The Quantum Computing Podcast with Fexingo: Qubits, Quantum Hardware, and Future Computing

Classical RAM won't cut it for quantum computers. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the memory problem that's quietly becoming a bottleneck for scalable quantum systems. They break down why qubits are notoriously short-lived, how 'quantum RAM' or QRAM differs from what you'd find in a laptop, and what it means for workloads like error correction and database search. Specific focus on the cha...

Episode 28 of The Quantum Computing Podcast with Fexingo explores a fresh angle: edge quantum computing. Lucas and Luna discuss why, instead of putting a quantum computer in every data center, companies like IonQ, Quantinuum, and Rigetti are developing compact, rack-mounted quantum processors that can operate at the edge—in factories, hospitals, and remote labs. They dive into how IonQ's 2025 Fort...

Episode 27 of The Quantum Computing Podcast with Fexingo gets inside the lab with a specific breakthrough: on May 7, 2026, a team at the University of Sydney published a paper demonstrating a real-time surface-code decoder implemented on an FPGA that runs at 1.2 microsecond latency — fast enough to keep up with current superconducting qubit readout cycles. Lucas and Luna break down what this means...

In this episode of The Quantum Computing Podcast with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dive into how quantum computers are accelerating materials discovery in 2026. They focus on the specific case of IBM's 1,121-qubit Condor processor and its use by researchers at Toyota to simulate novel battery electrolytes. The hosts unpack why quantum simulation beats classical brute force for complex molecules, discus...

In this episode of The Quantum Computing Podcast with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dive into the practical breakthroughs in molecular simulation enabled by quantum computers. Instead of waiting for fault-tolerant machines, researchers are already using today's noisy quantum processors to solve real chemistry problems. The hosts discuss a specific 2025 milestone: simulating a 12-atom catalyst molecule o...

This episode dives into the emerging challenge of connecting quantum processors as they scale beyond a few hundred qubits. Lucas and Luna explore why electrical interconnects break down at cryogenic temperatures and how optical links — using photons to carry quantum information — are becoming the leading solution. They discuss a specific 2025 demonstration from the startup Lightmatter showing a ph...

Lucas and Luna explore a paradigm shift in quantum computing: moving from monolithic, all-in-one quantum processors to modular, interconnected architectures. They discuss how companies like IBM and startups like Xanadu are pursuing distributed quantum systems using photonic links and cryogenic interconnects. The episode dives into the challenge of connecting multiple small quantum modules while pr...

Episode 22 of The Quantum Computing Podcast dives into fault-tolerant quantum computing, the architecture shift from noisy qubits to logical qubits that can actually run useful algorithms. Lucas and Luna explain the surface code, why Google and IBM are racing to demonstrate 'below threshold' error rates by 2027, and how Microsoft's topological qubit bet could leapfrog the whole approach. They also...

Lucas and Luna explore how quantum simulations are accelerating battery R&D, using the concrete example of lithium-sulfur batteries. They discuss a 2025 paper from IBM and Mercedes-Benz that used a 65-qubit quantum processor to model electron transfer in a polysulfide molecule — something classical supercomputers still struggle with at scale. The hosts explain why quantum chemistry is the most com...

Lucas and Luna dig into the latest breakthrough in quantum error correction: the 'Noah' code from researchers at the University of Sydney and Yale. Unlike traditional surface codes that require thousands of physical qubits per logical qubit, Noah uses a novel concatenated approach that could cut overhead by 90%. They discuss why this matters for near-term quantum advantage, how it compares to Goog...

Episode 19 of The Quantum Computing Podcast with Fexingo dives into the unsung hero of quantum hardware: cryogenic packaging. Lucas and Luna explore why today's dilution refrigerators and cabling are bottlenecks for scaling quantum processors beyond 1,000 qubits. They look at how companies like Quantinuum and startup Orange Quantum Systems are tackling microwave heat leaks, coaxial cable density,...

Venture capital investment in quantum computing startups hit $1.8 billion in the first five months of 2026, up 40% from the same period last year. Lucas and Luna break down why investors are piling in now despite quantum still being years from broad commercial viability. They look at one standout deal: the $350 million Series C for a startup called QubitCore, which is building a modular quantum pr...

