We sat down with Dr. Jerry Chow, an IBM fellow and the Director of IBM’s Quantum Infrastructure. And today, we’re breaking down what quantum computing is, why it’s important, how it fits into the growing realm of artificial intelligence and what about quantum is real (and what’s just plain hype).  

Episode Links: 

• IBM’s Quantum Roadmap: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ibm_research_zurich/53347055153/
• Quantum-centric supercomputing: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/quantum-centric-supercomputing
• IBM launches advanced quantum computers: https://newsroom.ibm.com/2024-11-13-ibm-launches-its-most-advanced-quantum-computers,-fueling-new-scientific-value-and-progress-towards-quantum-advantage
• IBM’s quantum in use: https://www.ibm.com/quantum/case-studies/modeling-realistic-chemistry
• Responsible quantum: https://www.ibm.com/quantum/blog/responsible-quantum
• AI’s sustainability problems: https://www.thestreet.com/technology/heres-what-ai-for-sustainability-actually-looks-like-ibm-machine-learning-executives
• The ethics of AI: https://www.thestreet.com/technology/the-ethics-of-artificial-intelligence-responsible-ai
• How a quantum computer could break encryption: https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/05/30/65724/how-a-quantum-computer-could-break-2048-bit-rsa-encryption-in-8-hours/
• Google’s breakthrough: https://blog.google/technology/research/google-willow-quantum-chip/

Outline: 

0:00 – Intro

1:00 – Jerry’s personal journey into quantum 

2:37 – What exactly is quantum computing? 

10:44 – How do you measure efficacy in quantum computers? 

13:30 – Problems that are good for quantum

16:30 – Quantum and AI 

20:00 – The energy intensity of quantum 

23:40 – The ethics of more powerful computation 

25:30 – Quantum could break encryptions

27:46 – Quantum’s inherent limitations

30:23 – All the hype

36:40 – Google’s breakthrough and ‘parallel’ universes

40:00 – What you need to understand 

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Artificial intelligence is a complicated topic, bound by a number of complex threads — technical science, ethics, safety, regulation, neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, investment and — above all — humanity. On The Deep View: Conversations, Ian Krietzberg, host and Editor-in-Chief at The Deep View, breaks it all down, cutting through the hype to make clear what's important and why you should care.