Big tech salaries are climbing into the millions. For startups, the gap has never looked wider. Yet founders at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 say early stage companies can still attract world class talent by focusing on fairness, ownership, and purpose over paychecks.
Yin Wu, the founder and CEO of Pulley, said startups should stop trying to compete with big tech altogether. Instead, they should design compensation packages that make people feel like owners from day one.
“My strong opinion is that you should be more generous than you think you should be,” Wu said. “If the company becomes successful, you will never regret sharing that success with the people who helped you build it.”
Equity with purpose
Startups cannot match Meta or OpenAI in cash, but they can build value through equity. Randi Jakubowitz, head of talent at 645 Ventures, said every startup offer should connect performance with ownership.
That means setting clear goals, creating fair vesting schedules, and acting quickly when things do not work out. “If someone is underperforming and you wait too long, that is equity you will never get back,” she said. Accountability matters as much as generosity.
Build fairness early
Rebecca Lee Whiting, founder of Epigram Legal, said the best founders design compensation systems that are consistent from the start. They pay within set ranges for each role and document how equity is calculated. That transparency prevents bias, supports compliance, and protects the company as it scales.
Wu said Pulley follows a simple rule. Every role has a fixed pay band regardless of where someone lives, and all employees receive equity packages ranked in the ninetieth percentile. “It helps us grow without creating chaos. The structure stays fair even as the value changes,” she said.
Focus on intent, not perfection
Early stage founders often feel pressure to get everything right immediately. Whiting said the goal is to build with good intent, not flawless execution. “You will likely have to clean things up after your Series B, and that is okay,” she said.
Fairness, clarity, and flexibility are the real advantages startups have over massive companies. They can offer purpose and ownership in place of oversized paychecks.
The real takeaway
A strong startup compensation strategy is not about chasing numbers. It is about aligning people with a shared outcome. When done right, it builds loyalty, keeps teams focused, and gives founders the credibility to hire great people at any stage of growth.
Sometimes a breakthrough hides in something as simple as table salt.
A global team of scientists has used ordinary salt to create a new kind of metallic nanotube that could change how future electronics and quantum systems work.
These nanotubes are made from niobium sulfide, a material known for its superconducting abilities. Until now, researchers could only create stable nanotubes from carbon or boron nitride. Metals were too unstable at that scale. This new method finally makes metallic versions possible.
The Discovery
Nanotubes are incredibly small — thousands could fit across a single human hair. They are rolled-up sheets of atoms that behave differently from normal materials. They can be stronger than steel, lighter than plastic, and conduct electricity with almost no resistance.
In this experiment, scientists added a tiny amount of common salt during a key step of production. The salt acted as a trigger, causing the niobium sulfide atoms to wrap themselves around a nanotube-shaped template instead of spreading flat. The result was a perfectly smooth metallic cylinder just billionths of a meter wide.
Why It Matters
Stable metallic nanotubes have been one of the missing pieces in materials science. Their predictable, smooth surfaces make them ideal for next-generation electronics and superconducting systems.
In everyday terms, this could mean:
Faster processors that use less power and create less heat.
Quantum computers that remain stable and efficient at scale.
Superconducting wires that move electricity with zero energy loss.
Researchers also noticed that most of these new nanotubes naturally formed double layers, like two nested cylinders. This structure stabilizes the flow of electrons, similar to a microscopic capacitor. That could make them useful for storing or transferring quantum information more reliably.
From Labs to Real Life
In practical use, metallic nanotubes could be the foundation for new categories of hardware. Imagine charging a device instantly or sending data at light-like speeds without loss.
Electronics manufacturers might use this material to shrink circuits while improving performance. Energy systems could see more efficient grid components. Quantum research centers could use these nanotubes as stable pathways for quantum bits.
While this breakthrough is still in the research stage, it points to a real shift. Simple chemistry, not exotic new elements may hold the key to building reliable quantum hardware.
The Bigger Picture
The work was led by researchers at Penn State’s Materials Research Institute and published in ACS Nano. Their approach shows how traditional materials can unlock new quantum behaviors when reshaped at the nanoscale.
The finding also reflects a growing trend in quantum research: practical materials science is starting to matter as much as complex quantum theory. If metallic nanotubes can be produced at scale, they might bridge the gap between today’s experimental quantum chips and tomorrow’s commercial devices.
