Professor John Martinis: The Quantum Breakthrough

Professor John Martinis, a pioneering thought leader in quantum computing, offers an insider’s view of the present and future of the technology that could revolutionize computing and the industries that depend on it. Mr. Martinis, a professor of physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, set out to prove quantum supremacy over classical computers. His research has demonstrated some of the most reliable qubits around, leading to positions with Google and then Silicon Quantum Computing. While a quantum computer has yet to be built, the work is progressing, and Mr. Martinis notes that any day now, there could be a published paper that shows it can be done. 

Discussion Points

• The big buzz about quantum computing 
• Applications that can benefit from quantum computing, and the value it can unlock
• Areas of quantum computing where Martinis sees a likelihood of success
• The building blocks of a workable quantum computing solution
• The current state of hardware, software, and algorithms in quantum computing
• The commercial challenges of quantum computing and going public
• Governmental actions needed to keep the US at the leading edge of quantum computing 
• Martinis’ path to becoming a leader in the field and his current work
• Martinis’ rapid progress toward quantum supremacy at Google
• Ideas for companies that want to plan for future quantum computing possibilities
• Cloud-based quantum computing impact on innovation
• Martinis’ take on being called a “definite optimist”

Fernweh Insights is brought to you by Fernweh Group. The host of this episode, Nick Santhanam is the CEO of Fernweh.

This episode is part of Disruption 2.0 series where the focus is how a new wave of technology is disrupting multiple sectors. Fernweh Group is an investment company that is adapting an engaged investor and operator model to create alpha—performance superior to market indices—in the industrial/industrial tech sector.

For More Information

John Martinis at UCSB

John Martinis on LinkedIn

SQC Australia

Fernweh Group

Nick Santhanam at Fernweh Group