“I love building quantum computers,” said Universal Quantum co-founder and CEO Sebastian Waid at the start of his talk at the Latitude59 startup conference in Tallinn, Estonia. Waid’s passion for quantum computing and its potential impact on society is clear as he talks about his own journey and the groundbreaking work being done at Universal Quantum.
Wydt didn’t always envision a career in quantum computing.
“I don’t have a story about dreaming about quantum since I was five years old,” he says. He initially planned to get a physics degree and enter the business world, but then changed course after landing a job in management consulting and earning a PhD in quantum physics. His exposure to quantum computing revealed its wide range of commercial applications, making it an attractive field to dive into.
“Quantum computing is an emerging technology focused on solving very hard problems,” Weidt explained. These problems cannot be solved by even the most powerful supercomputers or AI. Quantum computers, which use quantum bits, or qubits, can tackle these challenges with unprecedented efficiency. “Instead of improving classical computing, what would take a classical computer a million years to do, a quantum computer can solve in a reasonable timescale,” Weidt added.
The technology behind quantum computing is as fascinating as it is complex.
“There’s really weird stuff going on in the quantum world all the time,” Weidt said, referring to phenomena like superposition and entanglement that make quantum computing possible.
When asked about the different types of qubits and why Universal Quantum uses trapped ions, Weidt explained that trapped ions meet many of the key criteria for building a scalable quantum computer:
“Trapped ions are among the most powerful qubits out there,” he says. But the challenge is scaling up these systems. Current quantum computers have tens or hundreds of qubits, but Weidt emphasized that to solve more significant problems they will need to scale up to millions.
“Quantum chips are incredibly difficult to quantum connect,” Weidt explained. Universal Quantum has made great strides in this area, demonstrating the ability to connect two quantum modules with near-perfect fidelity. This breakthrough technology, called QConnect, opens up new possibilities for scaling quantum technology. “We’ve been able to open up incredible opportunities to scale our technology through this technology,” Weidt said.
When it comes to error correction, a key aspect of quantum computing, Weidt acknowledges current limitations but remains optimistic.
“If we can do error correction well, it can be used for most other applications,” he argues. Universal Quantum’s focus on high-fidelity qubits and scalable hardware architecture puts it in a position to effectively address the challenge of error correction.
Looking to the future, Weidt foresees Universal Quantum providing tools to achieve breakthroughs in a variety of fields.
“We’re not trying to develop new drugs ourselves. We’re providing this computational resource to brilliant people in their fields,” he said. This enabling role is crucial as quantum computing begins to impact industries across the board, from healthcare to finance.
Widet acknowledged that the road to practical quantum computing is a marathon, but that it holds great promise. “We’re only just beginning to understand what quantum can bring to society,” Widet concluded, looking forward to future advances and applications.
With a clear vision and tireless work ethic, Weidt and Universal Quantum are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in quantum computing, paving the way for revolutionary change across a wide range of fields.
