Insider Brief:
- Anders Indset speaks with Simone Severini, whose career bridges academia and industry, about the deeper purpose of quantum computing and its path from theory to application.
- Severini views quantum computers as instruments of discovery, best used in the near term to test architectures, advance error correction, and move toward fault-tolerant systems.
- He stresses that error correction is the defining challenge, requiring patient capital, strong partnerships, and long-term investment across sectors.
- The discussion links computation and physics, suggesting that building quantum machines could uncover new insights into black holes, entropy, and the nature of information.
In this week’s episode of The Quantum Economy Podcast, host Anders Indset is joined by Simone Severini, Distinguished Engineer at Google and Professor of Physics of Information at University College London, for a far-reaching discussion on the real state and deeper purpose of quantum computing. At the time of the conversation, Severini was leading Amazon Web Services’ quantum technologies division, where he helped launch global research centers in partnership with Caltech and Harvard. His career spans both academia and industry, giving him a rare vantage point on how quantum research moves from theoretical exploration to commercial deployment.
Severini frames quantum computers as instruments of discovery — experimental platforms for illuminating the physics of information itself. In the near term, he sees their greatest value in helping researchers test architectures, advance error correction methods, and chart the path toward fault-tolerant machines. Error correction, he emphasizes, remains the defining challenge, with approaches like “cat qubits” pointing to possible solutions. Achieving this level of reliability, he argues, will require patient capital, deep partnerships, and long-term commitment from industry, academia, and government alike.
The conversation also ventures into the relationship between computation and physics, touching on black holes, entropy, and information theory. Severini suggests that building quantum machines may reveal new insights into these fundamental questions, making the development process as much a scientific exploration as a technical challenge.
For Severini, the quantum industry is not defined by quarterly results or rapid wins, but by sustained, multidisciplinary collaboration over decades. This perspective, he argues, is essential if quantum technologies are to grow into tools capable of addressing meaningful scientific and societal challenges.
The episode touches on:
- Why quantum computers should be seen as instruments of discovery
- The central role of error correction in building fault-tolerant systems
- How industry work continues the trajectory of academic research
- The interplay between computation, physics, and fundamental theory
- The case for patient, long-term investment in quantum technologies
Listen and Learn
You can access this episode of The Quantum Economy Podcast on all major platforms:
- Listen on Spotify
- Listen on Apple Podcasts
- Listen on YouTube
New episodes of The Quantum Economy Podcast will be featured on The Quantum Insider. As quantum technologies evolve alongside other exponential fields, thoughtful engagement with the broader questions they raise on design, governance, value, and responsibility remains essential.
About the Host
Anders Indset is a Norwegian-born business thinker and investor known for bringing together philosophy and emerging technology. He is the author of The Quantum Economy, a book that examines how the logic of quantum computing, its uncertainty, entanglement, and probabilistic nature, can be applied to institutions and economies facing complexity and rapid change. His framework, Triangular Alchemy, proposes a new approach to organizational leadership in exponential times: balancing innovation (Forge), efficiency (Optimize), and investment (Scale) through anticipatory governance. His new book, The Singularity Paradox: Bridging the Gap Between Humanity and AI, is available now.
The podcast draws on this background while integrating real-time insights from global practitioners. It is not a promotional platform, but a curated forum for meaningful dialogue around technological transformation and human responsibility.
