Congratulations, Alice & Bob!
A Not-So-Bold Prediction
An email from HQI, France’s Hybrid HPC Quantum Initiative, noted that GENCI has acquired a “Ruby” neutral atom quantum computer from France-based Pasqal and a “Lucy” photonic quantum computer from France-based Quandela, and that it is now bidding out a cat qubit quantum computer. Gee, who could the winner possibly be?
This week’s IQT News:
This week’s premium content:
- Ceri Split Screen Simulator
- CAS Cold Atom’s “Dual-Core” Hanyuan-2
- Entropica Labs Loom Design
- QObserva
This week’s Friends of The Quantum Dragon:
- Forget Zero Day, “Negative-Day” Is Cybersecurity’s Greatest Threat by Denis Mandich, CTO and Co-Founder of Qrypt
- Real-time control turns quantum systems from isolated experiments into scalable machines. by Dr. Itamar Sivan, CEO of Quantum Machines
- “The fact we need to be discussing this in 2026 is concerning.” by Mark McGuire, Founder of QuicklyQuantum
In this edition:
- Not That Kind of Monarch
- Qubits need medication.
- They’re not transistors.
- Quantum Mechanics as a Six-sided Die
- May The Fourth be with you.
- A Remarkable Ratio of Effort to Output
- There is no such thing as a quiet day at HKA.
- Quantum Ponte Vecchio
- Win €10,000 + 12 months of IQM Resonance access
- From Lab to Dancefloor: Quantum Meets Block Party 2026
- The Industry’s 1st Comic Book
Not That Kind of Monarch
While publishing last week’s newsletter, “Bow down to the king,” I discovered that Monarch Quantum is named after the monarch butterfly, not the regal ruler. Now I’m including it not to correct myself, but to point out that a bug is a most peculiar mascot for any company having anything to do with computing.
Qubits need medication.
Dr. Scott Crowder of IBM polished this gem for the “Thinking On Paper” podcast. The full podcast offers the bonus phrase “you can follow along at home.”
They’re not transistors.
Recent coverage of Quantum Motion gives the impression that the company is using everyday transistors as qubits. That should leave you scratching your head. Fortunately, this article does a much better job of explaining how silicon spin qubits are based on transistor technology, and that they’re not literally the same transistors.
Quantum Mechanics as a Six-sided Die
A qubit has 6 basis states. This is the first time I’ve seen someone attempt to simplify the concept using the 6 sides of a standard die. It probably also gives you an opportunity to joke about God playing dice with the universe, but that’s neither here nor there. This link may require a Facebook account.
May The Fourth be with you.
Despite being an aficionado of George Lucas Star Wars (R.I.P.), I resisted the urge to load up last week’s newsletter with gratuitous Star Wars Day content. However, Jan Brubacher of Toptica Photonics demonstrated that some companies have a lot of potential (not there yet) in this space. This link may require a LinkedIn account.
Four useful ideas in thirty-two years remains a remarkable ratio of effort to output….
A Remarkable Ratio of Effort to Output
Dr. Amit Hagar breathes a little fire in “Quantum Computers Could Revolutionize AI. Really. Google Quantum AI Just Proved It. On Paper.” After clicking around a little bit, I became a new subscriber, and I might start linking to his “Dear Quantum Computing Industry” Substack quite a bit.
There is no such thing as a quiet day at HKA.
Hilary Kaye’s “Behind the Scenes at HKA” has one glaring omission. Each morning brings in this and every day they monitor that, but you can’t mention mornings and gloss over coffee. Yeah, she’s being serious and professional, and I ain’t mad at her, but my coffee is literally steaming hot over it….
Quantum Ponte Vecchio
I was on the fence about adding this link because of a terribly annoying pop-up, but I can’t ignore an analogy that invokes such a funky-looking medieval bridge.
Win €10,000 + 12 months of IQM Resonance access
There’s nothing funny about this at all. What are you waiting for? The application deadline is May 29, 2026.
From Lab to Dancefloor: Quantum Meets Block Party 2026
If you’re going to be in Delft on the evening of May 19, Orange Quantum Systems will be co-hosting a Quantum Meets Block Party 2026 with BBQ and drinks.
The Industry’s 1st Comic Book
Yuval Boger is not only the best podcaster in the business; he’s also, as far as I’m aware, the first comic book author. Treat yourself to the 290-page “Quantum Bits With Quantessa and Atomique: The Comic Book Guide to Quantum Computing.” C’mon, you deserve it!
