The Quantum Economy Podcast

Most quantum computers being built today chase more qubits and better error correction. Marta Estarellas's company Qilimanjaro went the other way: an analog system that lets physics do the computation, unlocked with fluxonium qubits that hold record coherence times. The bet is that the future of supercomputing is not one machine but a multimodality of digital, analog, and classical systems working together.Anders Indset sits down with Marta Estarellas, CEO of Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech, the Barcelona full-stack quantum company behind Europe's first analog quantum computer installed at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, to ask what quantum computing looks like when you stop treating the gate-based machine as the only future.In this conversation, they explore:Why analog quantum computing lets you skip gate decomposition and let the physics compute directlyHow adiabatic quantum computing and gate-based quantum computing are formally equivalent, but analog opens a different execution pathThe fluxonium qubit and why it now holds the best coherence recordsWhat happens when quantum computers finally leave the cryostat and move to room temperatureWhether an analog quantum machine still counts as a computer through the lens of David Deutsch's universal quantum computerThe near-term applications that are already realistic, from spectral data analysis to drug discoveryQuantum-enhanced AI and whether quantum computing can fix what is broken in large language modelsEurope's positioning versus the US and China in the global quantum raceThe timeline: what actually changes by 2030 versus what stays hypeChapter Breakdown:00:00 -Introduction 08:55- The two types of qubits: fluxonium versus transmon 11:34 -Is an analog quantum machine actually a computer? 20:20 -Adiabatic quantum computing and gate-based quantum computing 27:36 -The timeline: will commercial quantum arrive by 2030? 35:17- Can quantum chips ever leave cryogenics? 43:50 How quantum changes biology and drug discovery 48:30- Quantum-enhanced AI versus classical large language models 54:10 Europe versus the US versus China in the quantum race 01:05:09 -What feels normal in 2036?About Marta P EstarellasLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpestarellas/Website - https://qilimanjaro.tech/About The Quantum Economy Podcast A series exploring quantum theory, quantum tech, AI, and the evolution of intelligence, and how these forces redefine the economy, value creation, and the future of human systems. Learn more: https://thequantumeconomy.com Contact: [email protected] YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnjrEO3TF1lUTutnqlfA3x88Rp0gVkOmD Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6pepc2PaCd06FHlf1pzDOg Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-quantum-economy-podcast/id1828917980About Anders Indset Anders Indset is a business philosopher and author of seven international bestsellers, including The Singularity Paradox: Bridging the Gap Between Humanity and AI and Ex Machina – The God Experiment. As founder of tomorrowmensch, he invests in early-stage science and technology and convenes scientists, investors, and entrepreneurs working on what comes after the current paradigm.NEW BOOK: The Quantum Economy https://andersindset.com/shop/The-Quantum-Economy-p803754261Website: https://andersindset.com tomorrowmensch: https://tomorrowmensch.com LinkedIn (personal): https://www.linkedin.com/in/andersindset/ LinkedIn (tomorrowmensch): https://www.linkedin.com/company/tomorrowmensch/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andersindset Substack: https://andersindset.substack.com/ X: http://x.com/andersindsetSupport & Share If this conversation shifted how you think about biology, consciousness, or the future of quantum tech, like it, comment, and send it to someone who'd get into it. Subscribe for more conversations with the people shaping the quantum economy.

