The Post-Quantum World

Hosted by Protiviti

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138

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Oct 2026

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About the show

Follow The Post-Quantum World, where Protiviti and our guests explore quantum computing and its business impacts, benefits and threats. Quantum computing capabilities are exploding, causing disruption and opportunities, but many technology and business leaders still don’t understand the impact quantum will have on their business. Protiviti is helping organizations get post-quantum ready. In our bi-weekly podcast series, The Post-Quantum World, Protiviti Associate Director and host Konstantinos Karagiannis is joined by quantum computing experts to discuss hot topics in quantum computing, including the business impact, benefits and threats of this exciting new capability. Visit www.protiviti.com/postquantum to learn more about how Protiviti is helping organizations get post-quantum ready. For questions or additional information, contact Konstantinos Karagiannis: konstantinos.karagiannis@protiviti.com.

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60 recent

October 28, 2026Episode 14031 min

Quantum Safe Networking – with Terry Cronin of Toshiba

For years, the cybersecurity world treated Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) like rival factions, and dismissed QKD as a niche technology requiring expensive dark fiber. In this episode, Terry Cronin, VP of Business Development and Marketing at Toshiba, joins host Konstantinos Karagiannis to shatter those outdated myths. Terry breaks down how Toshiba, alongside Ciena and Quantum Corridor, recently achieved a blistering 1.6 terabits per second over standard, existing lit fiber using multiplexed quantum signals. He also pulls back the curtain on Toshiba’s newly announced Quantum Safe Networking (QSN) platform , explaining how new single-box transceivers, hub-and-spoke architectures, and ETSI-compliant software-defined networking are making hardware-based quantum security practical for telcos, hyperscalers, and enterprises. No team of quantum physicists required. Beyond the hardware, this conversation is a wake-up call about the harsh realities of the PQC transition ahead of the quantum computing threat. As the industry realizes that migrating to post-quantum algorithms is neither free nor fast, and with some modality roadmaps estimating Q-Day as early as 2028, Mosca’s theorem is officially out of time for long-shelf-life data. Tune in to hear why QKD is emerging not as a competitor to PQC, but as a critical defense-in-depth layer and an immediate bridge solution for organizations that can't afford to wait five to eight years to complete their cryptographic migrations. Plus, hear how Toshiba’s quantum-inspired Simulated Bifurcation Machine (SBM) fits into the broader vision of optimizing future networks. For more on Toshiba, visit https://www.toshiba.eu/solutions/quantum/ . Visit Protiviti at www.protiviti.com/US-en/technology-consulting/quantum-computing-services to learn more about how Protiviti is helping organizations get post-quantum ready. Follow host Konstantinos Karagiannis on all socials: @KonstantHacker Questions and comments are welcome! Theme song by David Schwartz, copyright 2021. The views expressed by the participants of this program are their own and do not represent the views of, nor are they endorsed by, Protiviti Inc., The Post-Quantum World, or their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, representatives, shareholders, or subsidiaries. None of the content should be considered investment advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or as an endorsement of any company, security, fund, or other securities or non-securities offering. Thanks for listening to this podcast. Protiviti Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, including minorities, females, people with disabilities, and veterans.

October 14, 2026Episode 13933 min

Combining Atoms and Photons in a New Type of QPU – with Professor Barak Dayan of Quantum Source

Most quantum computing modalities face difficult hurdles with connectivity and scaling. Trapped atoms are great at interacting to run quantum calculations, but connecting millions of them together can be an engineering challenge. Photons are fantastic for fast communication and can link systems through standard fiber-optic cables, but because they pass right through one another without touching, getting them to interact and perform quantum gates usually requires massive, complex workarounds. In this episode, Professor Barak Dayan, Chief Scientist and Co-Founder of Quantum Source, joins host Konstantinos Karagiannis to explain how combining the two creates a completely new kind of quantum computer: a hybrid atom-photon machine that captures the best of both. Quantum Source traps single rubidium atoms inside tiny glass vacuum cavities to act as direct go-betweens, cleanly entangling passing photons on demand without requiring massive cryogenic setups or impossibly identical light pulses. Prof. Dayan, who literally holds up the hardware resonator during the conversation (if you watch on YouTube), explains how this approach acts like an ultra-fast quantum sewing machine, weaving qubits together in nanoseconds to enable modular, rack-based scaling. Discover how this unique hardware design tackles error correction, unlocks flexible long-range connectivity, and targets a fully fault-tolerant logical qubit by 2029. For more on Quantum Source, visit https://www.qs-labs.com/ . Visit Protiviti at www.protiviti.com/US-en/technology-consulting/quantum-computing-services to learn more about how Protiviti is helping organizations get post-quantum ready. Follow host Konstantinos Karagiannis on all socials: @KonstantHacker Questions and comments are welcome! Theme song by David Schwartz, copyright 2021. The views expressed by the participants of this program are their own and do not represent the views of, nor are they endorsed by, Protiviti Inc., The Post-Quantum World, or their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, representatives, shareholders, or subsidiaries. None of the content should be considered investment advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or as an endorsement of any company, security, fund, or other securities or non-securities offering. Thanks for listening to this podcast. Protiviti Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, including minorities, females, people with disabilities, and veterans.