Real World Takeaway
Innovation often comes from rethinking the basics.
A pinch of salt just helped solve one of nanoscience’s longest running problems.
It is a reminder that progress does not always come from new elements sometimes it comes from seeing ordinary materials differently.
Most people think cybersecurity is complicated. It is not. The biggest risks online usually come from simple mistakes forgetting an update, reusing a password, or trusting the wrong message. The good news is that small, consistent habits can make you safer than almost everyone else online.
1. Install updates right away
Software updates are not just about new features. They close security holes before attackers can exploit them. If you see a prompt to update your phone or computer, do it immediately. In real life, that habit blocks most technical attacks before they start.
2. Use strong passwords
Short or familiar passwords are the easiest way in for hackers. Use a password manager to create and store long, random ones. You only need to remember one master password. In daily life, this means your logins stay yours, even if other accounts get breached.
3. Turn on two-factor authentication
Two-factor authentication adds a physical layer of protection. Even if your password leaks, no one can get in without your device. In real life, this stops most account takeovers cold.
4. Back up everything important
If ransomware hits, backups save you. Keep at least three copies of your data, one local, one in the cloud, and one offline. It sounds tedious, but it turns a digital disaster into a simple reset.
5. Learn to recognize manipulation
Most cyberattacks rely on emotion, not code. Scammers use fear or urgency to get you to act fast. Pause before clicking. Check who the message is from and what it asks for. In real life, this single habit prevents the majority of online fraud.
6. Check links before you click
Hover over links before opening them. If the address looks odd, skip it. You can also paste suspicious URLs into VirusTotal to see if they are safe. In real life, this avoids silent malware infections that hide in everyday links.
7. Share less online
The more personal information you post, the easier it is to target you. Avoid sharing birthdays, addresses, or travel plans. In real life, this prevents scams that rely on details you gave away for free.
8. Use a VPN when on public Wi-Fi
A VPN hides your real IP address and encrypts your activity. This protects you on public networks in cafes, airports, or hotels. In real life, this keeps your browsing private from both hackers and advertisers.
9. Run regular virus scans
Antivirus tools quietly handle threats you may not notice. Set them to scan weekly. They catch hidden files and remove them before damage spreads. In real life, this is your safety net for everything that slips through.
10. Use email masks and private search
An email masker gives you a disposable address to sign up for sites while keeping your real inbox private Proton is my personal favorite. Combine that with a private search engine like DuckDuckGo, which does not track what you look up. In real life, that means fewer spam lists and less profiling.
11. Remove your data from broker sites
Your information is likely already stored by dozens of data brokers. Services like DeleteMe and Incogni automatically contact these companies to remove your data. In real life, that reduces spam, scams, and unwanted tracking.
12. Protect your devices physically
Cybersecurity is not only digital. Do not leave laptops or phones unattended. Use biometric locks and secure your workspace. In real life, that small bit of caution prevents thefts that lead to massive data loss.
Cybersecurity in 2025 is about awareness, not paranoia. You do not need to be an expert. You only need to treat your digital space the way you treat your physical one with attention and intention.
As AI, automation, and convenience features expand, human judgment will remain the strongest form of defense. Staying safe online begins with small actions that become daily habits.
For deeper reading, see
What’s Happening
New research is warning that AI tools like ChatGPT and social media apps could be lowering our brainpower especially when it comes to memory, focus, and critical thinking.
Studies show that people who rely heavily on AI-generated summaries or short-form social content often perform worse on learning and recall tests than those who use traditional search engines or think through tasks on their own.
Experts are calling this growing problem “brain rot.”
What “Brain Rot” Really Means
“Brain rot” started as internet slang, a term for how bingeing TikTok or Instagram Reels made people feel mentally drained.
But now it’s becoming a real academic concern.
The Oxford English Dictionary even named “brain rot” the 2024 Word of the Year, reflecting growing public awareness of how digital habits affect cognition.
The Research Breakdown
AI Tools Can Make You Think Less
At the Wharton School, 250 people were asked to write health advice for a friend.
One group used Google Search,
The other used AI-generated summaries.
Results:
Those using Google produced thoughtful, specific advice.
