Sergio Gago, CTO of Cloudera and former Head of AI & Quantum at Moody’s
Sergio Gago, CTO of Cloudera and former Head of AI & Quantum at Moody’s is interviewed by Yuval Boger. They discuss a practical, problem-first path to quantum in finance. Sergio contrasts annealers and gate-based systems, emphasizes hybrid workflows for portfolio optimization and Monte Carlo risk, and explores fraud detection and knowledge-graph use cases. Sergio stresses rigorous benchmarking against top-end GPUs/FPGAs, explainability for regulators, and total cost of ownership over lab metrics. They also touch on post-quantum cryptography (offense vs. defense), realistic definitions of “quantum advantage,” and why disciplined pilots—and candid vendor comparisons—matter more than hype, and much more.
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42:37
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42:37
Constanza Bustamante, research fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
Constanza Bustamante, a research fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is interviewed by Yuval Boger to discuss quantum policy at the nexus of national and economic security. Constanza contrasts China’s state-led, scale-oriented model with the U.S.’s science-first, private-sector translation approach; traces bipartisan continuity from the National Quantum Initiative Act through today; and examines Europe’s growing techno-nationalism and reciprocity gaps. Constanza argues broad tariffs risk hobbling a nascent U.S. quantum supply chain, explores quantum sensing as a near-term “atomic advantage”, weighs research-security safeguards against academic openness, and much more.
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42:42
Cisco quantum networking with Vijoy Pandey and Reza Nejabati
Vijoy Pandey, who leads Cisco’s Outshift incubation group, and Reza Nejabati, Cisco’s head of quantum research, are interviewed by Yuval Boger. They discuss Cisco’s strategy to enable distributed quantum computing and a future “quantum internet.” Vijoy and Reza explain why Cisco won’t build QPUs, focusing instead on room-temperature, telecom-band entanglement networking. They discuss Cisco's aim is to make networking a “no-brainer” and push modality complexity to the edge via transducers and even entanglement-mode conversion, the argument that scale-out plus scale-up will reach “million usable qubits” faster, and much more.
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29:23
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29:23
Bert de Jong, Director of the Quantum Systems Accelerator (QSA) at Berkeley Lab
Bert de Jong, Director of the Quantum Systems Accelerator (QSA) at Berkeley Lab, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. Bert describes how the center develops superconducting, trapped-ion, and neutral-atom technologies in parallel, and the importance of certification in verifying quantum computations. They discuss the roadmap for integrating quantum into HPC at NERSC, the cost and scaling challenges of large systems, and the Department of Energy’s focus on scientific—not cryptographic—applications. Bert also highlights creative approaches to error correction, opportunities for industry collaboration, the need for workforce training starting in high schools and community colleges, and why he believes quantum will deliver practical scientific impact within five years.
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29:06
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29:06
Sebastian Weidt, CEO and co-founder of Universal Quantum
Sebastian Weidt, CEO and co-founder of Universal Quantum, is interviewed by Yuval Boger. They discuss his company’s unique approach to building scalable trapped-ion quantum computers. Sebastian explains how Universal Quantum focuses on overcoming key scaling challenges—such as error-free modular connections, laser-free control, and integrated electronics—rather than rushing small systems to market. He contrasts their 70K cooling and qubit-shuttling architecture with other modalities, addresses trade-offs like gate speed, and shares why algorithmic execution speed can offset slower clock cycles. Sebastian and Yuval also talk about the company’s €70M DLR contracts, its emphasis on software alongside hardware, and Sebastian’s view that quantum utility will likely emerge north of 10,000 qubits. Reflecting on entrepreneurship, he shares lessons learned about market education, the company’s engineering-heavy team, and much more.
Yuval Boger, Chief Commercial Officer at QuEra, hosts thought leaders in quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum communications to discuss business and technical aspects that impact the quantum ecosystem. Full transcripts are available at podcast.yboger.com
South Africa