September 30, 2026Episode 13837 min

Qiskit and Quantum Utility – with Sanket Panda of IBM Quantum and Izhar Medalsy of Quantum Elements

Quantum computing is rapidly crossing the chasm from low-level physics experiments to practical, enterprise-grade problem-solving. In this episode, host Konstantinos Karagiannis sits down with IBM Quantum Product Lead Sanket Panda and Quantum Elements CEO Izhar Medalsy to uncover how the modern Qiskit ecosystem is stripping away hardware complexity. From Qiskit’s core Rust rewrite slashing transpilation times from an hour to mere milliseconds, to the introduction of modular Qiskit Functions, the conversation reveals how high-performance software engineering is enabling researchers to focus strictly on domain discovery, such as chemistry and optimization, rather than circuit tuning. At the center of this breakthrough is Orbit, Quantum Elements’ error-suppression function. Medalsy breaks down how Orbit uses precise dynamical decoupling to actively stabilize idle qubits and protect dynamic, branching circuits without altering the underlying gate structure. It even takes error suppression into the logical qubit realm. Paired with AI-trained digital twins and a shared roadmap pointing toward fault-tolerant systems like IBM Starling, Panda and Medalsy deliver an inside look at how AI workflows, modular software, and hybrid error management are unlocking real scientific utility today. For more on IBM Quantum, visit https://www.ibm.com/quantum . For more on Quantum Elements, visit https://quantumelements.ai/ . Visit Protiviti at www.protiviti.com/US-en/technology-consulting/quantum-computing-services to learn more about how Protiviti is helping organizations get post-quantum ready. Follow host Konstantinos Karagiannis on all socials: @KonstantHacker Questions and comments are welcome! Theme song by David Schwartz, copyright 2021. The views expressed by the participants of this program are their own and do not represent the views of, nor are they endorsed by, Protiviti Inc., The Post-Quantum World, or their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, representatives, shareholders, or subsidiaries. None of the content should be considered investment advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or as an endorsement of any company, security, fund, or other securities or non-securities offering. Thanks for listening to this podcast. Protiviti Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, including minorities, females, people with disabilities, and veterans.

September 16, 2026Episode 12132 min

Diamonds in the Rack: Room-Temp Quantum Computing – with Marius Grundmann of SAXON Q

Quantum computing has long been trapped inside massive dilution refrigerators, but SAXON Q is looking to change that. CEO Marius Grundmann joins host Konstantinos Karagiannis breaks down how his company uses artificial diamond chips and atomic-scale NV centers to build fully functional, room-temperature quantum computers that mount directly into standard 19-inch server racks. By leveraging the natural rigidity of diamond crystals to protect delicate nuclear and electron spin qubits from ambient thermal noise, SAXON Q delivers a resilient system capable of running live in data centers without complex cryogenic overhead. Beyond the physics, Grundmann explores why on-prem, rack-mounted quantum hardware is a potential gamechanger for industries handling mission-critical data. From analyzing ultra-sensitive patient medical records completely offline to scaling parallel workloads across multi-processor architectures, he shares how accessible semiconductor manufacturing methods could finally take quantum out of deep-freeze science labs and drive it toward consumer-level pricing. For more on SAXON Q, visit https://www.saxonq.com/ . Visit Protiviti at www.protiviti.com/US-en/technology-consulting/quantum-computing-services to learn more about how Protiviti is helping organizations get post-quantum ready. Follow host Konstantinos Karagiannis on all socials: @KonstantHacker Questions and comments are welcome! Theme song by David Schwartz, copyright 2021. The views expressed by the participants of this program are their own and do not represent the views of, nor are they endorsed by, Protiviti Inc., The Post-Quantum World, or their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, representatives, shareholders, or subsidiaries. None of the content should be considered investment advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or as an endorsement of any company, security, fund, or other securities or non-securities offering. Thanks for listening to this podcast. Protiviti Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, including minorities, females, people with disabilities, and veterans.

