Jan 22, 2026 · 34m · big-technology
D-Wave CEO Dr. Alan Baratz: Quantum Explained, Current Applications, And Future Potential
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gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions
In this in-depth interview, D-Wave CEO Dr. Alan Baratz demystifies the physics, commercial applications, and future roadmap of quantum computing. He explains how quantum annealing is actively driving enterprise optimization and AI workflows today while outlining D-Wave's strategy to deliver scalable, error-corrected gate-model systems for digital chemistry and materials science.
How this conversation actually went
Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Alex holds 19.1% of the talking time here. How this is scored →
Alex as informed peer 2.3 Guest teaching 5.6 Guest disagreement 2.1 Alex pushing back 0.6
speaking balance: gold is Alex, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 22:12 Calling out rival timeline claims
Dr. Baratz bluntly rejects optimistic 3-year commercial gate roadmap claims across the tech sector, remarking that anyone making such claims is 'smoking something.'
Hardest push from Alex ▶ 10:00 Contrasting D-Wave with Google's cautious stanceAlex challenges D-Wave's immediate commercial narrative by referencing Google's research events, where quantum advantages are still framed as distant future milestones.
Biggest teaching moment ▶ 2:23 Mechanics of superposition and simultaneous state explorationDr. Baratz directly educates Alex on fundamental physics, explaining how superposition allows qubits to simultaneously evaluate multiple states rather than sequentially iterating.
Alex holds their own ▶ 10:00 Alex introduces the annealing versus gate architecture distinctionAlex demonstrates subject research by identifying the architectural divide between annealing and gate systems to steer the technical conversation.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
| Chapter | Topic | Alex as informed peer | Guest teaching | Guest disagreement | Alex pushing back | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defining Quantum Computing and Superposition | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | Alex opens with basic introductory questions, openly admitting he is new to the topic. Dr. Baratz provides a foundational breakdown of quantum mechanics, defining superposition and contrasting classical bits with multi-state qubits. | |
| Quantum Mechanics Principles and Hardware Modalities | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | Alex asks about the underlying physics of qubits existing as zero and one simultaneously. Dr. Baratz explains quantum entanglement and outlines competing hardware modalities like superconducting, trapped ion, and neutral atom architectures. | |
| Quantum Supremacy and Commercial Reality | 3 | 6 | 4 | 1 | Alex asks for a parallel to the machine learning data and compute inflection point. Dr. Baratz sharply dismisses other industry supremacy claims as contrived problems of no practical value, asserting D-Wave holds the only useful demonstration in Science. | |
| Annealing Versus Gate Model Architectures | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2 | Alex cites Google's recent research demos and frames the distinction between gate model and annealing systems. Dr. Baratz explains why annealing solves immediate business optimization without error correction while gate systems remain years away. | |
| Real-World Optimization and Synergies with AI | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | Alex pushes for concrete operational benefits over classical AI optimization. Dr. Baratz details customer case studies at BASF, NTT Docomo, and Shionogi, illustrating hybrid quantum-AI workflow gains. | |
| Gate Model Roadmaps and Technological Horizons | 2 | 6 | 5 | 1 | Alex asks for realistic commercial gate timelines. Dr. Baratz aggressively rejects aggressive 3-year timelines from competitors, stating anyone claiming that is 'smoking something' and setting a realistic 7-to-10-year expectation. | |
| Quantum Circuits Acquisition and Scalable Control | 2 | 7 | 3 | 0 | Dr. Baratz delivers an extended technical masterclass on how D-Wave's acquisition of Quantum Circuits solves both superconducting qubit error detection and IO control line scalability at cryogenic temperatures. | |
| Molecular Simulation and Digital Drug Discovery | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Alex asks for the long-term vision in life sciences. Dr. Baratz outlines how quantum simulation will eliminate wet lab trial-and-error in molecular drug discovery, closing out with event housekeeping. |
Statements from this episode (11)
Baratz: Quantum computing is fundamentally energy-efficient computing
“Quantum computing is energy efficient computing for solving very hard computational problems. And I say energy efficient computing because quantum computers consume very little electricity, and yet they are very powerful.”
Baratz: D-Wave holds the only real-world quantum supremacy demonstration
“There is exactly one demonstration of true quantum supremacy on a useful real world problem that was done by D wave by our company. It was published in the peer reviewed journal science about a year ago. What we did was we demonstrated that our quantum compute…”
Baratz: D-Wave Advantage2 is the only commercially deployed quantum computer
“Our current generation annealing quantum computer, it's called Advantage two,
It's a 4500 qubit quantum computer.
It's the largest and most powerful computer in the world.
it does not require, nor does it have error correction, but yet, as I said, it's the on…”
Baratz: Specific quantum problems will always require annealing versus gate-model architectures
“So we have a bifurcation in the application environment today where there are problems that will always require annealing.
There are problems that will always require gait.”
Baratz: D-Wave is the only company developing both annealing and gate systems
“And D-Wave,
A very important point that I'm now about to make is the only company in the world with a dual platform strategy and plan.
What I mean by that is we're the only company in the world developing both annealing and gate model quantum computers to addr…”
Baratz: BASF cut scheduling runtime from 10 hours to seconds via D-Wave
“Leveraging our quantum computers, they have been able to reduce the time required to do the production scheduling from what was 10 hours down to seconds.”
Baratz: NTT Docomo supports up to 10% more phones per tower using D-Wave
“Another example is a large mobile carrier in Japan, NTT Docomo, has used our quantum computers to optimize cell tower resources. Basically, how the cell towers interact with the mobile phones to essentially determine which towers should be in control as the ph…”
Baratz: Shionogi uses D-Wave quantum hardware to accelerate drug-discovery LLMs
“Well, we at D-Wave have the first commercial example of that. It's work that we did with a company called Shinogi. They developed a large language model for generating molecular structures. And they're looking for new molecular structures that are well suited …”
Baratz: Error-corrected gate-model quantum computers are 7 to 10 years away
“We think we're looking at seven to 10 years to get to the point where we have Truly error corrected scaled gate model, quantum computers that are capable of doing things like Helping you develop designer drugs, a drug designed for you to dramatically improve y…”
Baratz: D-Wave acquired Quantum Circuits to lead in gate-model quantum
“And, you know, we at D wave just announced an acquisition of quantum circuits a week ago that we think has moved us from a participant in the gate model space to a leader in the gate model space.”
Baratz: Quantum Circuits' error-detecting superconducting qubits will win architecture race
“So we now have superconducting qubits that are a thousand times faster than trapped ion or neutral atom, but because of their inherent error detecting capability, they have qubit fidelity, just like trapped ion and neutral atom. Ah, that's the best of both wor…”