If quantum computers already exist, why can’t they do anything useful? The issue isn’t quantum mechanics, it’s control. Every qubit must be tuned, stabilized, and kept coherent, and that process collapses long before scale.
Brandon Severin, founder of Conductor Quantum, joins Jeremy and Mark to Think On Paper about spin qubits, AI calibration, Google’s latest quantum chip, and how his company is using semiconductor-based qubits to build quantum computers at scale.
From his PhD at Oxford (where he crossed paths with Oxford Ionics founder Dr. Chris Ballance) to launching a startup in Silicon Valley, Brandon shares how physics, engineering, and software are finally converging in quantum computing.
In this episode:
⚛️ How Google’s new quantum algorithm moves us closer to simulating atoms and molecules.
⚛️ The difference between trapped ions and spin qubits — and why spin qubits could scale faster.
⚛️ Inside Conductor Quantum’s work on calibration, fidelity, and error correction.
⚛️ How AI is redefining quantum control and stability.
⚛️ The rise of the quantum founder: from lone academics to builders focused on scale.
⚛️ Why progress in quantum depends on manufacturing, algorithms, and collaboration — not just brainpower.
⚛️ Why millions of qubits, not a “magic” single qubit, are needed for real computation.
Most quantum content sits in a kind of superposition: too technical to follow or too simple to teach you anything new. Thinking On Paper cuts through that noise.
If this conversation made you think differently about quantum computing, follow the show and share it with someone curious.
Keep thinking on paper.
Cheers,
Mark & Jeremy
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Timestamps
(00:00) Trailer
(01:13) The Google Announcement Explained Simply
(03:47) Trapped Ions vs. Spin Qubits
(06:14) How AI Controls Quantum Computers
(11:06) Inside the Quantum Circus: Managing Errors, Fidelity, and Coherence
(32:59) Building Quantum Computers: Why Scale Depends on Automation
(33:41) The Culture of Quantum Startups vs. the AI Boom
(36:52) Human Nature, Technology, and the Race for Control
(39:43) The Future of Quantum Computing: From Physics to Scalable Systems