Beyond the Qubit

In Part 3 of this conversation, Frank Dekker reflects on one of the biggest takeaways from his discussion with Olivier Ezratty: great science alone does not create a winning quantum ecosystem. Europe has deep talent, strong research, and serious technical capability, but turning that into globally relevant companies is a different challenge.

This episode is for investors, founders, policymakers, and anyone trying to understand what it will really take for Europe to compete in quantum. The conversation goes beyond technology and looks at the harder questions around energy, coordination, ecosystem building, and long term strategy.

That is what makes Olivier’s perspective so valuable. He is not only trying to understand where quantum is going. He is trying to improve the odds that Europe builds something meaningful around it.

💡 In this episode, we cover:
Why strong quantum talent does not automatically create strong quantum companies

Why the Quantum Energy Initiative matters for the future economics of the industry

Why energy and power costs could shape who scales and who can deploy

Why ecosystem building takes more than great technology

How Olivier thinks about strengthening the French and European quantum landscape

Why Europe needs stronger links between research, capital, policy, and industry

Why coordination may matter as much as technical progress

What Europe needs most right now to improve its chances in quantum

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Olivier Ezratty
00:48 Olivier’s background in software, Microsoft, and startups
04:07 How curiosity led him into science and quantum
05:52 From tech events to explaining quantum publicly
10:25 Building a 1,500-page quantum guide
13:36 Olivier’s goals for the next five years
14:18 Why Europe has talent but not enough quantum companies
35:39 Quantum Energy Initiative and why energy matters early
37:53 The hidden classical costs behind useful quantum computing
39:05 Why quantum needs a system-level engineering mindset
41:31 Quantum matter, new materials, and Europe’s next opportunity

🔗 Resources / LinksFollow Olivier Ezratty on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ezratty/
Listen to all episodes: https://open.spotify.com/show/7HZpSCz1w7a782e1B26MYA

Share this episode with someone following Europe’s quantum future. Subscribe or follow Beyond the Qubit for more conversations on quantum technology, markets, and investing.

📌 Disclaimer: This post is shared on a personal basis, and I do not represent any company.

Quantum computing has a hype problem. But the real challenge is much harder than most people think.

In Part 2 of this conversation, Frank Dekker continues his deep dive with Olivier Ezratty and gets into what real progress in quantum actually looks like. One of the clearest takeaways is that every step forward can create a new bottleneck. Solve one problem, and another appears right behind it.

This episode is for investors, founders, and anyone trying to understand why scaling quantum computing is so difficult. The challenge is not just adding more qubits. It is building a system that can handle noise, error correction, control complexity, and energy demands, while still producing something useful at a cost the market can bear.

That is what makes this conversation so valuable. Olivier brings a grounded perspective that goes beyond exciting narratives and focuses on what it really takes to make the whole system work.

💡 In this episode, we cover:
Why quantum computing has a hype problem

Why solving one problem often creates another

Why scaling quantum is not just about adding more qubits

How noise and control complexity slow real progress

Why error correction creates major system overhead

Why energy demands matter in the future of quantum computing

Why quantum is a full stack challenge across physics, engineering, software, control, and economics

Why the winners in quantum will be the teams that can make the whole system work

YouTube Chapters
00:00 Introduction and the core question
00:52 Does a quantum computer really work?
05:45 Is a quantum computer really a computer?
10:39 Quantum memory, QRAM, and communication
14:28 How AI helps quantum and where it still does not
19:38 Which quantum technology platform will win?
27:20 Why every scaling solution creates a new problem
40:05 Quantum Energy Initiative and why energy matters
52:49 The three expensive classical costs behind FTQC
56:10 Quantum engineering and the bigger opportunity in quantum

🔗 Resources / Links
Follow Olivier Ezratty on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ezratty/
Listen to all episodes: https://open.spotify.com/show/7HZpSCz1w7a782e1B26MYA

Share this episode with someone following quantum computing seriously.

Subscribe or follow Beyond the Qubit for more conversations on quantum technology, markets, and investing.

📌 Disclaimer: This post is shared on a personal basis and I do not represent any company.

