Doug Finke

Yuval Boger interviews mathematician Gil Kalai about his long-standing skepticism regarding scalable quantum computing. Kalai explains two main arguments behind his theory: correlated noise that may defeat quantum error correction and complexity-based limits on NISQ devices achieving quantum supremacy. They discuss experimental claims such as Google’s 2019 result, potential tests of Kalai’s conjectures, and the implications for the future of quantum research. The conversation also explores how Kalai hopes the community will evaluate bold claims and what scientific insights could emerge if quantum computing ultimately fails. Transcript Yuval Boger: Hello, Gil. Thank you for joining me today. Gil Kalai: Hi, hi, Yuval. Nice [...]

Diagram of a distance‑7 rotated surface code with 97 physical qubits (49 data qubits + 48 measurement qubits) modelled by the team. Grey nodes are data qubits; labeled circles are ancillas measuring X- or Z-type checks on neighboring data qubits. Edge colors encode the residual ZZ crosstalk strength (darker edges indicate stronger crosstalk).Credit: Quantum Elements and AWS A collaboration between Quantum Elements Inc., USC, Harvard, and AWS addresses a critical bottleneck: traditional classical simulations of Quantum Error Correction (QEC) are either too slow to be realistic or too simplified to capture the complex "noise" (errors) found in actual quantum hardware. By [...]

Comparison of logical quantum resources (number of logical qubits and Toffoli gates) required to break 256-bit ECDLP for the secp256k1 curve, as reported by various prior works. Credit: Google Quantum AI whitepaper. By Mohamed Abdel-Kareem Recent technical disclosures from Google Quantum AI and the newly emerged Oratomic have provided updated resource estimates for executing Shor’s algorithm against the secp256k1 elliptic curve. secp256k1 is a specialized cryptographic algorithm best known for powering Bitcoin’s public-key cryptography and digital signatures. These findings indicate a reduction in the physical and logical requirements for a Cryptographically Relevant Quantum Computer (CRQC) to compromise the digital signature schemes [...]

Yuval Boger interviews Tom Darras, CEO and co-founder of Welinq. They discuss how quantum networking uses shared entanglement to interconnect quantum processors, enabling modular scale-out clusters and quantum-safe connectivity between data centers. Tom explains the technical building blocks—qubit-photon interfaces, optical networks, entangled photon sources, and especially quantum memories—as well as the performance metrics that matter most, like entanglement generation rate, fidelity, and memory lifetime. They also cover Welinq’s Arachne compiler for distributing circuits across multiple QPUs, why networking is becoming a consensus scaling strategy across modalities, and how “quantum-augmented data centers” are starting to become real initiatives. Transcript Yuval Boger: Hello Tom, [...]

Overview In this podcast, 2025 Nobel Prize winner John Martinis was recently interviewed at the 2026 APS March Meeting by GQI's own George Schwartz and Steve Lee from the PR firm San Francisco Agency. John discusses his foundational work in superconducting qubits and his current role as CTO of the startup Qolab. He explains Qolab’s vision to reach a million physical qubits by utilizing wafer-scale semiconductor manufacturing and "deposition and etch" techniques rather than traditional liftoff processes. Martinis highlights the importance of systems engineering and improved wiring solutions, such as moving from coaxial cables to integrated flex circuits, to make quantum [...]

By Dr. George Schwartz Silent Waves has launched its Zephyr product, a Traveling Wave Parametric Amplifier (TWPA) that physically integrates a microwave pump coupler directly into the amplifier architecture. This structural integration addresses a spatial limitation within the dilution refrigerator by eliminating the need for separate, bulky external directional couplers typically required in standard readout chains. While the company's previous Argo line focused on stable performance within the 4 to 8 GHz transmon band, the Zephyr specifically targets the footprint reductions necessary for scaling quantum architectures. Consistent with their standard manufacturing protocol, all Zephyr units undergo comprehensive cryogenic testing at 20 [...]

By Doug Finke Imagine you are hiking deep in the woods and suddenly realize you’ve lost your map, your cell phone is dead, and you forgot to bring a compass. While few people are actually careless enough to end up in such a precarious position, we often see a similar lack of preparation in the professional world. Whether it is a corporation, an investor, a government, or an individual plotting a career path, many attempt to journey through the complicated world of quantum technology without seeking the complete and accurate data necessary to guide their strategy. Instead, they rely on guesswork [...]

Yuval Boger interviews Bob Sorensen of Hyperion Research about the growing convergence of quantum computing and high-performance computing. They outline a problem-first adoption playbook for HPC centers: identify bottlenecks, benchmark classical options and costs, then evaluate quantum as an accelerator with clear ROI and procurement targets. Sorensen weighs cloud versus on‑prem tradeoffs, argues quantum hardware needs short lifecycles with upgrade paths, and explains why HPC managers mainly worry about seamless integration. They close with practical definitions of quantum advantage (speed, capability, and power), real-world case studies, and why error-correction-driven architecture is increasingly shaping modality decisions. Transcript Yuval: Hello, Bob, and thank you [...]

Italian Competition Authority The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) has officially opened a sector inquiry (IC59) into the burgeoning quantum computing (QC) market. Citing the technology’s potential to revolutionize complex problem-solving in strategic fields like cybersecurity, biotechnology, and fintech, the Authority aims to identify potential competition risks before the technology reaches full commercial maturity. Key Competition Concerns The inquiry was prompted by several structural risks that could lead to "technological pre-emption" by a few dominant players. These might include: Strategic Acquisitions: The AGCM is closely monitoring "early acquisitions" of specialized start-ups by larger entities, a trend that could consolidate power prematurely. Hyperscaler [...]

For many years IBM has offered an Open Plan that provides free quantum computing time to beginning users who want to try out programming one of IBM's quantum processors. This plan has typically provided access to some of IBM's older and smaller processors and included limits on how many minutes a user could use per month. It is intended for students and beginners to run small circuits and try out algorithms. The limits for the free time has been 10 minutes of runtime every 28 days. For users who required more time IBM overs a Pay-as-You-Go plan with pricing of $96/minutes [...]