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.

Sebastian Weidt, CEO and co-founder of Universal Quantum, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. They discuss his company’s unique approach to building scalable trapped-ion quantum computers. Sebastian explains how Universal Quantum focuses on overcoming key scaling challenges—such as error-free modular connections, laser-free control, and integrated electronics—rather than rushing small systems to market. He contrasts their 70K cooling and qubit-shuttling architecture with other modalities, addresses trade-offs like gate speed, and shares why algorithmic execution speed can offset slower clock cycles. Sebastian and Yuval also talk about the company’s €70M DLR contracts, its emphasis on software alongside hardware, and Sebastian’s view that quantum utility will likely emerge north of 10,000 qubits. Reflecting on entrepreneurship, he shares lessons learned about market education, the company’s engineering-heavy team, and much more.

Scott Buchholz, global leader for Deloitte Consulting's quantum computing efforts, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Scott explains how Deloitte helps clients understand quantum technology and its potential applications, particularly in solving business problems. They discuss the timelines for quantum computing becoming commercially useful, referencing industry roadmaps. He emphasizes Deloitte's role in bridging the gap between technical jargon and business needs, helping clients navigate vendor selection, shares insights into the learning curve associated with quantum computing, highlights Deloitte's work in developing quantum-inspired machine learning solutions, and much more.

Yuval Boger interviews Tal David, CEO and co-founder of Quantum Art, a quantum computing company based in Israel focused on full-stack quantum computing with trapped ions. They discuss Quantum Art's unique architecture, which emphasizes sophisticated multi-qubit gate operations, optical tweezers for segmenting ion chains, and dynamic reconfigurability for scaling up to millions of qubits. Tal highlights the company's roadmap, including launching a 50-qubit system by 2025 and a 1,000-qubit system by 2027, with a long-term goal of achieving a million-qubit system. Tal also addresses the challenges and advantages of their approach, particularly regarding error correction and speed, and mentions collaborations with companies like NVIDIA and BlueQubit, emphasizes the importance of focusing on scalable architectures, and much more.

Scott Genin, Vice President of Materials Discovery at OTI Lumionics, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Scott outlines his role in overseeing materials design and simulation programs, focusing on OLEDs and cathode patterning materials. He highlights OTI's growth and its strategic integration of quantum-inspired methods due to current limitations in quantum computing. Scott remains optimistic about the future of quantum but emphasizes the need for further advancements, particularly regarding error correction and cost efficiency. He also shares insights on a novel encoding method that allows OTI to emulate up to 80 qubits classically, significantly improving their simulation capabilities. They segway into the potential for quantum computing to impact vibronic spectra calculations, the importance of achieving meaningful results within a competitive business environment, and much more.

Preeti Chalsani, Chief Quantum Officer at Intersect Illinois, and Harley Johnson, CEO of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, are interviewed by Yuval Boger. Preeti and Harley discuss the rapid creation and ambitious goals of the IQMP, a state-backed initiative to support the scale-up of quantum computing and microelectronics. They talk about the park’s public-private structure, a $500M infrastructure investment by the state, early tenants like PsiQuantum and and Diraq, and its emphasis on workforce development and cross-sector collaboration. They also explore Illinois’ unique advantages as well as the challenges of infrastructure timelines, community impact, managing expectations in a fast-moving field, and much more.