The Post-Quantum World

byProtiviti

Technology

Follow The Post-Quantum World, where Protiviti and our guests explore quantum computing and its business impacts, benefits and threats. Quantum computing capabilities are exploding, causing disruption and opportunities, but many technology and business leaders still don’t understand the impact quantum will have on their business. Protiviti is helping organizations get post-quantum ready. In our bi-weekly podcast series, The Post-Quantum World, Protiviti Associate Director and host Konstantinos Karagiannis is joined by quantum computing experts to discuss hot topics in quantum computing, including the business impact, benefits and threats of this exciting new capability. Visit www.protiviti.com/postquantum to learn mo...

Episodes(40 episodes)

Open-Source Quantum Sensing at DEF CON – with Mark Carney and Victoria Kumaran at Quantum Village

DEF CON 33 approaches, bringing with it the fourth year of Quantum Village. Nothing like getting hands-on with quantum computing and sensing technology at the world’s leading hacking conference. To that end, this episode explores the open-source quantum sensing device and software that our guests Mark Carney and Victoria Kumaran are presenting in Vegas. And yes, for the third year in a row, host Konstantinos Karagiannis will be speaking, too. Feel like joining 30,000 others in person? We also cover some of the other activities and topics you’ll experience.For more on DEF CON, visit https://defcon.org/index.html...

Published: Jul 23, 2025Duration: 34m 32s

Protocols Accelerating Quantum Advantage – with Daniel Volz of Kipu Quantum

How much performance can you squeeze out of quantum computing by improving the stack? A lot happens in code before classical bits touch qubits. One company’s hardware-specific algorithms, delivered via a cloud platform, supercharge real-world applications like protein folding and AI-enhanced machine learning. From outperforming classical tools like Gurobi on IBM’s 156-qubit processor to slashing circuit depths by up to 1,000x, Kipu Quantum is accelerating the timeline to advantage. Join host Konstantinos Karagiannis for a wide-ranging chat with Daniel Volz from Kipu Quantum, and also find out how they’re scaling with IBM and IonQ’s recently announced bold qub...

Published: Jul 9, 2025Duration: 33m 51s

ML-KEM Cocreator Unlocks Lattice-Based Cryptography — with Joppe Bos of NXP

When NIST released the first post-quantum cryptography standards in August 2024, it set off a domino effect that will hopefully result in protecting the world from the quantum computing threat. Now that we’re beginning to migrate and trust our data to lattice-based cryptography, it’s a good time to examine how ML-KEM works and get some hints about how to implement it well. And who better to ask than one of the coauthors of the PQC standard? Join host Konstantinos Karagiannis for a wide-ranging chat with Joppe Bos from NXP, where they discuss the past and future of ML-KEM. For more...

Published: Jun 25, 2025Duration: 43m 46s

A Global Quantum Computing Forecast — with Celia Merzbacher of QED-C

Quantum computing and sensing are emerging markets, but they are already worth well over $1 billion. How is growth looking? Some trends may surprise you, including a shift to on-prem quantum computers. Has AI really stolen quantum’s thunder, or is it about to synergistically help our industry and qubit counts grow? Join host Konstantinos Karagiannis for a wide-ranging chat with Celia Merzbacher, where they discuss solid global research from QED-C. For more information on QED-C, visit https://quantumconsortium.org/. Visit Protiviti at www.protiviti.com/US-en/technology-consulting/quantum-computing-services to learn more about how Protiviti is helping organizations get post-qu...

Published: Jun 11, 2025Duration: 41m 13s

Aerospace Quantum Advantage — with Michael Biercuk of Q-CTRL

Over 1,000 GPS denial attacks happen around the world … every day! If GPS fails, planes, ships and drones could be stranded in a fog of uncertainty or forced into a dangerous situation. Can the unprecedented precision of quantum sensing help? We dive into cutting-edge innovations at Q-CTRL, exploring how AI-powered quantum navigation is revolutionizing aerospace and defense, outsmarting GPS denial attacks, and unlocking a future where quantum sensors and computers converge to redefine what's possible. We also cover how AI is helping quantum computing suppress errors on the path to fault tolerance. Join host Konstantinos Karagiannis for a wide-ranging chat with Mi...

Published: May 28, 2025Duration: 42m 1s

Moving Companies to PQC VPN — with American Binary

Post-quantum cryptography is rapidly moving from the realm of NIST standards to running in production. The threat of quantum computing advances and coming regulations are driving this acceleration. One major component on the PQC migration plan for companies is VPN. In this episode we look at the Ambit corporate VPN client, which uses a standardized NIST PQC cipher: ML-KEM. Did you know there are potential gotchas with trying hybrids of classical and PQC instead? Find out the technical and philosophical reasons why the developers chose to skip offering a hybrid option. Join host Konstantinos Karagiannis for a wide-ranging chat with...