September 2, 2026Episode 13637 min

Q-Day Before 2030 Remains Firm – with Cameron Chehreh of IonQ

IonQ’s VP of Engineering and CTO, Cameron Chehreh, joins host Konstantinos Karagiannis to break down why the race to scalable quantum computing is accelerating far faster than expected. Bringing a pragmatic, classical compute mindset to quantum systems, Chehreh explains how IonQ is transitioning from traditional optical tables to chip-scale trapped-ion QPUs, bolstered by their SkyWater foundry acquisition to dramatically speed up silicon iteration. He also provides an exclusive update on the company’s hardware roadmap, confirming that their 256-qubit system is currently in fabrication and on track as they march toward 10,000 qubits and cryptographically relevant scale before 2030. Beyond hardware breakthroughs, the conversation tackles the urgent inflection point facing enterprise and public sector leaders. Chehreh details why executive orders and looming cryptographic deadlines mean organizations cannot treat post-quantum cryptography migration as standard IT patching. From real-world defense war-gaming and energy sector hybrid CPU-GPU-QPU pipelines to the complementary deployment of QKD and PQC, this episode delivers a high-stakes look at how quantum computing is leaving the laboratory to reshape modern infrastructure and AI workloads. For more on IonQ, visit https://www.ionq.com/ . Visit Protiviti at www.protiviti.com/US-en/technology-consulting/quantum-computing-services to learn more about how Protiviti is helping organizations get post-quantum ready. Follow host Konstantinos Karagiannis on all socials: @KonstantHacker Questions and comments are welcome! Theme song by David Schwartz, copyright 2021. The views expressed by the participants of this program are their own and do not represent the views of, nor are they endorsed by, Protiviti Inc., The Post-Quantum World, or their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, representatives, shareholders, or subsidiaries. None of the content should be considered investment advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or as an endorsement of any company, security, fund, or other securities or non-securities offering. Thanks for listening to this podcast. Protiviti Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, including minorities, females, people with disabilities, and veterans.

August 19, 2026Episode 13536 min

Preventing Some PQC Rip-and-Replace – with José Rosas of EigenQ

The quantum computing threat isn't a far-off problem anymore, with deadlines rapidly shifting closer to 2029. Organizations are scrambling to secure $30 trillion in legacy IT infrastructure. Dr. José Rosas, CEO of EigenQ, joins host Konstantinos Karagiannis to explain how his company can bypass the need for costly "rip-and-replace" server upgrades by delivering plug-and-play PCIe accelerator boards. By combining quantum entropy (random number generation) with post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithms into existing server architectures like Intel Xeon and AMD EPYC, EigenQ creates a full-stack, hardware-rooted trust layer without modifying host motherboards. Beyond retrofitting legacy servers, Dr. Rosas reveals EigenQ's broader vision to master crypto-agility. Using dynamic hardware reconfiguration to adapt as PQC standards evolve prevents getting trapped by rigid silicon designs. He delves into how their hardware integrates directly into CPU Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs), extends to tactical edge environments like drones, and lays the groundwork for their next frontier: quantum-assisted AI and photonic interconnects. For more on EigenQ, visit https://www.eigenq.com/ . Visit Protiviti at www.protiviti.com/US-en/technology-consulting/quantum-computing-services to learn more about how Protiviti is helping organizations get post-quantum ready. Follow host Konstantinos Karagiannis on all socials: @KonstantHacker Questions and comments are welcome! Theme song by David Schwartz, copyright 2021. The views expressed by the participants of this program are their own and do not represent the views of, nor are they endorsed by, Protiviti Inc., The Post-Quantum World, or their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, representatives, shareholders, or subsidiaries. None of the content should be considered investment advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or as an endorsement of any company, security, fund, or other securities or non-securities offering. Thanks for listening to this podcast. Protiviti Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, including minorities, females, people with disabilities, and veterans.