Those relying on AI wrote generic, cookie-cutter responses “eat healthy,” “sleep more,” “drink water.”
Professor Shiri Melumad, who led the study, said:
“I’m worried about younger people not knowing how to search or think critically anymore.”
ChatGPT Users Remember Less
In a MIT study, students wrote essays in three ways:
Using ChatGPT
Using Google Search
Using only their own knowledge
Brain sensors showed the lowest activity in ChatGPT users.
Worse, 83% of them couldn’t recall a single sentence from their own essays minutes later.
Meanwhile, students who wrote without AI remembered most of what they wrote.
Researchers warn this could hurt learning in fields where memory matters from medicine to aviation.
Social Media Use Linked to Lower Reading Scores
A University of California, San Francisco study tracked over 6,500 children for two years.
Kids who spent 3+ hours daily on apps like TikTok or Instagram scored much lower on reading and memory tests.
Doctors say that every hour spent scrolling is an hour not spent learning, reading, or sleeping.
Many schools across the U.S. including New York, Indiana, and Florida have already banned phones in classrooms to combat this.
How to Avoid “Digital Brain Rot”
Experts say it’s not about quitting tech, it’s about using it smarter.
Here’s what they recommend:
Be Active, Not Passive
Instead of asking AI to do everything, start the process yourself.
Do your research, outline your ideas then use AI for polishing or fact-checking.
This mirrors how math students use calculators after learning formulas, not before.
Set Screen-Free Zones
Doctors suggest making bedrooms, mealtimes, and study spaces phone-free.
This helps restore focus and improve sleep quality.
Use AI for Small Tasks
Ask AI to help with quick lookups or specific questions (like dates or facts), not full essays or reports.
For deeper learning, go analog read books, take notes, or discuss ideas.
Why It Matters
Today:
Students may lose problem-solving skills if they lean too much on AI.
Workers risk becoming “automation dependent” unable to think creatively without prompts.
Social media continues to chip away at focus spans.
Tomorrow:
“Digital cognition gaps” could emerge between people who think critically and those who rely on algorithmic shortcuts.
Education systems may need to reinvent learning for the AI era.
The future workforce may prize “manual thinking” skills as a rare commodity.
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A Nevada judge has drawn a new line in the sand for blockchain innovation. In a decision that could ripple across the entire prediction-market landscape, Judge Andrew Gordon ruled that Crypto.com’s event contracts are not “swaps,” but instead fall under Nevada’s gambling laws.
The ruling blocks Crypto.com from operating its sports prediction platform in the state unless it complies with gaming regulations. The company had argued that its contracts functioned like financial swaps, which are regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), not traditional sports bets. But the court disagreed, stating that the outcome of each contract depends on who wins the event, not simply whether it occurs.
That distinction may sound small, but it changes everything.
Sports betting lawyer Daniel Wallach noted that the court’s language closely mirrors a tribal brief filed in September. That document emphasized that these blockchain-based event contracts are inherently tied to sports results, not independent events.
It is a subtle but powerful argument: when the blockchain reflects real-world outcomes, it becomes part of the gambling system, not a financial market.
The decision has sparked a fresh debate about prediction markets, where users trade contracts based on future events. Competing platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket operate in a similar gray zone. Kalshi was recently approved to run event markets in the United States, while Polymarket made its return after reaching a settlement with the CFTC.
The contrast highlights how fragmented the U.S. regulatory landscape remains. Some blockchain platforms are treated like financial exchanges, while others are labeled as betting operators. The difference can come down to the smallest details, even how a smart contract describes a win or loss.
Critics of prediction markets argue that these products are just a back door to sports betting, allowing users to gamble without oversight. Supporters counter that blockchain prediction markets create data transparency, improve price discovery, and could one day serve as crowdsourced forecasting tools for politics, science, or economics.
Either way, the court’s decision shows that the law is struggling to keep up with blockchain’s expanding scope.
Crypto.com now faces a choice: shut down its Nevada operations or risk penalties for non-compliance. The outcome may influence how other crypto-based platforms approach licensing, taxation, and compliance across U.S. jurisdictions.
In practical terms, this ruling matters far beyond gambling. Blockchain companies that use tokenized event contracts, on-chain prediction systems, or smart betting markets will now have to define their products more carefully. The difference between a “contract” and a “bet” could determine whether a project is regulated by the CFTC or by a state gaming board.
