The Coherence Times

It was almost exactly ten years ago, on May 4, 2026, that IBM put the first quantum computer on the cloud. This was a seminal moment in computing history. For the first time, anyone could run quantum circuits on a real quantum computer from anywhere with an internet connection. That single act took quantum computers out of the research lab, and put them in the hands of a global community of researchers, developers, students, and enthusiasts. In our first episode of Season 2 of The Coherence Times, we sit down with IBM Quantum CTO of Quantum-Centric Supercomputing Jerry Chow and Oak Ridge National Laboratory Quantum Science Center Director Travis Humble to discuss that moment in history, and the decade of exploration and ecosystem development it inspired.

Visit The Coherence Times podcast page to get more AI content → https://www.ibm.com/think/podcasts/the-coherence-times

Run your first quantum circuit on IBM Quantum Platform → https://quantum.cloud.ibm.com

The opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of IBM or any other organization or entity.

Season 2 of The Coherence Times Podcast has arrived! Follow along as host Ryan Mandelbaum interviews quantum computing experts about the latest developments in quantum algorithms, hardware, systems, and more. Learn how researchers and engineers around the world are pushing the boundaries of what's possible and discover what the next decade may hold for generational technology.

Explore the podcast → www.ibm.com/think/podcast/the-coherence-times

Quantum computers have the potential to solve some valuable scientific problems faster, more accurately, or more cost-effectively than any classical computer. They haven't reached this point yet, but when they do, they will have achieved what we call "quantum advantage," a long sought scientific and engineering milestone that will mark the beginning of an exciting new era of computation. So, when will quantum advantage arrive? What methods are researchers and developers to enable their search for advantage? How will we know when it gets here? In this episode of The Coherence Times, we sit down with IBM Principal Research Scientist Abhinav Kandala to discover how, and when, quantum computers will beat classical computers.

00:00 - Introduction
4:37 - What is quantum advantage?
22:38 - How do we look for quantum advantage
26:48 - How close are we to quantum advantage?

The opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of IBM or any other organization or entity.

Explore the podcast → www.ibm.com/think/podcast/the-coherence-times
Check out the IBM Quantum Platform → https://quantum.cloud.ibm.com
Quantum Advantage Tracker here → http://quantum-advantage-tracker.github.io

One of the most promising application areas for quantum computers involved their ability to simulate the most fundamental behaviors of the tiny subatomic particles that make up the matter and forces that shape our universe. Because of their tiny size, these particles are subject to the complex and often counter-intuitive laws of quantum mechanics. Even the most powerful classical supercomputers struggle to simulate the behavior of these quantum-scale particles, but quantum computers—with their inherent ability to model quantum phenomena—are well-suited to the task.

In this Coherence Times episode, we sit down with researchers from IBM and the University of the Basque Country to discuss their recent work using quantum computers to simulate the fundamental forces that glue particles together. This research could one day help physicists conduct sophisticated new kinds of research experiments with particle accelerators to help us understand the universe at its most basic level.

00:00 – Introduction
1:53 – Studying the quantum universe
12:27 – Using quantum for quantum

The opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of IBM or any other organization or entity.

What are algorithms, and why are they so important to computing? In this episode of The Coherence Times, we dive into the fascinating world of quantum algorithms and explore their complicated relationship with their classical counterparts. From the early “vacuum tube days” of quantum computational theory to the sophisticated hybrid quantum-classical methods that are paving the way to quantum advantage, discover how researchers design, test, and validate new algorithms—and get a glimpse of what the future of computation could look like as they scale.

The opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of IBM or any other organization or entity.

Check out the IBM Quantum Platform → https://quantum.cloud.ibm.com
Quantum Advantage Tracker here → https://quantum-advantage-tracker.github.io
Explore the podcast → www.ibm.com/think/podcast/the-coherence-times