The Hybrid Classical-Quantum Dragon
The Hybrid Classical-Quantum Dragon
Because some "quantum" dragons are more classical than others.
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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
Dr. Yanbing Zhou, Quantum Application Scientist
Above: a quantum circuit.
2 Above: a hybrid classical-quantum circuit.
Hybrid Classical-Quantum Computing
Laurent Prost and Dr. Bob Sutor both rallied against the use of “hybrid” this week, arguing that you can’t do quantum without classical. True, but I’ll continue to use the term for parameterized circuits because classical processing is embedded. As shown above, an ansatz needs more explanation than “quantum circuit.”
Slower than a speeding ion…
Last Friday I showed a group of students some animations of neutral atom quantum computing. I said that you can’t visualize computation with other modalities, although this ought to be possible with ions. I hadn’t seen animated ions yet, but thanks to Dr. Clemens Rössler I now have. This link might require a LinkedIn account.
Certified “Not Bullshit”
On March 8, 2020, Esperanza Cuenca Gómez tweeted a dishwasher detergent that would soon be officially certified as “not bullshit” by the original Quantum Bullshit Detector. If I could find it in a local grocery store, I would spontaneously buy it just to enjoy one round of social media posts. This link might require a Twitter account.
Quantum Hill 2
I never played Silent Hill 2 back in the day, but if you did you might appreciate the reference to it by Laurentiu Nita of Quarks Interactive. Apparently, there’s a 2024 version of it that you can download while you’re on Steam to download Quantum Odyssey. This link might require a LinkedIn account.
Illuminating Video
Thanks to Anthony Lawrence and Light Rider for developing a promotional piece (albeit 4 years ago) for other quantum technology companies to emulate. Compare this video to the ones that have succeeded it in which people simply stand in front of a camera and talk.
Triggering Mass Adoption
I’m a history buff, so if Brian Lenahan is going to write about the adoption of quantum technologies by incorporating a review of historical technological adoptions, he’s entitled to one all-expenses-paid flight on The Quantum Dragon’s back. For bonus points, the image he used is reminiscent of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Quantum Suicide
This “indie sci-fi thriller” has the potential to really load up the Resuscitated Quantum Bullshit Detector, which I introduced in last week’s edition of The Quantum Dragon. But since I’ll be linking to substantiation for both “bullshit” and “not bullshit,” I’ll only be able to do so if people watch it and write about it.
I sense a disturbance in The Force.
No one at Qnami is actually Force sensitive, but how awesome would that be? Nonetheless, they are sensing mindblowing things with their nitrogen vacancy center (NVC) quantum sensors. Learn more in this World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) video. This link might require a Twitter account.
*Results have the same probability as quantum advantage happening in 2025.
Reality Check
I’m including this edition of Sergio Gago’s Quantum Pirates newsletter because of the inclusion of the sentence shown above. Believe it or not, there are organizations and individuals out there that are already claiming quantum advantage. Such claims smell so bad they don’t have to be submitted to the Resuscitated Quantum Bullshit Detector.
Rise of the Machines
Dr. Bob Sutor earns another mention in this newsletter by invoking Skynet in his “Dr. Bob Sutor – Quantum and AI” newsletter. Technically, this edition is about AI, not quantum, but it’s the same subscription from the same author and I’d like to encourage more pop culture references within the quantum content.
The Export Certainty Principle
The US said, "Let there be export controls," and there are interim rules on export controls. According to Robert Friedman and Paul Stimers of Holland & Knight LLP, people have seen that these interim rules are relatively good. This is actually the 500th article I’ve ever written, so expect with 100% certainty to see me sharing it again.
Spooky Quantum Opportunities for a Spooky Time of Year
Thanks to Megan Ivory for sharing this Halloween-themed list of opportunities to learn about quantum science. The target audiences include high schoolers, community collegers (if that’s a word), and undergrads. Remarkably, I don’t recall ever invoking zombies in any of my writing, so I’m awarding bonus points for originality.
Quantum Qid
With the disclaimer that I haven’t actually seen or heard any of Aaron Wang’s content, I would nonetheless like to encourage this young man to continue doing whatever he’s doing. I took a quick glance at his YouTube channel, and if he starts making content again he ought to be a regular here. This link might require a LinkedIn account.
