Quantum AI Series: Rob Hays, CEO and President of Atom Computing - Exclusive Interview by Maëva Ghonda

The Quantum AI Series features exclusive interviews of the global innovators shaping the future of quantum computing. In Episode 2 of Season 3, Maëva Ghonda, the Global Quantum Computing IP Expert and the chair of the Quantum AI Institute, interviews Dr. Mark Nicholas Jones, the CEO of Molecular Quantum Solutions.  In 2019, Mark co-founded MQS in Denmark to integrate quantum chemistry calculations for property prediction with higher-layer applications, such as computer aided molecular design and unit operation modeling. Dr. Jones earned his PhD from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU).

The Quantum AI Series features exclusive interviews of the global innovators shaping the future of quantum computing. In Episode 1 of Season 3, Maëva Ghonda, the founder and chair of the Quantum AI Institute, interviews Dr. Steve Brierley, inventor of the common operating system for all quantum computers and CEO of Riverlane. Dr. Steve Brierley is the founder and CEO of Riverlane. He is also an expert advisor to the UK government. Steve and his team at Riverlane are building the common operating system for all quantum computers. He founded Riverlane in 2016 because of his passionate belief that quantum computers are capable of accelerating an era of human progress as significant as the industrial and digital revolutions. Steve has worked in quantum for 20 years! And, he has a PhD in Mathematics.

The Quantum AI Series features exclusive interviews of the global innovators shaping the future of quantum computing. In Episode 7 of Season 2, Maëva Ghonda, the founder and chair of the Quantum AI Institute, interviews Paul Lipman, the President of Quantum Information Platforms at ColdQuanta. At ColdQuanta, Paul leads the teams building one of the world’s most powerful quantum computers. He is an experienced technology executive who previously led multiple successful cybersecurity companies to exit as CEO. Paul has an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor degree in Physics from the Victoria University of Manchester in England. ColdQuanta is the company pioneering quantum solutions to the world’s most challenging problems, from climate change to cybersecurity. Over the past several years, ColdQuanta has developed world-leading expertise in the most scalable, versatile, and commercially viable area of quantum: the Cold Atom Method.

The Quantum AI Series features exclusive interviews of the global innovators shaping the future of quantum computing. In Episode 6 of Season 2, Maëva Ghonda, the founder and chair of the Quantum AI Institute, interviews Rob Hays, the CEO and President of Atom Computing. This morning, Atom Computing announced the closure of a $60M Series B round. So, today, we welcome back one of our favorite guests: Rob Hays, the CEO and President of Atom Computing.

The Quantum AI Series features exclusive interviews of the global innovators shaping the future of quantum computing. In Episode 5 of Season 2, Maëva Ghonda, the founder and chair of the Quantum AI Institute, interviews Dr. Jan Goetz, CEO of IQM. IQM is focusing on a co-design approach where hardware and software are developed hand-in-hand. The resulting application-specific quantum computing stack can be seamlessly integrated into an HPC infrastructure, such that the quantum processor is utilized in an accelerator approach. Dr. Jan Goetz is a quantum physicist and the CEO of IQM. IQM is a company based in Finland that is building next-generation quantum computers. IQM has assembled an exceptional team of international quantum computing experts developing on-premise systems for high-performance computing (HPC) and special applications. IQM has raised more than EUR 71 million in funding, including the largest seed investment round in Finnish history. Jan did his doctorate on superconducting quantum circuits at the Technical University (TU) of Munich. He also worked as a Marie-Curie Fellow in Helsinki at Aalto University, where he holds the title of Lecturer. In 2020, Capital magazine selected him as one of 40 under 40 in Germany and he received the prestigious entrepreneurship award from the KAUTE Foundation. Jan is on the Board of the European Innovation Council (EIC), the European Quantum Industry Consortium (QuIC), and he is a member of the German Federal Economic Senate (Bundeswirtschaftssenat).

The Quantum AI Series features exclusive interviews of the global innovators shaping the future of quantum computing. In Episode 4 of Season 2, Maëva Ghonda, the founder and chair of the Quantum AI Institute, interviews Dr. Hans Melo, CEO, Menten AI. Dr. Hans Melo is co-founder and CEO of Menten AI, Inc., a therapeutics company and leader in quantum computing applications in drug discovery. He holds a PhD in Machine Learning and Computational Neuroscience from the University of Toronto. Menten AI is a drug discovery company focused on designing peptides for conditions with high unmet medical need. We develop computational methods for protein design that leverage machine learning and quantum computing.

The Quantum AI Series features exclusive interviews of the global innovators shaping the future of quantum computing. In Episode 3 of Season 2, Maëva Ghonda, the founder and chair of the Quantum AI Institute, interviews John Levy, the CEO of SEEQC. Prior to co-founding SEEQC in 2018, John served as the Chair of Hypres for 8 years where he remains as a member of the board; he serves on the board of goTenna, an ad hoc mesh networking company; he helped create and became the founding Chair of PlusN, a carrier aggregation software company; and, for seven years, he served as the Chair of BioLite, a distributed energy company. John also joined the investment committee of the Nathan Cummings Foundation overseeing a $450m endowment in 2012 and became Chair in 2017.

The Quantum AI Series features exclusive interviews of the global innovators shaping the future of quantum computing. In Episode 2 of Season 2, Maëva Ghonda, the founder and chair of the Quantum AI Institute, interviews Matt Johnson, CEO of QC Ware. Matt Johnson is the CEO of QC Ware, a quantum computing software company he co-founded in 2014. Prior to QC Ware, Matt worked in principal investing–as a partner at Apollo Management and a managing director at Credit Suisse. Prior to that, Matt was a captain in the US Air Force. Matt has an MBA from Wharton and a BS from the US Air Force Academy. Matt completed a solo crossing of the English Channel and remains an avid swimmer. QC Ware is a leading quantum computing software startup with offices in Palo Alto, Paris and (soon) Tokyo. QC Ware investors include: Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Koch Disruptive Technologies, Airbus Ventures, Samsung, Covestro, DE Shaw and Pegasus. Its customer base includes BMW, Roche, British Petroleum, Total SA as well as a number of other undisclosed Fortune 100 companies.

The Quantum AI Series features exclusive interviews of the global innovators shaping the future of quantum computing. In Episode 1 of Season 2, Maëva Ghonda, the founder and chair of the Quantum AI Institute, interviews Rob Hays, the CEO and President of Atom Computing, a company obsessed with building the world’s most scalable quantum computers out of optically trapped neutral atoms. Rob has more than 20 years of technology leadership experience. Prior to joining Atom Computing, Rob was the Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for Lenovo’s Infrastructure Solutions Group where he led the growth and profitability strategy for Lenovo’s data center products and services. Rob also previously worked at Intel, where he was the Vice President and General Manager responsible for leading Intel’s Xeon processor roadmaps, resulting in a period of unprecedented market leadership. Rob holds two U.S. Patents and he earned a Bachelor degree in Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech.

The Quantum AI Series features exclusive interviews of the global innovators shaping the future of quantum computing. In Episode 7 of Season 1, Maëva Ghonda, the founder and chair of the Quantum AI Institute, and Nir Minerbi, the co-founder and CEO of Classiq Technologies, discuss the past, present, and future of Quantum computing. Nir Minerbi has a history of leading cutting-edge technology teams to extraordinary outcomes. He has a Master's degree in Physics and is a graduate of the prestigious 'Talpiot' program. Classiq is the quantum software development company based in Tel Aviv that is accelerating breakthrough innovations with their revolutionary quantum algorithm design platform. Although it was founded―just a year ago―in May 2020, this impressive startup has already raised $14 million in venture funding.