Lucas and Luna dive into the unsung software layer that could make or break quantum computing: the operating system. They explore why today's quantum OS prototypes—like those from startups and national labs—are fundamentally different from classical OSes, how they juggle qubit allocation, error correction, and gate scheduling, and why a single quantum job might need to run across multiple quantum...

Episode 16 of The Quantum Computing Podcast looks at how quantum computers are beginning to tackle climate modeling. Lucas and Luna focus on a 2026 proof-of-concept study where researchers at a European lab used a 127-qubit processor to simulate atmospheric carbon capture at a molecular level. They discuss why classical supercomputers struggle with these calculations, the specific algorithm that m...

In this episode of The Quantum Computing Podcast with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how quantum algorithms are starting to tackle financial portfolio optimization—a problem that grows exponentially complex with each additional asset. They focus on a real-world case: a 2025 pilot where a major European bank tested a quantum-inspired algorithm on a 50-asset portfolio and found a 15% improvement in...

In this episode of The Quantum Computing Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore why quantum sensors, not general-purpose quantum computers, are already generating commercial revenue. They examine the physics behind nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond and the $400 million market for quantum magnetic field sensors in 2026, driven by applications in medical imaging, mineral exploration, and GPS-free navigat...

Most people think quantum computers are still purely experimental machines locked in physics labs. But in 2026, pharmaceutical companies are quietly using quantum simulations to tackle a problem classical computers can't solve: modeling complex protein-ligand interactions for drug development. Lucas breaks down how Roche and Pfizer are running hybrid quantum-classical workflows, why a 50-qubit mac...

Lucas and Luna explore the collision course between quantum computing and modern encryption. They focus on the specific timeline risk for RSA-2048, a standard that secures trillions of dollars in online transactions. The episode unpacks why a quantum computer with just 20 million high-fidelity physical qubits could break RSA, the sobering timeline estimates from NIST and IBM, and what post-quantum...

Lucas and Luna explore a neglected bottleneck in quantum computing: the supply chain for ultra-cold components. At the center of the episode is a specific 2025 report from a UK-based firm called Oxford Instruments Nanoscience, which estimated that global capacity for dilution refrigerators — the devices that cool quantum processors to near absolute zero — could fall short by 40 percent by 2028 if...

Lucas and Luna explore the hidden power cost behind quantum computing. While headlines focus on qubit counts and error rates, a 2025 paper from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab estimated that a practical fault-tolerant quantum computer could draw 25 to 30 megawatts of power — about what a small data center or a town of two thousand homes consumes. The hosts break down where that energy goes: cryogen...

In this episode of The Quantum Computing Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore the fierce competition for talent in the quantum computing industry. With fewer than 5,000 qualified experts worldwide, companies like IonQ, Rigetti, and IBM are fighting for a tiny pool of PhDs and engineers. Lucas breaks down the specific roles in highest demand — quantum algorithm developers, microwave engineers, and cryog...

Lucas and Luna tackle an overlooked bottleneck in quantum computing: the race to build fault-tolerant logical qubits. They break down why physical qubits alone won't scale, how logical qubits work as error-corrected units, and why the timeline to 'quantum advantage' hinges on this engineering challenge. With concrete examples from recent research milestones and a clear explanation of what a logica...

Lucas and Luna explore why quantum computing's biggest challenge today isn't hardware—it's software. They zero in on a concrete case: the difficulty of compiling quantum algorithms for noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices. With specific examples like variational quantum eigensolvers and the challenge of mapping logical qubits to physical qubits, they explain why the software layer is fa...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the emerging field of quantum networking and how it could reshape secure communication and distributed computing. They anchor the discussion on the recent record set by Chinese researchers who transmitted entangled photons over 1,200 kilometers via satellite, and unpack what that milestone means for building a global quantum internet. The hosts also examine...

Lucas and Luna explore a less-hyped but critical enabler of practical quantum computers: superconducting cables. They zero in on the specific challenge of delivering high-fidelity control signals to qubits inside dilution refrigerators without heat leakage or signal degradation. The episode examines a 2025 breakthrough from researchers at the University of Waterloo's Institute for Quantum Computin...