Whip out your credit card.
Maybe I should have asked DALL-E 3 to make The Quantum Dragon look like Dr. Bob Sutor this week. Oh, well. Maybe next time. In the interim, I encourage you to get your copy of “Dancing with Qubits,” which is the 2nd book I started recommending — especially to mathophiles — after “Mike & Ike,” which I discovered first.
Putting the “Q” in Q&A: PhDless in the Quantum Industry
Do you really need a PhD to work in quantum? If you’ve ever asked this or one of eight related questions, Alex Tingle’s got some answers for you. And with the Q&A format of this article, you can quickly find the answers you seek. This link might require a LinkedIn account.
The Quantum Demon
I’ve got some issues with some of the statements that were made during this particular episode, but as the author of “The Quantum Dragon” and “Quantum Beast,” I have to acknowledge a podcast called “The Quantum Demon.” Maybe I should start maintaining a list called The Quantum Family?
#breakingchanges
I joked just last week about the new Qiskit Code Assistant being trained on broken code, and here is Brian Otieno already confirming it. Sadly, IBM needed to train this AI on broken code, because it doesn’t have anything else. This link might require a LinkedIn account. Fixing your code every 3-6 months might require profanity.
The Pot Calling the Kettle Black
Thanks to Dulwich Quantum Computing for pointing out this gem. Here’s Alan Baratz, the CEO of D-Wave, warning against hype. To his credit, few have mastered quantum hype as well as he and his colleagues, so when he says something is hype you can take that to the bank. This link might require a Twitter account.
No bullshit!
I’ve been amazed for years at how the quantum industry uses “bullshit” as official jargon. I was about to praise Pasqal for having a model of Fresnel in the lobby but having a “no bullshit” poster on the wall scores slightly higher. This link might require a LinkedIn account.
Submit OpenQASM!
QUDORA Technologies just put a smile on my face by launching the QUDORA Cloud Platform, which allows me to submit OpenQASM 2.0 directly to the simulator. I’m sure it has other great features, too, but I’m such an OpenQASMaholic that I stopped looking after I discovered this one.
Now THAT’s a LEGO quantum computer….
I don’t have a favorite LEGO quantum computer simply because I don’t own any of them, but the life-size model of IBM Quantum System Two, photographed by Holly Cummins, is mighty impressive. Sadly, the LEGO version is probably as “performant” as the real one. This link might require a LinkedIn account.
The Quantum Triforce
I was recently asked twice, including by Jack Krupansky, what I’m most looking forward to with quantum computing. My answer invokes the Triforce from The Legend of Zelda franchise because, like the Triforce, my answer has three components. This link might require a Medium account.
“Quantum Caffe” eLearningClub
The club’s name is enough to earn a spot in this newsletter, but Francisco Pires went one step further. He expressed the upcoming US election as a quantum superposition which, surprisingly, is the first time I’ve encountered that. It’s also my first time seeing “hand-cranking” used in quantum. This link might require a LinkedIn account.
Wanna Quantum?™
I don’t believe that “Wanna Quantum?™ are the first two words of any new quantum conversation,” but I concede I might not be paying enough attention. I do believe, on the other hand, that SC Quantum’s Executive Director having a Q in his name (Joe Queenan) is worth reporting. This link might require a LinkedIn account.
Writing Quantum Steampunk: Science-Fiction Workshop
Have you read Dr. Nicole Yunger Halpern’s book on quantum thermodynamics? You should. And when you’re done, if you decide you’d like to emulate her creative writing sections, you should register for this workshop. Fun fact: the order in which she introduces certain concepts directly influenced the structure of “Quantum Beast.”
Open Source Quantum Computers
In Marvel’s X-Men franchise, Charles Xavier operates a school that doubles as a mutant community. In the quantum industry, doppelganger Simon Muskett operates OpenQuantum® as a quasi-school that doubles as an open-source community. Instead of developing superpowers, customers build neutral atom quantum computers.
