logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2023
1m 42s

Introducing Tech Tonic Season 6: The Qua...

Financial Times
About this episode

Tech companies and labs around the world are building a revolutionary new computer. Quantum computers harness the mysteries of quantum physics to perform calculations that seem impossible. The people building them say they’re going to change the world.


In a new season of Tech Tonic, FT tech journalists Madhumita Murgia and John Thornhill investigate the race to build a quantum computer, the impact they could have on security, innovation and business, and the confounding physics of the quantum world.


Are we really on the brink of a quantum revolution? And what will a future powered by quantum computing look like?


Check out stories and up-to-the-minute news from the Technology team at ft.com/technology


Presented by Madhumita Murgia and John Thornhill, produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon and Edwin Lane. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
Jerome Powell triggers market bets on a September rate cut
Jay Powell signalled a monetary policy shift during a high-profile Jackson Hole speech last week, and European investors are pouring money into new air defence technology. Plus, Spanish bank Santander is seeking to become a big player in Wall Street’s Spac market. Mentioned in th ... Show More
11m 49s
Aug 22
The return of ‘pump and dump’ stock scams
EU officials are accelerating plans for a digital euro, and the US Department of Justice has called for Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook to be removed from her post. Plus, investors lost billions of dollars in July in what could be pump and dump stock scams. Mentioned in this p ... Show More
11m 4s
Aug 21
Can Target get its ‘swagger’ back?
Chinese regulators are pushing back against US AI chips, Target shares fell more than 6 per cent after the retail group picked an insider to be its new chief executive, and UK inflation accelerated more than expected to 3.8 per cent in July. Plus, China is making a big push for v ... Show More
11m 36s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2023
Coming soon: The Quantum Revolution
Tech companies and labs around the world are building a revolutionary new computer. Quantum computers harness the mysteries of quantum physics to perform calculations that seem impossible. The people building them say they’re going to change the world. In a new season of Tech Ton ... Show More
1 m
Mar 2023
The quantum revolution: The race to build a quantum computer
Tech companies including Google, Microsoft and IBM are all working on plans for a commercially viable quantum computer. They say that these machines will be able to solve climate change, help develop new pharmaceutical drugs and transform our economy. But harnessing quantum physi ... Show More
20m 51s
Mar 2023
The quantum revolution: ‘Spooky action’
In this episode, Tech Tonic dives into the science at the heart of quantum computing. How do technologists use unexplained subatomic phenomena to build powerful computers?FT artificial intelligence editor Madhumita Murgia tells the story of quantum physics with the help of Sean C ... Show More
25m 23s
Aug 2023
The quantum revolution: Live at Founders Forum
A bonus episode to go with our Quantum Revolution season. The FT’s John Thornhill and Madhumita Murgia host a panel of experts at the Founders Forum conference, discussing the promise of quantum computing and the state of the quantum industry today. Featuring Steve Brierley, foun ... Show More
29m 47s
Apr 2023
The quantum revolution: The way the world is
In the final episode of this series, we hear how radical quantum ideas are reshaping our fundamental understanding of the universe. Nobel Prize winner Anton Zeilinger tells the FT’s Madhumita Murgia about the future of teleportation and the quantum internet; quantum computing pio ... Show More
23m 41s
Apr 2023
The quantum revolution: Brain waves
Quantum computers aren’t the only form of groundbreaking technology that use quantum physics. Madhumita Murgia hears from neuroscience researcher Margot Taylor, who’s using a quantum sensor to unpick the mystery of how autism first appears in the brain. And we speak to Matthew Br ... Show More
22m 13s
Mar 2023
The quantum revolution: Q-Day
In the cybersecurity world they call it Q-Day, the day when a quantum computer will be built that can break the encryption of the internet. John Thornhill and Madhumita Murgia speak to cybersecurity expert and former professional hacker Mark Carney about password cracking, and wh ... Show More
26m 4s
Mar 2023
The quantum revolution: First port of call
The Port of Los Angeles is one of the world’s busiest — and most inefficient. It’s now using an early quantum computing application to help solve its logistical bottlenecks. Has it made a difference? The FT’s John Thornhill investigates. We hear from truck drivers at the Port of ... Show More
25m 20s
Nov 2022
Quantum technology gathers pace
The 2022 Nobel Prize for Physics celebrated research that is underpinning a tech transformation 
43m 38s
Sep 2019
Why the race to build a quantum computer?
Quantum computers could transform our lives. Based on a branch of Physics that even Einstein found "spooky", the machines are still in their infancy. But governments and corporations are spending billions trying to turn them into workable technology. Neal Razzell finds out why by ... Show More
23m 10s