Why quantum has been "10 years away" for 30 years | E2316

July 24, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In 2023, a Japanese startup called Yakumo spun out of Kyoto University with a mission to build a quantum computer using neutral atoms. The company’s CEO, Kazu Nakashogi, sat down in Tokyo to explain why quantum computing has been “five to ten years away” for the past three decades, what has actually changed, and how his company plans to be one of the ones that finally delivers.

Why quantum has been stuck — and what is changing

The core difficulty has always been hardware. Quantum computers use qubits — units that can represent 0, 1, or both states simultaneously — instead of classical bits. But qubits are fragile. “Every thousand times, every hundred times they make an error,” Nakashogi said. Fixing that requires quantum error correction (QEC), a process that protects the information a qubit holds. This is the fundamental engineering problem that has kept quantum computers small and unreliable.

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

Never miss an episode of This Week in Startups

Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Welcome and Context** - Jason introduces the Tokyo episode and the guest, Kazu from Yakumo.
2 (02:47) **Why Quantum Has Been "10 Years Away" for 30 Years** - Kazu explains the fundamental hardware challenges that have delayed quantum computing.
3 (03:56) **What Makes Quantum Computing Powerful** - Kazu clarifies the value of quantum computing, which is not about speed but solving specific combinatorial problems.
4 (07:59) **The Fragility of Qubits and Error Correction** - Kazu explains why quantum computers are brittle and how error correction (QEC) is the key to scalability.
5 (10:38) **Yakumo's Approach: Neutral Atoms** - Kazu describes the different methodologies for building QPUs and why Yakumo uses neutral atoms.
6 (12:51) **From University Spin-Out to Startup** - Kazu explains the process of taking IP from Kyoto University and the challenges of deep tech startups in Japan.
7 (15:28) **Runway and Fundraising for Deep Tech** - Kazu discusses how Yakumo thinks about runway and raising capital with a long path to commercialization.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

PayPal Open https://paypalopen.com

DigitalOcean https://do.co/twist

Rippling https://Rippling.ai/twist

Today's show:

*For three decades now, we've been told that breakthroughs in quantum computing are right around the corner. So why hasn't anything materialized?

On TWiST in Tokyo, Jason sits down with Yaqumo CEO Kazuhiro Nakashoji and discusses what needed to change (like better algorithms and hardware), and why we may finally be nearing quantum's big moment.

Find out why quantum machines are so error-prone, explore the unusual international quantum supply chain, and get a heads-up about the cryptography reckoning coming for your Bitcoin.

Guest

Kazuhiro Nakashoji on X: https://x.com/KNakashoji

Yaqumo Inc.: https://yaqumo.com/en/

Relevant Links

JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization): https://www.jetro.go.jp/en/

Institute for Molecular Science: https://www.ims.ac.jp/en/

Quantum Insider: Yaqumo Quantum Photonics Agreement: https://thequantuminsider.com/2026/06/04/yaqumo-nkt-photonics-and-hamamatsu-photonics-sign-quantum-photonics-agreement/

Quantonation investment announcement: https://quantumcomputingreport.com/quantonation-selects-neutral-atom-hardware-developer-yaqumo-for-first-japanese-investment/

NIST: What is Post-Quantum Cryptography? https://www.nist.gov/cybersecurity-and-privacy/what-post-quantum-cryptography

Timest