For startups, the message is clear innovation is moving faster than legislation. As blockchain continues to blur the lines between finance, gaming, and governance, courts will keep playing catch-up.
For everyday users, this means two things: the blockchain tools that let you wager on real-world outcomes may soon face tighter scrutiny, and regulators will start asking tougher questions about what counts as a market versus what counts as a game.
The gray zone is shrinking. And every blockchain company still inside it is now on notice.
Read the original report by Rachael Davies at ReadWrite.
For more Laterstack blockchain coverage, explore Binance casts shadow over US govt… Again and Helping me see the real chain in blockchain.
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Quantum technology has always been hard to explain. It deals with particles so small and strange that even experts struggle to describe what is happening. Yet behind the complexity lies a truth that is starting to surface. Quantum might soon become as transformative as artificial intelligence and possibly even bigger.
The field that once lived only in theory is now moving into hardware. Companies like Microsoft, Google, and Quantinuum are racing to build quantum computers, sensors, and communication systems. Microsoft’s latest Majorana chip is one example, designed to make quantum systems more stable and less error-prone.
For years, AI dominated the headlines. It was easy to understand, easy to use, and quick to deploy. Quantum, on the other hand, required labs, lasers, and near absolute-zero temperatures. But things are changing fast.
Researchers are finding ways to build qubits, the core building blocks of quantum computers with synthetic diamonds, allowing them to work at higher temperatures and with greater efficiency. Companies like Element Six, a subsidiary of De Beers, are now creating industrial-grade quantum diamonds in partnership with Amazon Web Services, paving the way for more accessible hardware.
The potential scale is enormous. Analysts at McKinsey project the quantum sector could reach 97 billion dollars by 2035. That is still smaller than AI’s trillion-dollar forecast, but the real measure is not in money, it is in impact.
Professor Sir Peter Knight of Imperial College London describes it simply: “Problems that would take the age of the universe to solve could one day be computed in seconds.”
That kind of power could change everything from drug discovery to energy systems. In healthcare, quantum computers could map endless combinations of molecules to design precise, personalized medicines. Google’s new Willow chip already demonstrated how a quantum processor could solve a problem in five minutes that would take the world’s fastest supercomputer ten septillion years.
The same capability could transform global industries. Airbus is testing quantum algorithms to load cargo more efficiently, saving thousands of kilos of fuel. The UK National Grid is investing in quantum models to optimize how power flows across thousands of generators. Even navigation could change, researchers at Imperial College London recently tested a quantum compass that works underground where GPS fails.
These breakthroughs are not limited to science. They also touch national security. Experts warn that quantum systems will eventually break today’s encryption standards, unlocking everything from government secrets to personal data. This looming moment is known as Q-day, when a fully operational quantum computer becomes powerful enough to decrypt traditional systems.
Governments and tech firms are already preparing. Apple and Signal have rolled out post-quantum encryption keys designed to withstand these future attacks. But older encrypted data remains vulnerable. Intelligence agencies are already harvesting and storing data they cannot yet read, waiting for the day quantum decryption becomes possible.
Professor Alan Woodward of the University of Surrey calls it “harvest now, decrypt later.” Once Q-day arrives, everything encrypted by older systems could become transparent overnight.
Still, many experts believe quantum’s benefits will outweigh its risks. Quantum sensors already enable more precise brain scans, helping doctors study movement disorders and childhood epilepsy without keeping patients still. In transportation, quantum navigation could keep airplanes and subways connected even when satellite signals drop.
As Rajeeb Hazra, CEO of Quantinuum, told the BBC, “We as consumers will touch the impacts of quantum computing in almost every walk of our lives. It could be as big as AI — if not bigger.”
The question is no longer whether quantum works. It is how soon we will be ready for it. The technology that once lived in cold labs is warming up fast. And when it arrives, the world may have to rethink not only how we compute, but how we secure, measure, and even understand information itself.
Read the original report by Zoe Kleinman at BBC.
For more Laterstack analysis, explore Quantinuum Helios quantum computer could bring quantum breakthroughs closer to real life and NVIDIA just built the bridge between quantum and classical computing.
