The Cryogenic Quantum Dragon
In hindsight, I should probably be using a cold-breathing white dragon.
The Quantum Dragon cooled himself down in a specially constructed dilution refrigerator so that he could feel a little more “quantum” this week. He said the experience was exhilarating, but you’ll probably see him thawing out on a beach somewhere next week.
BLUEFORS is a Sponsor of IQT NORDICS 2025 (May 20-22) in Gothenburg, Sweden
The organizers of IQT NORDICS 2025 are pleased to announce that BLUEFORS is now a sponsor of the third iteration of IQT NORDICS. IQT NORDICS is an annual conference taking place in rotation amongst Denmark, Finland and Sweden. The 2025 event includes a tour of the Quantum Lab at Chalmers University of Technology. Additional information about sponsorship is available at www.iqtevent.com.
Homework: why is there a focus on shallow-depth circuits for superconducting quantum computers?
Homework Assignment
In the January 24 edition of “Dr. Bob Sutor – Quantum and AI,” Dr. Sutor gives us all a homework assignment. I don’t recall seeing that in a newsletter before, so I’m going to raise the stakes a little bit and give you all a test on Monday. It’ll be worth 100% of your grade, so you might want to study this weekend.
*Pro Tip: Say “Quantum Moderator” with a slight Austrian accent for full effect.
Brian Lenahan will pump… YOU up.
The Quantum Insider has designated Brian Lenahan as “The Quantum Moderator,” but invoking Arnold is what earns a flight on The Quantum Dragon. I’m awarding bonus points for invoking Olivia Newton-John at almost the exact same time I did. This link might require a LinkedIn account.
Schrödinger’s Duck
The Quantum Certification Conference (QUACC) will be held from May 12–14, 2025, at the Center for Theoretical Physics (PAS), in Warsaw, Poland. I zoomed in on the map, and there’s a park with a lake not terribly far away in a south-southeasterly direction where you may be able to observe the states of actual ducks.
Non-PhDs are not welcome…
…and maybe that’s a selling point? If you have a PhD in physics or mathematics, or if you’re working toward one, then you might be interested in Dr. Aggie Branczyk’s “Academics in the Wild” program: exploring careers beyond Academia. It may or may not be consolation, but bachelor’s and master’s students can attend public events.
Solving a Looming Supply Chain Problem
Large-scale superconducting quantum computers had a looming supply chain problem involving the consistent-quality, reliable-volume manufacturing of microwave near-quantum-limited amplifiers. Thanks to a EUR 2.35 million investment in Arctic Instruments, I wrote that in the past tense.
Most Deceptive SDK
The Quantum Dragon has used enough SDKs to know that Qiskit is absolutely NOT the “most performant,” and he stumbled across this disclaimer on IBM Quantum’s website: “Not included due to insufficient test results: Braket, Cirq, CUDA & Staq”. Qiskit is also “non-performant” after each round of its legendary #breakingchanges.
Moving Atoms & Earth with Yuval Boger
QuEra does figuratively groundbreaking research, and its Chief Commercial Officer, Yuval Boger, does literally earthshaking podcasts. We talked about podcasting, swag, LEGOs, names, and music, plus, of course, neutral atom quantum computing and quantum error correction (QEC). The ground literally shook during his second answer.
Shall we play a game?
Quantum Odyssey by Quarks Interactive has been officially released on Steam. I played the original both on Windows and Android, and I must admit to having early access to this new one. One the count of three, I’d like you to click on the link, download the game, and play it. Three. Two. One.
Zapata AI Job Seekers
If you were laid off by Zapata AI and would like a free listing in this newsletter, please reach out and let me know. I’ll maintain a list in The Quantum Dragon until everyone on the list has been gainfully employed elsewhere or is otherwise no longer actively job seeking. I might extend this offer to all job seekers, but I’ll start with these layoffs.
- Shawn Gibford Industrial PHDc: Quantum Applications in the Life Sciences
- Dr. Francesco Benfenati Quantum Solutions Engineer
Quantum Noise Detector
Alan Ho and Prof. Michael Biercuk inspired the Resuscitated Quantum Bullshit Detector, but the original(?) has resurfaced on Bluesky. It’s back to reposting a simple “bullshit” or “not bullshit,” so The Quantum Dragon will continue to monitor for challenges, controversies, and debates under this new name from Dr. Bob Sutor.
- Should the “Golden Age of Fraud” include quantum computing? Gravity Analytica Capital is going to start comparing QC to goat testicles….