Why is quantum computing still so hard to explain clearly, even for smart investors?
In this episode of Beyond the Qubit, Frank Dekker sits down with Olivier Ezratty, one of the most respected independent voices in quantum technology. Olivier shares how he went from software engineering and Microsoft to becoming a key educator, researcher, and bridge builder across the quantum ecosystem.
This conversation is for investors, founders, and deep tech professionals who want a clearer view of quantum computing without the hype. They discuss what sparked Olivier’s obsession with the field, why so many people still explain quantum poorly, and what it really takes to understand the space across hardware, software, physics, and market reality.
💡 In this episode, we cover:
How Olivier Ezratty became one of the most trusted independent researchers in quantum computing

Why early D-Wave claims pushed him to study quantum more seriously

How Understanding Quantum Technologies grew into a major free resource

Why investors need to connect physics, hardware, and software to understand the market

What Europe gets right in quantum, and where it still struggles commercially

Why the Quantum Energy Initiative matters for the future of the industry

How long-form research, public learning, and sharing knowledge can build real influence in deep tech

What Olivier sees as the biggest bottlenecks over the next five years

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Olivier Ezratty
04:09 Olivier’s background from software to Microsoft to deep tech
08:13 Why Olivier started creating long-form knowledge resources
33:09 What first sparked his interest in quantum computing
37:20 Olivier’s goals: quantum energy, teaching, and Europe
40:07 Why Europe needs both strong research and strong startups
50:17 The biggest bottlenecks for the next five years
🔗 Resources / Links
Follow Olivier Ezratty on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ezratty/
Listen to all episodes: https://open.spotify.com/show/7HZpSCz1w7a782e1B26MYA
Share this episode with someone investing in or building in quantum and make sure to subscribe or follow Beyond the Qubit for more conversations on quantum technology, markets, and investing.

DeepMind helped transform AI by using games as a training ground.
Evert van Nieuwenburg wants to build the European DeepMind for quantumcomputing.
In my conversation with Evertvan Nieuwenburg on Beyond the Qubit, one idea stood out:
What if games are not just a way to explain quantum computing, but a way tounlock it?
Thatsounds playful.
Butthe ambition is serious.
DeepMindshowed that games could be much more than entertainment.They became structured environments for learning, experimentation, search, anddiscovery.
Evert’svision is that quantum computing may need something similar.
Notjust better hardware.
Notjust more qubits.
Notjust lower error rates.
It may also need a better playground for building intuition.
Becausethe space of possible quantum circuits and quantum algorithms isenormous.
Mostof it is noise.
Usefulstructure is rare.
Andintuition is hard to build.
Thatis where quantumgames become interesting.
Gamescreate structure. They give people rules, feedback, andgoals. And when a hard problem becomes game-like, it can become easier forhumans to explore and potentially easier for AI systems to learn from too.
Thatis the part of the conversation I keep coming back to.
Evertis not talking about games as a side project for outreach.
He is pointing at a bigger idea:
Europe may have a chance to build its own DeepMind for quantum computing
notby copying AI exactly,
butby creating the structured environments that help peopleand machines discover what matters in quantum.
Thatis a bold vision.
Andbold visions are usually where the interesting companiesbegin.
 
 
#QuantumComputing #QuantumTechnology #AI #Gaming #DeepTech@evertvannieuwenburg
📌 Disclaimer:This post is shared on a personal basis and I do not represent any company

What if games are not just a way to explain quantum, but a way to build realquantum intuition?
Thatmay sound playful, but the idea is serious.
Onereason DeepMind changed the direction of AI is that ittreated games as more than entertainment. They became environments forlearning, experimentation, search, and discovery.
Thatmatters for quantum computing too.
Becausein quantum, the challenge is not only building betterhardware. It is also learning how to navigate an enormous space of possiblequantum circuits, quantum algorithms, and interactions.
Mostof that space is noise.
Usefulstructure is rare.
Andintuition is hard to build.
Thatis where games become interesting.
Gamescreate rules, feedback, and goals. They give people a morestructured way to explore complexity.
Andif a quantum problem can be turned into somethinggame-like, it may become easier for humans to experiment, easier for creativethinkers to engage, and potentially more accessible to AI methods that havealready proven powerful in game environments.
Thatis why this conversation stood out to me.
Maybegames can do for quantum computing what they once did forAI:
notsolve everything,
butcreate the interface that helps people discover whatmatters.
Part 2 with Evert van Nieuwenburg is out now on Beyond the Qubit.
Do you think games could become a real tool for quantum research andquantum algorithm discovery, or will they remain mostly educational?
#QuantumComputing #QuantumAlgorithms #QuantumResearch #AI #Gaming#DeepTech #BeyondTheQubit