When Manuele Aufiero was a child, his parents would take him hiking along a reservoir in northern Italy. It was not just a lake to him. It was alive. Pumps would lift water up when electricity was cheap and let it rush down to generate power when cities needed energy.
That simple idea of moving water uphill and downhill is the foundation of pumped storage hydropower, one of the oldest and most reliable ways to store electricity. Across the world, these reservoirs hold roughly 8,500 gigawatt hours of energy. They act like giant batteries, balancing the ups and downs of solar and wind.
But there is one big problem. Pumped hydro only works where the land allows it. You need mountains, valleys, and water. There are only so many places left to build one.
“I am in love with pumped hydro,” Aufiero told TechCrunch. “It’s just not enough to keep up with renewables.”
So he took the idea somewhere no one had gone before, under the sea.
Aufiero co-founded Sizable Energy, a startup that wants to move the concept offshore. Instead of carving dams into mountains, Sizable builds flexible reservoirs that float and sink in deep water. The company recently raised 8 million dollars in a round led by Playground Global, with backing from EDEN/IAG, Exa Ventures, Satgana, Unruly Capital, and Verve Ventures.
At first glance, Sizable’s design looks like an hourglass. One soft reservoir floats on the surface while another sits on the seabed. A tube connects them, along with a series of turbines. When electricity is cheap, those turbines pump salty water from the bottom up. When the grid needs power, the process reverses the dense brine falls back down, spinning the turbines and generating electricity.
From a physics standpoint, Aufiero says, it is like lifting a heavy block of salt. But instead of cranes and cables, Sizable dissolves the salt in water. The energy is stored as potential weight rather than chemistry, and that makes it scalable and reusable.
On land, each pumped hydro site must be custom-built for its location. Offshore, every Sizable system can be identical. That uniformity means mass production, faster installation, and lower costs.
Sizable has already tested small-scale models in wave tanks and off the coast of Reggio Calabria, Italy. The company plans to deploy a full demonstration unit by 2026 and several commercial sites soon after. Each turbine can generate up to seven megawatts, and deeper ocean sites can store far more energy.
The cost target is about twenty euros per kilowatt hour, roughly one tenth the price of large grid batteries today.
That price could make ocean-based storage a powerful partner for offshore wind projects, which already share transmission lines back to shore. But the same system could connect to any coastal grid as long as the water is deep enough, at least five hundred meters.
“We believe that long duration energy storage is required not only for renewable integration but also to make the grid resilient,” Aufiero said. “We need something new.”
If it works, Sizable Energy could open an entirely new category of energy infrastructure. The ocean is vast. Using it as a global storage network could stabilize renewables at scale, cut costs, and reduce the need for expensive lithium-based systems.
For now, the company is focused on proving it can operate safely and reliably in real ocean conditions. But if Sizable succeeds, it could redefine how the world thinks about storing power not just in batteries, but in water itself.
Read the original report by Tim De Chant at TechCrunch.
For more Laterstack startup insights, The Startup Teaching Machines How to Work Like Humans and Cluely AI cofounder says startups fail because engineers cannot make viral content.
The U.S. Congressional Budget Office cyberattack has revealed once again how fragile government cybersecurity can be. A suspected foreign hacker breached the CBO’s internal network, potentially exposing sensitive data and confidential communications between congressional offices and analysts.
In a statement to reporters, CBO spokesperson Caitlin Emma confirmed the security incident and said the agency acted immediately to contain the breach. “The Congressional Budget Office has identified the issue, taken steps to secure its systems, and added new monitoring tools to prevent further compromise,” she said. Work for Congress continues, but investigations into the scope of the attack are still underway.
The Congressional Budget Office cyberattack was first reported by the Washington Post, which said officials detected the intrusion within recent days. Although early signs suggest the breach was caught quickly, some congressional offices have paused email communication with the agency out of caution.
The CBO provides lawmakers with economic forecasts and cost analyses for pending legislation. That means a breach could expose not just staff data, but also draft reports that influence national policy and markets before they are public.
Experts warn that such data is a prime target for state-sponsored groups seeking intelligence on U.S. financial or political strategy.
The Congressional Budget Office cyberattack adds to a growing list of intrusions on federal institutions over the past year. In December 2024, the U.S. Treasury Department confirmed a similar incident that was later linked to the Chinese state-sponsored hacking group Silk Typhoon, also known as APT41. That same group has been tied to earlier attacks on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and even private sector companies.