How much do we really understand about life? In this episode of The Quantum Economy Podcast, Anders Indset speaks with Dr. Nirosha Murugan, Canada Research Chair in Tissue Biophysics, founder of Helioflux. In her research, she investigates the physical principles that underlie living systems.In this conversation, they explore:Why biology may need to move beyond a purely biochemical understanding of lifeHow energy and information shape living systemsWhether consciousness emerges from the brain or from more fundamental physical processesWhat slime mold can teach us about intelligence, AI, and distributed cognitionHow quantum biology could transform medicine and our understanding of healthWhether reality itself could be a simulation, and what that would mean for free willWhy philosophy is becoming increasingly important as science pushes the boundaries of life, intelligence, and longevityThis is a conversation about quantum biology, consciousness, artificial intelligence, regenerative medicine, and one of the biggest scientific questions of our time: What does it actually mean to be alive?About Nirosha Murugan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nirosha-murugan/ Murugan Lab: https://themuruganlab.com/ Substack: https://tseenergy.substack.com/About Anders Indset Anders Indset is the world's leading business philosopher and the author of seven international bestsellers. With recent works such as The Singularity Paradox: Bridging the Gap Between Humanity and AI and Ex Machina – The God Experiment, his thought leadership has expanded far beyond economics and classical philosophy, earning him recognition from leading scientists and technologists, including prominent physicists. As the founder of tomorrowmensch, he invests in breakthrough science and technology and convenes leading thinkers, investors, and entrepreneurs who are shaping the future.NEW BOOK: The Quantum Economy https://andersindset.com/shop/The-Quantum-Economy-p803754261Website: https://andersindset.com/ tomorrowmensch: https://tomorrowmensch.com/ LinkedIn (personal): https://www.linkedin.com/in/andersindset/ LinkedIn (tomorrowmensch): https://www.linkedin.com/company/tomorrowmensch/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andersindset X: http://x.com/andersindset

What if some of the most important questions in physics are still waiting to be properly asked? In this episode of The Quantum Economy Podcast, Anders Indset speaks with Chiara Marletto, physicist at the University of Oxford and co-developer of Constructor Theory alongside David Deutsch. Constructor Theory is one of the most ambitious new frameworks in fundamental physics today, going beneath the laws of motion to ask a deeper question: what is possible, what is impossible and why.In this conversation, they explore:What Constructor Theory is and how it offers a new way to think about physical reality, from information and thermodynamics to the physics of life and the mindWhy time may be more fundamental and more difficult to explain than current physical theories suggestWhy physics is not only a technical discipline, but also a deeply creative act of imagination and explanationWhy both the education system and the funding system increasingly struggle with forms of knowledge creation that cannot easily be measured or categorizedWhy many of the most important research questions today do not fit existing institutional frameworks and therefore often remain underexploredWhy progress in science depends on creating environments where difficult and foundational questions can still be pursuedThis is a conversation about knowledge, creativity, physics, and the institutional structures that shape what kinds of questions society is willing to explore.Episode breakown:00:00 - Introduction: Why Physics Needs a Revolution02:37 - Constructor Theory Explained: A New Foundation for Physics09:09 - Why Quantum Mechanics Can't Explain Information & Life19:36 - Is Darwinian Evolution Just Physics? Reductionism Debate30:47 - What Is Time Really? A Physicist's Surprising Answer38:03 - Quantum Theory at 100: Why We've Stopped Making Progress50:42 - The Physics of Consciousness & What AI Gets Wrong1:01:18 - Why Science Funding Is Killing Fundamental ResearchAbout Chiara Marlettohttps://www.linkedin.com/in/chiara-marletto-1b2338227/https://www.chiaramarletto.com/https://www.constructortheory.org/About Anders IndsetAnders Indset is the world’s leading business philosopher and the author of seven international bestsellers. With recent works such as The Singularity Paradox: Bridging the Gap Between Humanity and AI and Ex Machina – The God Experiment, his thought leadership has expanded far beyond economics and classical philosophy – earning him recognition from leading scientists and technologists, including prominent physicists. As the founder of tomorrowmensch, he invests in breakthrough science and technologies and convenes leading thinkers, investors, and entrepreneurs shaping the future.NEW BOOKThe Quantum Economyhttps://andersindset.com/shop/The-Quantum-Economy-p803754261https://andersindset.com/https://tomorrowmensch.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/andersindset/https://www.linkedin.com/company/tomorrowmensch/https://www.instagram.com/andersindsethttps://andersindset.substack.com/http://x.com/andersindset

