Quantum Tech Pod

My latest Quantum Tech Pod with Andrei Dragomir – Co-Founder and CEO of quantum company Aquark Technologies is live! Andrei grew up in Romania in a house with a scientific focus: his mother is a professor of physics, and his father is an engineer. He remembers as a kid going to his mom's lab after school, where his toys of choice were the devices lying around—the optics, the lasers, the electronics. He moved to the UK to study, and for the first two-thirds of his PhD at the University of Southampton, he focused on microfabrication and vacuum science rather than quantum physics. Aquark Technologies was spun out of the University of Southampton in 2021 to develop the world’s smallest plug-and-play cold atom quantum device. Andrei and I discussed recent developments in cold atom technology, including the invention of “super molasses,” which simplifies miniaturizing and mainstreaming this technology. One application is a “gravity camera,” which can scan large areas simultaneously and monitor long-term gravity signatures. The company has been selected for the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) initiative, a NATO-funded accelerator program. Aquark aims to miniaturize quantum devices for multiple real-world applications, such as sensing, computing, and communications, leveraging cold atom technology. Check out my wide-ranging conversation with Andrei! The “Quantum Tech Pod” podcast, hosted by Christopher Bishop from Inside Quantum Technology, offers a deep dive into the rapidly evolving world of quantum technology. Christopher, an industry expert, engages with leading figures in the field, discussing the latest developments, breakthroughs, and challenges in quantum computing, communication, sensing, and cryptography. The podcast is an informative platform for experts and enthusiasts, providing insights into how quantum technology shapes the future and its implications across various industries. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just curious about quantum technology, “Quantum Tech Pod” delivers engaging conversations illuminating this cutting-edge field.

My latest Quantum Tech Pod with Ken Durazzo, VP of tech company Dell Research, is live! Prior to joining Dell Research, Ken worked at Cisco for 20 years on myriad technologies. In 2016, he started leading research into quantum at Dell. At Dell Research, Ken's current focus includes hybrid quantum computing, quantum-safe cryptography, as well as generative AI, human-machine interfaces, and heterogeneous computing acceleration and virtualization. His take on the current state of quantum? “We are in the ENIAC era. If you go back in computer history, there was a time when we used to have to write assembly language for computers!” Ken is also Dell Research’s representative to the World Economic Forum's Quantum Network, a global array of business leaders and practitioners focused on leveraging quantum technologies to address large-scale problems. A recent collaboration between Dell and ASU’s Quantum Collaborative resulted in a certificate program called Quantum Technology for Executives and Leaders (QTEL) designed to help learners explore emerging applications of quantum information science and its potential to revolutionize academia, government, and industry. ASU is offering a discount until March 1st using this promo code - QTEL30OFF11731. Check out my conversation with Ken! The “Quantum Tech Pod” podcast, hosted by Christopher Bishop from Inside Quantum Technology, offers a deep dive into the rapidly evolving world of quantum technology. Christopher, an industry expert, engages with leading figures in the field, discussing the latest developments, breakthroughs, and challenges in quantum computing, communication, sensing, and cryptography. The podcast is an informative platform for experts and enthusiasts, providing insights into how quantum technology shapes the future and its implications across various industries. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just curious about quantum technology, “Quantum Tech Pod” delivers engaging conversations illuminating this cutting-edge field.

My latest Quantum Tech Pod with Grégoire Ribordy, CEO of ID Quantique (IDQ)is live! Gregoire went to EPFL (Écolepolytechnique fédérale de Lausanne) - the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology - where he studied physics. After working for a year in Japan at Nikon, the camera company, he returned to Switzerland in the mid-90s. Interesting back story: Just before 2000, one of the very first quantum companies called Magic Technologies, founded in Boston, was going around the world trying to license QKD for quantum cryptography. They came to Geneva and offered to partner with Grégoire and his team. But he said to his colleagues, “Why don’t we just do it on our own? Why would we do it with a company far away when we could do it here and control our own destiny?” So they founded ID Quantique (IDQ) in 2001. The first application, which surprised him, was online gambling. In the early 2000s, many casino games like poker were moving online and they needed a source of entropy. It was a market that IDQ found by chance. Today, IDQ prepares organizations for a quantum-safe future by providing quantum key distribution, Quantum-Safe Key management solutions, quantum random number generators, and single photon counters. IDQ recently signed an agreement with Singtel to develop Singapore’s first Nationwide Quantum-Safe Network Plus (NQSN+) for enterprises. Check out my conversation with Grégoire! The “Quantum Tech Pod” podcast, hosted by Christopher Bishop from Inside Quantum Technology, offers a deep dive into the rapidly evolving world of quantum technology. Christopher, an industry expert, engages with leading figures in the field, discussing the latest developments, breakthroughs, and challenges in quantum computing, communication, sensing, and cryptography. The podcast is an informative platform for experts and enthusiasts, providing insights into how quantum technology shapes the future and its implications across various industries. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just curious about quantum technology, “Quantum Tech Pod” delivers engaging conversations illuminating this cutting-edge field.

Christopher Bishop’s latest Quantum Tech Pod with Vanesa Diaz, CEO of quantum computing company LuxQuanta is live! Vanesa grew up in a small village in the north of Spain and because she was good at math, she eventually got a degree in engineering. Her early career found her in tech roles, but she wanted to spend less time in the lab and more time with customers and developing business strategies. So, she moved to Australia and got a Master’s degree in marketing and business! When she returned to Europe, she landed a job at Corning, where she worked for over a decade. She has also worked at RYMSA and Vodaphone. Her company LuxQuanta was formed in May 2021 as a spin-off from The Institute of Photonic Sciences where it was incubated for over four years. LuxQuanta delivers Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) systems that can be integrated into existing network infrastructures to provide a quantum-safe layer of security on top of mathematical cryptographic techniques. Her advice to women interested in working in quantum: “The tech industry is still very male-dominated, and it is normal to fear that you might not be able to do something new or challenging. Surround yourself with the right support – from mentors to supervisors. And don’t be afraid to fight for it!” Check out Chris’s conversation with Vanesa at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at this link!

My latest Quantum Tech Pod with Peter Chapman, President and CEO, of leading quantum computing company, IonQ, is live! Peter had an atypical childhood. He grew up near the Johnson Space Center in Houston because his father was an astronaut who used to fly over the house in his trainer jet. In high school, Peter went to study with the well-known cognitive scientist Marvin Minsky at the AI lab at MIT because he wasn’t being challenged enough in school. He said that IonQ chose ions as qubits because they are all the same and perfectly identical. But he also said they may not be the modality of choice in 50 years – new approaches may emerge. We discussed the new facility IonQ just opened outside Seattle to provide additional cloud access to clients and more room for their engineering team. Peter also feels that at some point, we may not be able to put more qubits on a single chip, which might mean a quantum solution that uses multiple chips networked together, kind of the way we do blade servers in supercomputers today. Check out my wide-ranging conversation with Peter! The “Quantum Tech Pod” podcast, hosted by Christopher Bishop from Inside Quantum Technology, offers a deep dive into the rapidly evolving world of quantum technology. Christopher, an industry expert, engages with leading figures in the field, discussing the latest developments, breakthroughs, and challenges in quantum computing, communication, sensing, and cryptography. The podcast is an informative platform for experts and enthusiasts, providing insights into how quantum technology shapes the future and its implications across various industries. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just curious about quantum technology, “Quantum Tech Pod” delivers engaging conversations illuminating this cutting-edge field.