5,000 QUBITS! Inside D-Wave’s Quantum Annealer

Quantum annealing isn’t theory anymore. NASA, Mastercard, and Fortune-50 manufacturers are running workloads on D-Wave quantum computers, today. Murray Thom, VP of Quantum Technology Evangelism at D-Wave, joins us to think on paper about what practical quantum computing looks like when it leaves the lab. Hybrid quantum-classical systems are cutting routing miles, reducing energy use, and optimizing portfolios right now. This isn’t about promises. It’s about cost, power draw, SDKs, and ROI—straight from one of the leaders actually shipping systems. Inside this episode: - Why D-Wave chose annealing over gate models - The leap from first chips to 5,000-qubit systems - Real demos in workforce scheduling and portfolio optimization - Why power draw stays flat at just 15kW - How to get hands-on with the Ocean SDK You don’t need a physics degree to follow this. If you care about how quantum pays off in the real world, you’re already qualified. This is Thinking on Paper. A clear look at why D-Wave doubled down on annealing, how it scaled to thousands of qubits, and what “useful quantum” actually means today. Please enjoy the show. And share with a quantum-curious friend. -- Chapters 00:00 Why D-Wave built an annealer—not a gate model 05:30 Translating quantum physics into boardroom value 10:07 Key milestones: first chip to 5,000-qubit Advantage system 18:47 How quantum annealing finds better solutions, faster 25:35 Workforce scheduling demo that beats classical heuristics 34:48 Portfolio optimisation: side-by-side quantum vs. GPU 40:53 True cost to run a D-Wave system (power, hosting, access) 42:11 Hands-on: using the D-Wave Ocean SDK in Python -- Our favourite quantum episodes: Inside IBM Quantum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yiub6Ie1VQ Horizon Quantum With Joe Fitzsimons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dPO1jS1kxg&t=828s&ab_channel=ThinkingOnPaper%3AFoundersOnEmergingTechnology Quantum Software: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yiub6Ie1VQ&ab_channel=ThinkingOnPaper%3AFoundersOnEmergingTechnology -- Connect with Thinking On Paper PODCAST: www.thinkingonpaper.xyz INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingonpaperpodcast/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/00volKqMsQntToeho35W47 APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-on-paper-technology-moves-fast-think-slower/id1713227258