Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your background? How did you get the idea for Lightsynq?
A: My name is Mihir Bhaskar. I’m co-founder and CEO of Lightsynq, a Boston-based technology company commercializing quantum interconnects. Prior to running Lightsynq, I was the Research Lead at the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Center for Quantum Networking, an initiative I launched and led from 2021-2024. I earned my Ph.D in Physics from Harvard University, where I met my co-founders, and B.A. in Physics from Columbia University in the City of New York.
My co-founders and I launched Lightsynq in November 2024, after successfully raising an $18M Series A and spinning our team and technology out of the AWS Center for Quantum Networking. We founded the company with a clear mission: to build a technology that enables quantum computers to scale to commercially useful sizes.
Quantum computing has transformative potential, from revolutionizing drug and material design to solving complex optimization problems across a wide variety of industries. While quantum computing companies have made impressive strides toward these goals, these systems still face substantial scale-up challenges before they can reach their full potential — this is where Lightsynq comes in.
Q: There has been a lot of discussion on quantum computing, but it still seems largely misunderstood. Explain Quantum computing for someone who may just be hearing about it?
A: Absolutely. Imagine a regular computer is solving a puzzle, or figuring out the best route through a maze. It tries one path, then another, and keeps checking them one by one until it finds the best solution. This is called classical computing, and it’s very good at following instructions step by step.
Instead of trying one path at a time, a quantum computer can try multiple paths at once, using a unique property of quantum mechanics called superposition. For example, instead of using a “bit” (either 0 or 1) as the basic unit of information, quantum computing uses a “qubit” which can be both 0 and 1 simultaneously Using this unique functionality, quantum computers can potentially solve certain problems that are essentially impossible on today’s computers, such as simulating complex molecules for drug discovery or cracking tough encryption codes.
However, quantum computing is still in its early stages. A single quantum computer is a valuable tool for scientific research, but from a real-world application perspective, they are not yet widely useful. They just aren’t big enough yet.
Q: Through your research, what do you believe are the primary bottlenecks for commercializing quantum computing?
A: For quantum computing to be useful in real-life application, there are two main challenges that need to be addressed: high error rates in quantum systems (error correction) and insufficient qubit numbers in quantum computers (scalability).
Over the past couple of years we have seen amazing progress in error correction across a number of hardware approaches. These are exciting signals that the quantum computing industry is ready to begin focusing on the scaling problem.
At Lightsynq, rather than building a massive single processor, we tackle the scaling issue by developing interconnects that link multiple quantum processors,bypassing the limitations of single-system scaling.
Q: How does your solution change the landscape of quantum computing?
A: Building a single quantum computer with enough qubits to solve real-world problems is extraordinarily difficult and costly — if not impossible.
We believe Lightsynq’s quantum interconnect hardware offers a compelling solution. Lightsynq is building new interconnect technologies that are capable of processing and routing quantum signals to connect multiple quantum computers. And our approach does not reinvent the wheel, but instead leverages the amazing advances we have seen in the industry over the past several years. We are partnering with leading quantum computing companies to show that our interconnects can actually be used to connect exactly the types of quantum computers that they’re already building.
Q: When do you believe Quantum computing will become an everyday reality?
A: It is hard to know when it will become an everyday reality, and I don’t like to put a hard date on it. It has been exhilarating to see all the excitement around quantum recently from some of the leading quantum computing companies.
As an expert in the area, while I don’t believe quantum computing is quite as far away as some may suggest, there does remain a big open challenge to getting to quantum utility-scale. Recent results in error correction are a major advance, but these results need to be scaled up 1000x to become useful. This is a really hard challenge, but this is also what I am passionate about and drives the team at Lightsynq — useful quantum interconnects that help quantum computers scale — and bring us closer to an everyday reality. I truly believe that solving the interconnect challenge will be a major inflection point towards quantum computing becoming an everyday reality.
Q: What industries or aspects of life will benefit most from commercialized quantum computing?