Published: May 14, 2025Duration: 35m 41s

Quantum Hype Check — with Anastasia Marchenkova

Quantum computing is a fast-moving field, and not just when photons are involved. Join host Konstantinos Karagiannis for a wide-ranging chat with Anastasia Marchenkova, where they cover recent developments and potential future outcomes. Topics include: chip hype, logical qubits, imminent practical business use cases, quantum random numbers, the implications of AI in quantum coding, investing, and networking or interconnect. Get caught up with the industry in this supersized episode. For more information on what Anastasia is up to, visit www.amarchenkova.com/. Visit Protiviti at www.protiviti.com/US-en/technology-consulting/quantum-computing-services to learn more about how Protiviti is helpi...

Published: Apr 30, 2025Duration: 56m 18s

Investing in Graphene Dots and Other Quantum Tech — with Sean Brehm of Spectral Capital

As the quantum computing industry continues to evolve, it’s only natural that quantum incubators start appearing. How do investors like this choose what technologies to back in early stages? We look at the choices being made by one such investor, Spectral Capital. Join host Konstantinos Karagiannis for a wide-ranging chat with Sean Brehm on graphene quantum dots, a quantum blockchain, and algorithms with wide use cases. For more information on Spectral Capital, visit www.spectralcapital.com/. Visit Protiviti at www.protiviti.com/US-en/technology-consulting/quantum-computing-services to learn more about how Protiviti is helping organizations get post-quantum ready. Fol...

Published: Apr 16, 2025Duration: 29m 37s

Quantum Supremacy Achieved — with Alan Baratz and Trevor Lanting of D-Wave

What better way to celebrate four years and 100 episodes of The Post-Quantum World than to talk about an achievement we’ve all been waiting for. If you’ve been watching quantum news feeds, you might have heard of the D-Wave supremacy paper published in Science. Using an Advantage 2 system, D-Wave has performed a useful task for materials science faster and with less power consumption than a classical supercomputer. Researchers have tried to challenge this, but the results seem to be holding up. Has the team at D-Wave really done it? Are quantum computers finally passing the threshold into true utility? Join...

Published: Apr 2, 2025Duration: 38m 16s

PQC-Powered Corporate Messaging – with Anurag Lal of NetSfere

Migrating to post-quantum cryptography across an organization will take time. But while you are replacing every cipher to defend against the threat side of quantum computing, you may also want to add systems that bring new functionality and come with PQC out of the gate. Imagine a mobile messaging app like WhatsApp, but with NIST-approved ML-KEM under the hood and enterprise-grade controls. From hospitals dodging ransomware to finance professionals sharing secrets in quantum-proof chats, customers are already using this tool. Join host Konstantinos Karagiannis for a chat with Anurag Lal from NetSfere. For more information on NetSfere, visit www.ne...

Published: Mar 19, 2025Duration: 35m 25s

Error Correction Breakthrough (20x Boost) — with Stephanie Simmons of Photonic

Quantum computing needs low-overhead error correction to truly scale. Building thousands of qubits to end up with a couple of useful logical ones feels like a bad strategy. Photonic recently published a paper describing a new type of error correction code that promises a 20x reduction in the number of qubits needed to run quantum algorithms that solve real business problems. Are these so-called SHYPS QLDPC codes the path to fault-tolerant systems? Will they help multiple types of quantum chips from other vendors get there? Join host Konstantinos Karagiannis for a chat about error correction and more with Stephanie Simmons...

Published: Mar 5, 2025Duration: 37m 49s

Topological Qubits are Here! Discussing Majorana 1 — with Chetan Nayak of Microsoft

Quantum computing will never be the same again. Join host Konstantinos Karagiannis for a special onsite interview at Microsoft Azure Quantum labs, where he was invited to see the launch of Majorana 1, the world’s first quantum processor powered by topological qubits. On the day this episode is posted, Nature will release a paper validating how Microsoft was able to create a topoconductor, or new material stack of indium arsenide and aluminum, built literally one atom at a time, to bring quantum particles called Majoranas into usable form. The resulting topological qubits have a unique shape called a tetron and ca...

Published: Feb 19, 2025Duration: 32m 46s

PQC Survey Says … What 4,000 Professionals Are Doing About It — with Samantha Mabey of Entrust

I'm always asked the same question when talking to customers about the threats of quantum computing and the move to post-quantum cryptography. What are similar companies doing about it? It’s only been half a year since the NIST standards were published, but we’re starting to see some traction. Join host Konstantinos Karagiannis for a chat with Samantha Mabey from Entrust about an interesting study on migration, along with some tactical advice for getting your PQC journey underway. For more information on Entrust, visit www.entrust.com/. Read the PKI and PQ study here: www.entrust.com/cybersec...

