YC
Chad Rigetti at Startup School SV 2016
@ Y Combinator
09/30/16
Takeaways
YC
Y Combinator Cast
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
I have a particular love for startups that are trying to achieve something that may not be technically possible, but if they succeed, it changes the world.
YC
Y Combinator Cast
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
It's okay if you don't have a growth graph every week; sometimes you just work and work, and then everything comes together.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
When we joined Y Combinator in summer 2014, we had not built a single qubit, the fundamental building block of a quantum computer.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
In less than two years, we've built a five-qubit quantum computer and grown to about 35 people in a warehouse in Berkeley, including around 20 PhDs.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
Humans have been building tools and technology to store and process information for millennia, starting from the sundial to the abacus and beyond.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
At Rigetti Computing, we're driving the transition from microchips to systems based on individual atoms or artificial atoms that we build in the lab.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
The problems that quantum computers will solve are incredibly impactful, falling into two broad categories: quantum chemistry and machine learning.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
Quantum computers will lead to fundamentally more powerful forms of artificial intelligence by embedding learning problems on classically intractable physical models.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
The first problem with our approach to building large-scale computers is that Moore's Law is ending, which has been happening for a long time.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
The second problem is related to Amdahl's Law, which discusses the diminishing returns of parallelization in massively parallel machines.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
President Obama announced that America will build an exascale computer, which will be 30 times more powerful than the current top supercomputer by 2020, costing about a billion dollars and requiring a nuclear power plant to operate.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
Quantum computing offers a faster and cheaper path to achieving high levels of computing power compared to traditional methods.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
A single quantum chip with 60 or 70 qubits could outperform a traditional supercomputer that occupies half a football field.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
Hard tech startups face unique challenges, including operating in undefined arenas without well-developed supply chains, requiring them to develop all necessary building blocks for their technology.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
We've created new simulation-driven design methods and our own microfabrication capabilities to develop quantum chips, which are essential for our technology.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
Quantum computers process information using individual photons, making them far more efficient than traditional computers, which use billions of photons per bit processed.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
The distinction between hard tech companies and regular tech companies lies in the fundamental questions of possibility that hard tech companies must address, in addition to standard market risks.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
Successful hard tech ventures can create monumental leverage and defensibility, similar to the impact of the Manhattan Project and the Apollo missions, which are not captured in quarterly reports but in the stories that inspire humanity. Working on significant problems can lead organizations to venture into hard tech to access impactful solutions.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
Companies like Uber and Google are moving into hard tech, such as self-driving cars and quantum computing, to establish long-term defensibility.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
Building an organization with world-class experts in various fields is incredibly challenging, requiring effective communication and integration among team members.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
Creating a shared language among team members enhances integration and becomes a long-term asset for the organization, generating significant value.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
Our mission is to build the world's most powerful computer to address humanity's most pressing problems, which serves as a rallying cry for the organization.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
Integration within a hard tech organization allows for the creation of defensibility, enabling the development of a comprehensive business model in quantum computing.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
As a founder, it's crucial to balance the development of products with the capabilities needed to bring those products to market, creating organizational clarity.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
Hire individuals who can create order and clarity within the organization, as they will help pump entropy out of your vision and drive progress.
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Chad Rigetti
09/30/16
@ Y Combinator
The Control Data Corporation 6600, built by a small team, exemplifies how a few dedicated individuals can create groundbreaking technology with significant impact.