This is your Quantum Research Now podcast.

# Quantum Research Now: Episode 87

Hello quantum enthusiasts, this is Leo from Quantum Research Now, coming to you on May 3rd, 2025. Today, I want to dive right into some breaking quantum news that's making waves across the tech landscape.

Stanford University just released their 2025 Emerging Technology Review today, and the headline for quantum computing is both sobering and exciting: "Quantum Tech Remains a Long-Term Bet." As someone who's spent the last decade in quantum labs, I find this assessment refreshingly honest. The report acknowledges that while quantum computing continues to advance, its practical applications remain limited.

Think of quantum computing right now as a rocket on the launchpad. We've built it, fueled it, and we're running through pre-flight checks, but we haven't quite achieved liftoff for commercial applications. The engines are firing – we're seeing incredible research breakthroughs – but we're still working on clearing the tower.

This comes just days after Microsoft and Atom Computing made headlines with their bold announcement to launch a commercial quantum computer this year. Atom Computing's approach uses optically trapped neutral atoms – imagine trying to hold smoke in place with tweezers made of light. It's that delicate and that precise.

I was at a conference last month where Atom Computing's researchers demonstrated their latest prototype. The room hummed with the cooling systems as we watched data stream across monitors. There's something magical about standing next to technology that manipulates individual atoms to process information.

Meanwhile, the quantum chip race is heating up with fascinating competitors. French startup Alice & Bob secured an impressive $104 million Series B just four months ago. They're taking a unique approach with cat qubits – named after Schrödinger's famous thought experiment. These specialized superconducting qubits are designed to naturally resist certain types of errors, which could be a game-changer.

Imagine trying to do calculus on a calculator where the numbers randomly change. That's essentially the challenge of quantum computing, and Alice & Bob is working to make those numbers stay put long enough to complete the calculation.

AWS also entered the quantum chip race earlier this year with their Ocelot processor, developed with Caltech. Having cloud computing giants like Amazon join the quantum race signals the growing commercial interest in this technology.

IBM's CEO Arvind Krishna recently predicted "something remarkable" happening in quantum over the next few years. IBM has been steadily advancing their quantum roadmap, working on error correction techniques that could finally make quantum computers practical for real-world problems.

What's fascinating about all these approaches – superconducting qubits, trapped ions, neutral atoms – is that we don't yet know which will ultimately dominate. It reminds me of the early days of classical computing when vacuum tubes competed with transistors.

For those wondering what this all means for everyday computing, think of it this way: Classical computers are like road networks – they can get you anywhere if you have enough time and fuel. Quantum computers are like teleportation – theoretically allowing you to solve certain problems almost instantly that would take classical computers millennia.

We're not quite at the teleportation stage yet, but we're building the infrastructure that might make it possible. And that's what makes this field so exciting.

Thank you for listening today. If you have questions or topics you'd like discussed on air, please email me at [email protected]. Remember to subscribe to Quantum Research Now. This has been a Quiet Please Production. For more information, check out quietplease.ai.

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