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The New Quantum Era - innovation in quantum computing, science and technologyYour host, Sebastian Hassinger, interviews brilliant research scientists, software developers, engineers and others actively exploring the possibilities of our new quantum era. Author: Sebastian Hassinger
Your host, Sebastian Hassinger, interviews brilliant research scientists, software developers, engineers and others actively exploring the possibilities of our new quantum era. We will cover topics in quantum computing, networking and sensing, focusing on hardware, algorithms and general theory. The show aims for accessibility - Sebastian is not a physicist - and we'll try to provide context for the terminology and glimpses at the fascinating history of this new field as it evolves in real time. Language: en Genres: Physics, Science, Technology Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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The Quantum Control Stack with Niels Bultink
Episode 92
Monday, 11 May, 2026
Why This Episode MattersNiels Bultink earned his PhD at QuTech under Leonardo DiCarlo, where he performed some of the first real-time feedback experiments on solid-state qubits — the foundational primitive behind quantum error correction. He spun Qblox out of TU Delft in 2018, and has grown it to roughly 140 people serving 150+ customers worldwide, mostly on revenue rather than venture capital, before raising a $26M Series A in 2024.This conversation matters now because the goalposts for useful quantum computing have moved closer in the last 12 months. Recent estimates suggest breaking RSA may need ~10,000–100,000 qubits, not tens of millions — and at that scale, the control stack is no longer a lab afterthought. It is a strategic supply chain question, which is why the DOE just picked Qblox to manufacture Fermilab's QICK platform domestically. If you care about how quantum computers actually get built — the layer between the qubit and the software — this is the episode for you.SponsorThis episode is brought to you by Outshift, Cisco's incubation engine. The need for computational power is rapidly increasing in every sector. From drug discovery to material innovation to complex financial modeling, classical systems are reaching their absolute limits. It’s time for a paradigm shift. The answer is a scalable quantum network, built on open standards and vendor-agnostic architecture. By uniting distributed quantum devices, you unlock limitless computational power.Learn more about the Cisco Universal Quantum Switch at Outshift.com.Go deeper with the blog post.What We Get IntoWhy the IBM Quantum Experience originally needed a meter of rack equipment per qubit, and what had to change architecturally to scale past thatHow a quantum control stack can be genuinely qubit-agnostic — and where modality differences actually live (mostly in the analog front end, not the digital core)Why pre-compiled pulse sequences hit a wall, and how dynamic, adaptive control is a prerequisite for fault tolerance, not a nice-to-haveThe role of Qblox's SYNQ and LINQ protocols in achieving picosecond-level synchronization and low-latency feedback across hundreds of coresWhy FPGAs are the right substrate today, and why the field will need to move toward ASICs as production volumes growThe strategic logic behind manufacturing Fermilab's open-source QICK platform — and how it complements rather than cannibalizes the Qblox ClusterWhat the Quantum Utility Block partnership with QuantWare and Q-CTRL actually delivers, including a full-stack demo built in a weekend at APS March MeetingWhy Qblox opened a Boston HQ and started U.S. manufacturing in Canton, Massachusetts in 2026, and how geopolitics is reshaping quantum supply chainsNiels's read on which qubit modalities are gaining ground fastest right now — including a notable jump in spin qubits and neutral atomsWhat's special about the Dutch quantum ecosystem, and why a value-chain culture produced multiple revenue-driven hardware companiesResources & LinksGuest & CompanyQblox — Delft-based control stack company at the center of this episodeNiels Bultink on Google Scholar — Niels's research record from his QuTech years, useful background on his feedback control workQblox North America HQ announcement — Context for the Boston expansion discussed in the episodeQblox "Made in America" manufacturing announcement — Background on the Canton, MA manufacturing milestonePartnerships DiscussedFermilab × Qblox QICK partnership announcement — The DOE-backed deal for Qblox to manufacture and distribute QICKQuantum Utility Block press release — Joint reference system with QuantWare and Q-CTRL referenced in the episodeAPS 2024 full-stack demo recap — The 48-hour conference-floor build Niels mentionsFoundational Paper"Feedback Control of a Solid-State Qubit Using High-Fidelity Projective Measurement" — Ristè, Bultink et al., the 2012 work that grounds Niels's perspective on real-time controlFunding & Market ContextQblox Series A announcement — Context for the revenue-first growth story discussedThe Quantum Insider on the Series A — Independent coverage with quotes from QuantonationKey Quotes & InsightsOn why the control stack is more than picks and shovels: "Sometimes companies like us are called picks and shovels. It's a nice analogy, but it doesn't hold entirely. The qubits are just the bottom layer of the stack — and all the other layers are also crucial to develop."On flexibility as a requirement, not a feature: Pre-compiled, rigid sequences can't support quantum error correction. Adaptive, real-time control flows aren't a performance upgrade — they're "a basic need for this new era of quantum fault tolerance."On the moving goalposts for useful quantum computing: A year ago, breaking RSA looked like tens of millions of qubits. Recent estimates put it at 10,000–100,000 — "a factor hundred smaller what we now think we need versus a year ago."On the future of FPGAs: FPGAs are the right substrate for today's flexibility, but already at current production volumes, "it makes more sense to put things in chips, in ASICs."On the Dutch ecosystem: What sets Delft apart isn't a slogan about ecosystems but a value-chain culture — companies that focus on one layer, work together, and grow on customer revenue rather than venture rounds.Stay in the EcosystemSubscribe on Apple Podcasts,