August 5, 2026Episode 13431 min

Quantum Navigation Takes to the Skies – with Sanket Deshpande and Ashwarya Das of Dirac Labs

While quantum computing garners most of the headlines, quantum sensing is silently revolutionizing how we navigate a world where GPS can no longer be taken for granted. Host Konstantinos Karagiannis sits down with Sanket Deshpande (CEO) and Ashwarya Das (COO) of Dirac Labs to explore how executive order mandates and over 1,500 daily GPS jamming attacks are forcing a massive shift toward resilient, spoof-proof navigation. The team delves into the physics behind solid-state diamond sensors, which are capable of mapping the Earth's natural magnetic anomalies to pinpoint exact coordinates without relying on satellite signals. From testing prototypes on airborne planes to tapping into machine learning for real-time data denoising, Dirac Labs reveals how quantum hardware is moving out of university laboratories and straight into field operations. They unpack the realities of international defense partnerships, scaling hardware down to microscopic scales, and why indoor spaces, subway tunnels, and dense urban canyons will likely be the first commercial frontiers to abandon GPS. Find out about the next era of global cartography and unhackable navigation. For more on Dirac Labs, visit https://diraclabs.com/ . Visit Protiviti at www.protiviti.com/US-en/technology-consulting/quantum-computing-services to learn more about how Protiviti is helping organizations get post-quantum ready. Follow host Konstantinos Karagiannis on all socials: @KonstantHacker Questions and comments are welcome! Theme song by David Schwartz, copyright 2021. The views expressed by the participants of this program are their own and do not represent the views of, nor are they endorsed by, Protiviti Inc., The Post-Quantum World, or their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, representatives, shareholders, or subsidiaries. None of the content should be considered investment advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or as an endorsement of any company, security, fund, or other securities or non-securities offering. Thanks for listening to this podcast. Protiviti Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, including minorities, females, people with disabilities, and veterans.

July 22, 2026Episode 13338 min

Building the “Worst” Quantum Devices at DEF CON – with Mark Carney and Victoria Kumran of Quantum Village

In this episode, host Konstantinos Karagiannis reunites with longtime friends and co-founders of the Quantum Village, Mark Carney and Victoria Kumran, to preview their upcoming plans for DEF CON 34. Celebrating their fifth anniversary, the duo reflects on how the Quantum Village has evolved from a "hodgepodge" of quantum skepticism into an internationally recognized hub for open-source, hands-on hardware. Backed by their first-ever philanthropic grant from Mozilla, Victoria and Mark highlight how the village is breaking down academic barriers and empowering educators, security researchers and hobbyists alike to engage with complex quantum concepts on their own terms. Get an exciting look at some of the village's wildest DIY achievements, including a recap of "Uncut Gem," a budget-friendly, open-source quantum magnetometer built using green LEDs and red filter gel instead of expensive laboratory lasers. They also dive into their newest $35 open-source creation, the "entropy loop," a quantum random number generator (QRNG) designed to build real intuition about vacuum fluctuations and phase diffusion. Touching on this year's DEF CON theme of "agency," the guests tackle how independent creators can push back against big-tech opacity by building and understanding their own secure systems. As with DEF CON in general, this episode covers a wide technical range, from how quantum sensors might detect alien signals to tinkering with a Raspberry Pi Pico. Also find out what two talks Konstantinos will be giving at the show this year. For more on DEF CON, visit https://defcon.org/index.html . For more on Quantum Village, visit https://quantumvillage.org/ . Visit Protiviti at www.protiviti.com/US-en/technology-consulting/quantum-computing-services to learn more about how Protiviti is helping organizations get post-quantum ready. Follow host Konstantinos Karagiannis on all socials: @KonstantHacker Questions and comments are welcome! Theme song by David Schwartz, copyright 2021. The views expressed by the participants of this program are their own and do not represent the views of, nor are they endorsed by, Protiviti Inc., The Post-Quantum World, or their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, representatives, shareholders, or subsidiaries. None of the content should be considered investment advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or as an endorsement of any company, security, fund, or other securities or non-securities offering. Thanks for listening to this podcast. Protiviti Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, including minorities, females, people with disabilities, and veterans.

