The Superposition Guy's Podcast

Yuval Boger interviews Dorit Dor, co-founder of Qbeat Ventures and former senior executive at Check Point. They discuss lessons quantum startups can draw from the evolution of cybersecurity, including the importance of go-to-market strategy, focus, and adherence to standards. Dorit outlines her fund’s cross-stack investment strategy, compares different quantum modalities, comments on public market dynamics, and highlights the growing Israeli quantum ecosystem and its potential for future impact.

Yuval Boger interviews Matt Kinsella, CEO of Infleqtion. They discuss Infleqtion’s neutral-atom strategy, including its combination of quantum computing, sensing, and timing products, and why Matt believes that diversified approach strengthens both the business and the technology stack. Matt also shares his timeline for commercially useful quantum computing, his reaction to Google entering neutral atoms, and his perspective on capital, talent, and scaling the company as a newly public business.

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 regardless of the outcome.

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.

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.

Yuval Boger interviews Christian Weedbrook, founder and CEO of Xanadu. They discuss Xanadu’s photonic approach to gate-based quantum computing, the advantages of room-temperature operation, and the company’s plan to scale through optical networking. Christian also describes PennyLane, photonic error correction, customer engagements, and Xanadu’s target of building a 500-logical-qubit system by 2029–2030. The conversation also touches on partnerships, manufacturing, likely early applications in chemistry and materials, and much more.

Yuval Boger interviews computer science professor known for his work on quantum computing theory. They explore the current state of quantum hardware, the narrowing case for quantum skepticism, and the realistic path toward fault-tolerant, useful quantum machines. The conversation also covers quantum algorithms, cryptography risks, ethics, hype in commercialization, and advice for the next generation of quantum researchers.

Joab Rosenberg, partner at Deep33, a new $100–150M venture fund focused on the future of compute, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. They discuss the current state of quantum computing, why Joab expects commercial applications within a few years, and where venture capital can realistically capture value. The conversation covers hardware-first investing, quantum algorithms and applications, capital intensity, geopolitics, and the growing role of deep tech in venture investing.

Vishal Chatrath, CEO and co-founder of QuantrolOx, a quantum control software company focused on automating qubit tuning and calibration, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. They discuss how automation accelerates chip characterization, supports scalable manufacturing, and feeds into real-time calibration and error correction. The conversation covers competition in quantum control, open architectures, fundraising challenges, and what it takes to industrialize quantum hardware.

Yuval Boger interviews Zach Yerushalmi, CEO of Elevate Quantum and leader of the U.S. Quantum Tech Hub. They discuss how to accelerate quantum commercialization through industry-led ecosystems, targeted public–private partnerships, and clear prioritization across research, industry, and market failures. Zach draws parallels to semiconductors and biotech, emphasizing demand signals, advanced market commitments, and cycle time as key success metrics. The conversation highlights the high geopolitical stakes of quantum and the urgency for the U.S. to execute its industrial strategy correctly.

Jonathan Reiner is interviewed by Yuval Boger and describes his path from condensed-matter physics to leading the Product Solutions team at Quantum Machines. They discuss the rising complexity of quantum control, customer trends toward fidelity, low-latency compute, and automated calibration, as well as QM’s products such as QUA, Qualibrate, and OPX-NIC for error-correction workflows. Jonathan shares insights on scaling control electronics, the skills needed to operate quantum computers, and his preference for spin qubits. The conversation concludes with a discussion of IP protection practices.

Kike Miralles, investment director at Intel Capital, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. They talk about corporate venture investing in quantum technologies. Kike explains Intel Capital’s focus on quantum hardware and middleware, compares leading modalities, and outlines emerging themes like QPU scale-out networking, hybrid classical–quantum error correction, and the growing role of logical qubits as a core metric. He also discusses check sizes and stages, government-heavy revenue, PR and hype in quantum, expected consolidation among hardware players, and what differentiates strong quantum investors and startups in today’s market.

Dr. Joe Ghalbouni, a quantum communication PhD who moved from academia into Point72’s innovation team and now runs Ghalbouni Consulting, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. They discuss how he helped a major hedge fund move from quantum curiosity to concrete education, use case discovery, and POCs, and why he believes the real bottleneck today is not hardware but algorithms and sector-aware problem mapping. The conversation explores where quantum is most promising in financial services, from optimization to quantum machine learning, and how quantum inspired methods on classical hardware are already delivering value. They also cover PQC and QKD roadmaps, what it really takes to move a quantum solution into production, and why Joe is surprisingly optimistic about seeing useful quantum advantage in specific use cases within the next few years.

Biliana Rajevic, Head of External Communications at Quantum Brilliance and co-founder of Quantum Women, Rachel Rayner, a science communicator and comedian, and Alison Goldingay, a quantum researcher at UNSW. We discuss the "Elevating Quantum Women's Voices" program, an initiative designed to empower women in the quantum industry to communicate effectively and build their visibility. They share insights from the program's curriculum, such as the power of storytelling, adapting to different audiences, and the specific challenges of presenting on Zoom. Rachel describes her "Quantum Comedy" shows that blend humor with physics, while Alison and Biliana demonstrate the program's "60-second challenge" by explaining single-photon detection and diamond-based quantum computing in plain English. We also explore the broader importance of diversity in the quantum ecosystem, and much more.

Laurence Coldicott, curator of global quantum technology conferences, is interviewed Yuval Boger. They discuss how enterprise engagement has expanded beyond early adopters in finance to logistics, pharma, and defense—and how agendas now balance computing with “quantum defense” topics like PQC and QKD. Laurence contrasts U.S. scale and federal momentum with Europe’s fragmented landscape, notes attendance growth from hundreds to over a thousand, and describes a successful new event in Doha. He emphasizes keeping conferences pragmatic and hype-free, prioritizing practitioner talks and real case studies, and offers advice to speakers: be candid about maturity, challenges, and near-term value. They touch on rising government participation, the growing intersection with AI and cyber, and much more.

Bill joins Yuval Boger to discuss SAS’s vendor-agnostic, hybrid approach to quantum and analytics. Highlights include D-Wave warm-starts that let SAS prove optimal kidney-exchange solutions in seconds, as well as QML pilots for fraud and bankruptcy modeling and disaster response. He shares a pragmatic definition of “quantum advantage”, treating QPUs as just another PU alongside CPUs/GPUs, and why rapid progress toward error correction—and ideas like Penrose’s—keep him learning.

Sergio Gago, CTO of Cloudera and former Head of AI & Quantum at Moody’s is interviewed by Yuval Boger. They discuss a practical, problem-first path to quantum in finance. Sergio contrasts annealers and gate-based systems, emphasizes hybrid workflows for portfolio optimization and Monte Carlo risk, and explores fraud detection and knowledge-graph use cases. Sergio stresses rigorous benchmarking against top-end GPUs/FPGAs, explainability for regulators, and total cost of ownership over lab metrics. They also touch on post-quantum cryptography (offense vs. defense), realistic definitions of “quantum advantage,” and why disciplined pilots—and candid vendor comparisons—matter more than hype, and much more.

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 (QSA) at Berkeley Lab, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Bert describes how the center develops superconducting, trapped-ion, and neutral-atom technologies in parallel, and the importance of certification in verifying quantum computations. They discuss the roadmap for integrating quantum into HPC at NERSC, the cost and scaling challenges of large systems, and the Department of Energy’s focus on scientific—not cryptographic—applications. Bert also highlights creative approaches to error correction, opportunities for industry collaboration, the need for workforce training starting in high schools and community colleges, and why he believes quantum will deliver practical scientific impact within five years.