Published: Feb 5, 2025Duration: 36m 40s

Here Comes the Helios – 50 Logical Qubits, All Right – with Rajeeb Hazra of Quantinuum

Many companies call 2025 the year of quantum computing for reasons ranging from PQC to better applications and hardware. Here comes the Helios system from Quantinuum, and we say it’s all right to celebrate 50 logical qubits this year. We look at the company’s roadmap, aggressive error-correction ratios, and some innovative ways the coming systems will work with AI to solve problems and not just generate hype. Join host Konstantinos Karagiannis for a chat with CEO Rajeeb Hazra from Quantinuum. For more information on Quantinuum, visit www.quantinuum.com/. Visit Protiviti at www.protiviti.com/US-en/technology-consulting/quantum-computing-services to learn...

Published: Jan 22, 2025Duration: 36m 45s

Running Classical Binaries on Qubits — with Joe Fitzsimons of Horizon Quantum

Most applications businesses rely on are complex, with subroutines, loops, etc. Is it possible to run a binary like this on a quantum computer? Not quite, but one company has a tool that identifies portions of code where quantum computing circuits could make a difference and then manages the necessary handoffs. Join host Konstantinos Karagiannis as he discusses the future of running programs on both classical chips and qubits with Joe Fitzsimons from Horizon Quantum. For more information on Horizon Quantum, visit www.horizonquantum.com/. Visit Protiviti at www.protiviti.com/US-en/technology-consulting/quantum-computing-services to learn more about how P...

Published: Jan 8, 2025Duration: 37m 25s

Logical Qubit Roadmap (28 and Counting) — with Kristen Pudenz of Atom Computing

You could summarize 2024 in two quantum computing topics: the release of the NIST PQC standards and the arrival of logical qubits. We dig into the latter in this episode. Atom Computing recently performed computation on 28 logical qubits with the help of Microsoft’s qubit virtualization. The future roadmap is optimistic and exciting for those looking for quantum advantage from hardware. Join host Konstantinos Karagiannis as he discusses how we get to fault-tolerant systems with Kristen Pudenz from Atom Computing. Her experience at Lockheed Martin has also led to a unique view of developing practical quantum applications.For more information on...

Published: Dec 11, 2024Duration: 40m 11s

Simulating 128 Qubits (Yes, Really) — with Bob Wold of Quantum Rings

If you’re a longtime listener, you probably have heard that we can’t simulate more than 50 qubits on a classical computer. Representing each qubit doubles the required system resources, and state vector simulation hits a wall even on supercomputers. But what if there was a different way to break this barrier, even on a laptop? Is the threat to cryptography on an accelerated timeline because of this or other techniques? Join host Konstantinos Karagiannis as he discusses with Bob Wold from Quantum Rings how tensor networks may take us into new realms of practical quantum computing for everyone.For...

Published: Nov 27, 2024Duration: 37m 52s

Quantum Networking and Interconnect in Production — with Jim Ricotta of Aliro

To modify a Feynman quote, we can safely say that no one understands quantum … networking. The definition does mean different things to different folks. Sometimes, the best way to solidify a concept is to bring it to the real world. It turns out there is a way to experiment with quantum networking, and you wouldn’t believe how it’s already being used to interconnect different quantum computing modalities (for example, superconducting and trapped-ion systems). You read that correctly; we didn’t think this would be possible for quite some time. Join host Konstantinos Karagiannis for a wide-ranging chat with Jim Rico...

Published: Nov 13, 2024Duration: 35m 34s

Turning Quantum Papers into Practical Programs – with Mariia Mykhailova

Want to be a quantum coder? There’s no shortage of tutorials for your chosen programming language, but when you complete them, you might not feel ready to solve real-world problems. It’s challenging to go from a scientific paper to practical code and to do so with results that impress your company. Join host Konstantinos Karagiannis for a chat with Mariia Mykhailova, a software engineer from Microsoft Quantum who’s written a couple of books that should help you boost your skillset. To get the book Quantum Programming in Depth, use the code PQW24 before November 29, 2024, and save 45%: https...

Published: Oct 30, 2024Duration: 33m 40s

DARPA’s Quantum Proving Ground— with University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Quantum information science deals with the world of the very small, sure, but imagine 128 acres of land devoted to advancing QIS. Now imagine this mega complex in a major city! The Illinois Quantum and& Microelectronics Park is expected to draw leading companies and researchers to Chicago, and DARPA is already playing a significant role. Find out what this will mean for advancing the industry and the race to fault-tolerant quantum computing. Join host Konstantinos Karagiannis for a chat about building the future with Brian DeMarco and Harley Johnson from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. For more information on the Illinois Qu...

Published: Oct 16, 2024Duration: 34m 54s