July 8, 2026Episode 13233 min

Fraud Detection via Photonics – with Pouya Dianat of Quantum Computing Inc.

Is quantum technology purely a science of the future, or can it solve major enterprise problems today? In this episode, Pouya Dianat, Chief Revenue Officer of Quantum Computing Inc. (QCi), joins host Konstantinos Karagiannis to discuss how his company is moving past the lab stage to deliver real business value right now. Dianat breaks down QCi’s unique hardware approach using nonlinear photonics and thin-film lithium niobate, explaining why the company has focused on application-specific, analog quantum optimization machines rather than waiting for universal gate-based systems to mature in the 2030s. The conversation dives deep into QCi's latest breakthrough algorithm, CVQBoost, which leverages the physics of their Dirac 3 system to revolutionize financial fraud detection. Operating literally at the speed of light, this room-temperature, rack-mountable quantum computer eliminates classical processing bottlenecks and effortlessly bypasses the training limitations that plague traditional GPUs. Dianat also shares insights into how recent federal executive orders on quantum technology are impacting the sales landscape, QCi’s cutting-edge quantum authentication solutions for network security, and his strategic vision for driving immediate commercial revenues while advancing a long-term quantum roadmap. For more information on Quantum Computing Inc., visit https://quantumcomputinginc.com/ . Visit Protiviti at www.protiviti.com/US-en/technology-consulting/quantum-computing-services to learn more about how Protiviti is helping organizations get post-quantum ready. Follow host Konstantinos Karagiannis on all socials: @KonstantHacker Questions and comments are welcome! Theme song by David Schwartz, copyright 2021. The views expressed by the participants of this program are their own and do not represent the views of, nor are they endorsed by, Protiviti Inc., The Post-Quantum World, or their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, representatives, shareholders, or subsidiaries. None of the content should be considered investment advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or as an endorsement of any company, security, fund, or other securities or non-securities offering. Thanks for listening to this podcast. Protiviti Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, including minorities, females, people with disabilities, and veterans.

June 24, 2026Episode 13140 min

1000x Faster and Cheaper – with Richard Givhan of Haiqu

Is quantum computing trapped behind a hardware bottleneck? In this episode, host Konstantinos Karagiannis sits down with Richard Givhan, the CEO of Haiqu, who challenges this long-standing narrative. While the industry has historically focused on building perfect, fault-tolerant systems, Givhan argues that this theoretical cynicism has caused the software layer to be deeply undervalued. Haiqu is disrupting this perspective by championing a wave of empirical optimism, proving that enterprise R&D teams can extract massive value, run frontier-scale simulations, and achieve scientific milestones right now using near-term, noisy, and partially corrected hardware. The conversation dives deep into Haiqu’s breakthrough orchestration and compression techniques, demonstrating how they achieved a jaw-dropping 1,000x reduction in both time and cost. Specifically, they compressed a $30,000, nine-hour QPU simulation down to just $25 and 30 seconds. Givhan also unveils the future of the quantum workflow: Haiqu's agentic Quantum OS. By integrating specialized AI research agents to automate literature reviews, handle classical baselining, and collaboratively design advanced circuits, Haiqu is dramatically accelerating the R&D loop from six-month trial phases down to a matter of days. Finally, Givhan shares his perspective on the true arrival of commercial quantum advantage, noting that we will know it is truly here when competitive industries, like finance, suddenly go completely silent about their quantum capabilities. For more information on Haiqu, visit https://haiqu.ai/ . Visit Protiviti at www.protiviti.com/US-en/technology-consulting/quantum-computing-services to learn more about how Protiviti is helping organizations get post-quantum ready. Follow host Konstantinos Karagiannis on all socials: @KonstantHacker Questions and comments are welcome! Theme song by David Schwartz, copyright 2021. The views expressed by the participants of this program are their own and do not represent the views of, nor are they endorsed by, Protiviti Inc., The Post-Quantum World, or their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, representatives, shareholders, or subsidiaries. None of the content should be considered investment advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or as an endorsement of any company, security, fund, or other securities or non-securities offering. Thanks for listening to this podcast. Protiviti Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, including minorities, females, people with disabilities, and veterans.