More Mobile Quantum Computers
I previously reported that Quantum Brilliance and parityqc are teaming up to build a mobile quantum computer, and they’re apparently not the only ones. Infineon Technologies AG and Oxford Ionics Ltd. are doing the same. The German Cyberagentur has apparently awarded a contract to a third group, as well.
Today’s Brief Commentary
I know you’ve read the name “Dr. Sutor” 3 times already in this edition alone, but I can’t not add this 4th link. The introduction is awesome and includes a couple of my favorite phrases. My favorite part, though, starts when you reach “33 years.” Perhaps his 3rd book, if he’s going to write one, should be titled, “Dancing with English.”
Quantum Audio Package (QAP)
Moth’s QAP is an open-source Python package that converts digital audio in Qiskit circuits, and therefor quantum states, for quantum sound processing applications. I’m used to doing this in reverse but, hey, I’ll try almost anything once. This link might require a LinkedIn account.
Podcasts Galore
Joao-Pierre S. Ruth’s Information Week article titled “Quantum Report Card: Achieving Real Scale That Cannot Be Simulated” contains not one, not two, but seven podcasts. And it’s not just a list of podcasts; it’s essentially an article that has been illustrated with relevant podcasts in lieu of, say, DALL-E 3 dragons.
Abstract Thinking
Laurent Prost makes a second appearance this week with a post about abstraction. Personally, I prefer to think low level — NASM and QASM — but we’re eventually going to be talking about qubits as often as we talk about transistors. I’m awarding bonus points for the illustration. This link might require a LinkedIn account.
Resuscitated Quantum Bullshit Detector
Thanks to Alan Ho and Prof. Michael Biercuk for the idea to resuscitate the Quantum Bullshit Detector. This Twitter account would controversially tweet a paper with a simple “bullshit” or “not bullshit,” but I’ll go one step further and provide links to the microscopic, chemical, microbiologic, and immunochemical analyses of the bullshit.
We’re in the Computational Quantum Advantage Era, the Commercial Quantum Advantage Era, the Age of Quantum Utility, or we have utility-scale quantum computers? Bullshit.
China broke encryption with D-Wave? Still bullshit… according to D-Wave!
https://www.bing.com/images/create/an-adorable-young-hybrid-human-dragon-with-red-hai/1-671290c236104969aff0bf45ed634482?id=W2rCVlhpJvVGEc3%2BNl6j6w%3D%3D&view=detailv2&idpp=genimg&idpclose=1&thid=OIG4.HJgYXKUSILaTfMk0N1Be&frame=sydedg&skey=u0pbLGvpoqa0uLomPmMyulg3xyxXMycmsPR7B1XgJvI&form=SYDBIC
Variational Quantum Chemistry Programs in JaqalPaq - Scientific Figure on ResearchGate. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/An-exemplar-VQE-circuit-with-two-qubits-and-an-ansatz-U-ans-th-parameterized-by-the_fig1_351828076 [accessed 20 Oct 2024]
https://www.deviantart.com/dadmad/art/Skynet-T800-Factory-2-Wallpaper-424883456
https://www.bing.com/images/create/a-young-red-dragon-holding-a-black-pot-in-one-hand/1-6718c2bef1704d5e8950eb5ee2f59453?id=JWJE9y13lS4xcQXjcjf9zA%3D%3D&view=detailv2&idpp=genimg&idpclose=1&thid=OIG2.Fox9gXQ3co3xVMySr976&frame=sydedg&skey=u0pbLGvpoqa0uLomPmMyulg3xyxXMycmsPR7B1XgJvI&form=SYDBIC
https://www.bing.com/images/create/a-cartoon-young-red-dragon-in-a-robe2c-with-long-bl/1-6718d785480b42fe85f91ed8fc1dee65?id=gmD4cveVETRyFV6YJVHTtQ.kCAGBY24abkBUFacyAZdOw&view=detailv2&idpp=genimg&idpclose=1&thid=OIG3.Yg8k_c0ZnBv0FSQCRMIf&frame=sydedg&skey=u0pbLGvpoqa0uLomPmMyulg3xyxXMycmsPR7B1XgJvI&form=SYDBIC