Quantum Nova, which is available for research and diagnostic purposes, particularly in cancer and infectious disease detection. QT Sense describes their technology as having subcellular resolution and nanomolar sensitivity, sees a key advantage in applying NV sensors in living systems where the sensors move and rotate, and aim to impact millions of patients by 2030.