ColdQuanta Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer Dana Anderson Discusses the latest technology and rich history of Infleqtion in the newest episode of the Inside Quantum Technology Podcast
Because we are in the early stages of the industry, there are few quantum computing companies that can claim such a rich scientific background as Infleqtion (formerly ColdQuanta). Built on ColdQuanta’s 15 years of pioneering quantum research, Infleqtion is building an ecosystem of quantum technologies and commercial products for today, driving the entire industry – toward tomorrow. Leading this new wave of innovation is Chief Strategy Officer Dr. Dana Anderson.
Dr. Anderson worked with Nobel Laureates Carl Weinman and Eric Cornell on a new state of matter known as the Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC). Their research happened at JILA, a leading physics institute in Colorado set up by NIST and the University of Colorado Boulder. Fascinated by this groundbreaking research (which would win Weinman and Cornell Nobel Prizes), Anderson helped found ColdQuanta in 2007 with the goal of harnessing the BEC for quantum computing. Infleqtion now uses the BEC in its state-of-the-art machine Albert, which focuses specifically on quantum sensing and signal processing.
Like his company, Anderson himself boasts of a rich scientific background. His father, an accomplished physicist, worked on the Manhattan Project as well as collaborated with some of the most well-known physicists at the time, including Enrico Fermi. “I was steeped in physics,” Anderson remarked about his childhood. After years of study at Cornell University, the University of Arizona, and the California Institute of Technology, Anderson became a Fellow of JILA and a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. While his research focused on quantum optics, he found JILA to be full of other types of quantum research. Speaking of his early days at JILA, Anderson said: “Eventually I couldn’t help but be intrigued and attracted to this other field [of atomic physics], which started to grow around the late 1980s, with techniques for cooling atoms to near absolute zero.” These techniques are still utilized by Infleqtion researchers today.
Tying the Rich History back to Colorado
Because of Anderson’s strong ties to Colorado, and the company’s long history, Infleqtion has a large focus on state outreach. They’ve helped to expand the Colorado quantum ecosystem with multiple locations, but also partner with local non-profit organizations such as Pretty Brainy a group focused on encouraging young women to pursue science and technology careers. Thanks to Infleqtion’s numerous outreach programs, it’s helped to make Colorado a quantum hub within the U.S.
Expanding the Infleqtion Legacy
Looking forward, Infleqtion hopes to expand on its rich scientific background by entering a new age. In fact, they’ve reflected this vision in their name “Infleqtion,” alluding to the inflection point in a curve where two paths branch away from each other. By using this visual, the company is showing that it’s on a new path, breaking new ground for the rest of the quantum industry.
Listen to the podcast with Dana Anderson at this link.
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry is a staff writer at Inside Quantum Technology and the Science Communicator at JILA (a partnership between the University of Colorado Boulder and NIST). Her writing beats include deep tech, the metaverse, and quantum technology.