The quantum computing race is obsessed with one number: qubit count. But what if that’s simply not the right metric?In this episode, Anders Indset speaks with Thomas Luschmann, Co-Founder and COO of Peak Quantum — a Munich-based deep-tech startup that embeds error protection directly into the hardware architecture, rather than relying on costly error correction after the fact.In this conversation, they explore:Why more qubits alone will never deliver industrially useful quantum computing and what "better qubits" actually meansHow Peak Quantum's hardware-intrinsic approach compares to cat qubits, fluxonium, and topological qubitsWhat it really takes to turn world-class university research into a fundable deep-tech companyWhether Europe can build a sovereign quantum future or whether economic reality will force its best startups to look elsewhereWhat it means to build technology that may already be beyond our full understanding and what that tells us about where humanity is headedThomas also shares Peak Quantum's 12-month proof-of-concept roadmap and his honest take on deep-tech fundraising, talent, and the asymmetry of who gets access to the first truly powerful quantum machines.Whether you're interested in quantum hardware, European innovation, or the deeper questions at the edge of science and society, this conversation goes well beyond the qubit count.About Thomas Luschmannhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-luschmann/https://www.linkedin.com/company/peak-quantum-computing/https://peakquantum.de/About Anders IndsetAnders Indset is the world’s leading business philosophers and the author of seven international bestsellers. With recent works such as Ex Machina – The God Experiment and The Singularity Paradox: Bridging the Gap Between Humanity and AI, his thought leadership has expanded far beyond economics and classical philosophy – earning him recognition from leading scientists and technologists, including prominent physicists. As the founder of tomorrowmensch, he invests in breakthrough science and technologies and convenes leading thinkers, investors, and entrepreneurs shaping the future.NEW BOOKThe Quantum Economyhttps://andersindset.com/shop/The-Quantum-Economy-p803754261https://andersindset.com/https://tomorrowmensch.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/andersindset/https://www.linkedin.com/company/tomorrowmensch/https://www.instagram.com/andersindsethttp://x.com/andersindset

What if quantum computing allowed us to engineer nature at the atomic level? In this episode of The Quantum Economy Podcast, Anders Indset speaks with Professor Michelle Simmons, Founder & CEO of Silicon Quantum Computing and one of the world’s leading quantum materials scientists.For over 25 years, Simmons has pioneered a new approach to quantum computing, building systems atom by atom in silicon. This goes beyond faster computation. It opens the possibility to understand, simulate, and ultimately engineer nature itself.In this conversation, we explore:What it means to engineer nature at the atomic scaleThe race to build a fault-tolerant quantum computerWhy silicon-based, atom-level qubits could unlock scalabilityHow quantum systems allow us to simulate and recreate materials (“quantum twins”)The convergence of quantum computing and AIThe philosophical implications: Are we moving from observing nature  to designing it?Michelle shares insights into her company’s roadmap toward a million-qubit quantum computer by 2033, and how her team is already delivering early products that accelerate AI and solve real-world problems.Beyond technology, this episode explores the mindset behind innovation, where competition, collaboration, and curiosity come together to tackle some of the hardest challenges in science.Whether you're interested in quantum computing, artificial intelligence, deep tech, or the future of innovation, this conversation offers a rare inside look at one of the most advanced fields shaping our world.About Michelle Simmonshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-simmons-34662921a/https://www.linkedin.com/company/silicon-quantum-computing-pty-ltd/https://www.sqc.com.au/About Anders IndsetAnders Indset is the world’s leading business philosophers and the author of seven international bestsellers. With recent works such as Ex Machina – The God Experiment and The Singularity Paradox: Bridging the Gap Between Humanity and AI, his thought leadership has expanded far beyond economics and classical philosophy – earning him recognition from leading scientists and technologists, including prominent physicists. As the founder of tomorrowmensch, he invests in breakthrough science and technologies and convenes leading thinkers, investors, and entrepreneurs shaping the future.NEW BOOKThe Quantum Economyhttps://andersindset.com/shop/The-Quantum-Economy-p803754261https://andersindset.com/https://tomorrowmensch.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/andersindset/https://www.instagram.com/andersindsethttp://x.com/andersindset