The Superposition Guy's Podcast

Lute Maleki, founder and CEO of OEwaves, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. They discuss the development of advanced quantum technology components, such as narrowband lasers, the company’s origins at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and its evolution, the importance of narrow linewidth lasers for precision and efficiency in quantum applications, and much more

Dominik Ulmer, Chief Quantum Solutions officer at ParTec, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Dominik discusses ParTec’s transition from a traditional HPC software company to integrating quantum computing into their offerings. He explains their approach to hybrid classical-quantum systems, including virtualizing quantum computers as special nodes within HPC clusters and supporting various quantum modalities. Dominik highlights the importance of minimizing new infrastructure requirements for quantum systems, the use of emulators, and their support for hybrid on-premises and cloud integration. He also outlines ParTec’s physical integration lab, future plans for a Quantum Workbench, and much more.

Lisa Lambert, CEO of Quantum Industry Canada, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Lisa discusses QIC’s role as Canada’s national consortium of quantum companies and its commitment to advancing the quantum technology sector. She describes common challenges such as funding, policy, and market access. Lisa highlights Canada’s strong quantum ecosystem, strategic investments, and global collaborations with partners like the US and UK. She provides a compelling sales pitch for companies considering Canada as their home, and much more.

Nick Farina, CEO of EeroQ, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. They discuss EeroQ's unique approach to building quantum computers using electrons on helium with a CMOS chip substrate, a technology researched for over 20 years but revisited by Nick's co-founder at Caltech. Nick outlines the company's journey from its founding in 2016, its strategic focus on hardware, and plans to release a functional prototype soon with a goal of achieving 10,000 qubits by 2026. They also explore the technical advantages, future plans, and the company's commitment to quantum ethics. Nick highlights challenges such as the funding climate and potential negative impacts of quantum technology, and much more.

Catherine Vollgraff Heidweiller, product manager at Google Quantum AI, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Catherine describes the development of full-stack quantum computing, the importance of their 2019 quantum supremacy milestone, Google’s product focus, and the early customers they work with. We discuss the evaluation of quantum usefulness, their error correction roadmap, the intersection of quantum computing and AI, the societal responsibilities of quantum development, and much more.

Thomas Ehmer from Merck KGaA is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Thomas discusses the rapid advancements in quantum computing architectures, recent breakthroughs in logical qubits, and quantum communication protocols. He describes potential quantum applications in logistics optimization and material sciences, highlighting collaborative efforts within initiatives like QUTAC. Thomas contemplates the necessity of in-house quantum computing resources, reflects on Germany's national investment in quantum technology, and much more. This episode was recorded in Oct '23

Yonatan Cohen, co-founder and CTO of Quantum Machines, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. They explore Quantum Machines' role in the quantum computing ecosystem, focusing on developing control electronics for quantum systems, the transition from academic to commercial customers, and the partnership with NVIDIA for enhanced computational capabilities. They also discuss Quantum Machines' contribution to establishing a quantum computing center in Israel, the integration of quantum and classical computing, and much more

Albert  Lehmeyer, a career consultant and headhunter is interviewed by Yuval Boger. They discuss the increasing competition for quantum talent, the geopolitical challenges affecting workforce development, and the need for more quantum awareness and education. They also discuss the salary gap between quantum and AI, advice on university education for quantum careers, the growing demand for quantum computer operators, and much more.

Nikolaj Zinner, co-founder of Kvantify, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Kvantify focuses on leveraging quantum computing for real-world applications, notably in optimization and computational drug discovery, through a unique algorithm, fast VQE, that efficiently calculates small molecules. Despite challenges in scaling and skepticism around variational algorithms, Nikolaj is optimistic about the field's potential. He describes a pragmatic approach to technology selection, anticipates a gradual advancement in quantum computing, potentially marked by breakthroughs in encryption or efficient problem-solving algorithms, and much more.

A team of undergraduates who excelled at MIT's iQuHack Quantum Hackathon are interviewed by Yuval Boger. 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 complex problems and reflect on mentorship, teamwork, future career paths, and much more.