A: Quantum computing offers the ability to solve problems that are currently intractable for classical computers.
For example, in pharmaceuticals, quantum computers could revolutionize drug discovery by accurately modeling complex molecules. This means identifying effective drug candidates faster, reducing development costs, and accelerating approvals for treatments — especially for diseases with currently limited options. Similarly, in materials science, quantum simulations could lead to the discovery of new materials with transformative properties, like superconductors that function at room temperature or ultra-efficient batteries that accelerate the shift to renewable energy.
In logistics and optimization, quantum algorithms could streamline supply chains, reduce waste, and improve delivery efficiency, directly impacting global commerce. In finance, quantum computing could enable more accurate risk modeling, optimize portfolios, and enhance fraud detection. Even fields like climate modeling stand to benefit: quantum computing could refine predictive models, allowing for more precise interventions to mitigate climate change.
And what’s most exciting is that we actually just don’t know what the most transformative impacts will be. These are some examples we’re excited about, certainly. But we really don’t know what a transformative technology like this will ultimately be most useful for until we go out and build it.
Q: With all of the speculation on this technology, are there any myths around quantum computing that you want to bust?
A: It’s easy to think of quantum computers as “faster” computers, but this misses the true value of quantum computers. Instead, quantum computers will have a transformative impact because they will solve entirely new problems we can’t solve today. Complex molecules that are impossible to simulate will be tractable on quantum computers. Mathematical problems that support encryption, which are impossible to break on today’s computers, can be solved by quantum computing.
Q: You went from a Ph.D student at Harvard to a research lead at AWS and now CEO of your own company. What’s your advice for those who want to transition from academia to the industry or entrepreneurship?
A: It’s an incredible time to be working in quantum. You can choose between a career in academia and industry, ranging from a small but potentially world-changing startup, all the way to some of the largest and most influential technology companies in the world.
I would strongly encourage every student to look for internship opportunities in industry while working on their degree. Summer internships, particularly at bigger quantum technology companies like AWS and IBM, which have robust internship programs, are a great way to learn whether the industry pathway is right for you.
If you’re coming out of the lab with an idea or technology that you feel addresses a critical unsolved problem in the industry, try to talk to as many people who have started companies as possible. Entrepreneurs, despite being very busy, tend to be extremely generous with their time when it comes to providing free guidance to budding entrepreneurs. Those conversations and connections will be incredibly valuable in shaping your entrepreneurial journey.
Q: Can you talk a little bit about the Boston market — why did you decide to stay in the city when you founded Lightsynq?
A: My co-founders and I worked together on our PhDs at Harvard and developed the technology Lightsynq is working to commercialize here in the Boston area, so we have a natural affinity to the city.
But more importantly, the wealth of world-class academic institutions, research centers and a growing number of startups focused on quantum technology make Boston the best destination for top talent in quantum computing and a booming quantum ecosystem. We certainly could have chosen to move to Silicon Valley, closer to venture capital, or another tech hub. But ultimately, it’s going to take many, many more truly exceptional quantum scientists and engineers than are currently in the industry to build commercially useful quantum computers. And I can’t think of a place with a higher density of exceptional talent in the field than Boston.
Q: We’ve talked about where Quantum computing may be in 5 to 10 years. What’s your vision for where Lightsynq will be as Quantum computing continues to develop – both short term and long term?
A: Lightsynq is working now on the first quantum interconnect prototypes, and we plan to use these to help leading quantum computing companies scale to multi-module systems for the first time. Our short-term goal is to demonstrate that existing quantum technologies can be scaled in modular fashion, without compromising performance. I think this will be an inflection point for the field, where we will begin to see the straight-line path towards building the first quantum computer capable of transformative applications.
Ultimately, in the future, I believe that network access to quantum computers will enable new modalities that may ultimately deliver even more value, like fully private access to remote quantum computing resources hosted in the cloud. Quantum interconnects will be key to enabling this global-scale connectivity.