Silk Typhoon became infamous in 2021 after exploiting the Microsoft Exchange Server vulnerabilities known as ProxyLogon, compromising tens of thousands of systems worldwide. Their pattern is consistent: move quietly, steal data, and remain undetected for as long as possible.
If Silk Typhoon or a similar group is behind the Congressional Budget Office cyberattack, the implications reach far beyond one agency. It shows how even nonpartisan, analytical institutions are becoming part of the geopolitical cyber battlefield.
Cybersecurity researcher Lara Hendrickson, commenting on the breach, said third-party applications and automated systems that interact with government platforms often create weak entry points. “The problem is not just the attacker,” she said. “It is how many systems in government are still not built for continuous threat monitoring.”
That concern is not new. Despite major investments in modernization, many U.S. government networks still run on outdated software. Each incident exposes the same core issue, federal cybersecurity is only as strong as its least protected agency.
For citizens, the Congressional Budget Office cyberattack is more than another security headline. It highlights how digital espionage now targets the very infrastructure that informs national decision-making. For lawmakers, it is another call to overhaul the fragmented security standards that leave even high-value institutions exposed.
This event may also accelerate a shift toward greater centralization of cybersecurity oversight, new cloud security mandates, and stronger coordination between civilian and intelligence agencies.
The Congressional Budget Office cyberattack stands as a reminder that data itself has become a weapon and that even the institutions designed to measure economic stability are now defending themselves in a digital cold war.
Read the original report on BleepingComputer.
For more Laterstack cybersecurity coverage, see EU phone data breach exposes top officials through data brokers and AI browsers cybersecurity time bomb.
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In a San Francisco courtroom, a battle is brewing that could change the way we buy things online. The Amazon Perplexity AI lawsuit challenges whether AI tools can act as personal shoppers, performing real-world tasks on behalf of users.
Amazon claims that Perplexity AI’s Comet bot violated its rules by making purchases without proper disclosure, calling it computer fraud. Perplexity argues that it was simply following user instructions, giving people a faster, smarter way to shop.
This clash is about more than a single website. It could determine whether AI agents will become everyday digital assistants or remain experimental tools restricted by corporate rules.
What is Comet doing?
Comet is a browser-based AI agent that can browse websites, compare products, and complete purchases. Amazon says Comet disguised itself as a regular browser and bypassed security blocks to shop on users’ behalf.
Perplexity insists that Comet only acted with user permission and did not scrape data or train its models on Amazon content. The startup says Amazon is trying to protect its advertising revenue and block competition.
If Amazon wins the case, AI shopping agents may be forced to stop operating on major platforms. If Perplexity wins, AI assistants could become the go-to method for buying anything online, potentially reshaping e-commerce, advertising, and consumer habits.
The stakes for everyday users
The Amazon Perplexity AI lawsuit is about control. Right now, shoppers must navigate websites themselves, compare prices, and manage checkout. AI agents could do all of that automatically.
Imagine telling your assistant to buy a gift under fifty dollars with free shipping. Today you do it manually. Tomorrow, your AI could handle every step for you, saving time and avoiding mistakes.
At the same time, this raises questions. Who is responsible if the AI buys the wrong item? Who guarantees security if the agent acts on your behalf? This case could set the rules for responsibility, liability, and user rights in the AI age.
The corporate angle
Amazon has already tested AI shopping internally. Its tools like Buy For Me and Rufus show that automated assistants can recommend and buy products. The difference is Amazon controls these agents.
Perplexity challenges that monopoly. CEO Aravind Srinivas says people should choose the AI that works best for them, not be forced to use the platform’s own tools. Perplexity also relies heavily on Amazon Web Services, creating an ironic twist: the startup is using Amazon’s infrastructure while being sued by the company.
The result of the Amazon Perplexity AI lawsuit could decide if corporations retain exclusive control over how consumers interact with digital marketplaces, or if AI will be allowed to act independently.
What it means for the future
This lawsuit is not just about shopping. It is a turning point for AI on the internet.
If AI agents are allowed to act autonomously, websites will have to adapt, and new assistants could manage research, bookings, and purchases for millions of people. If they are blocked, digital innovation may slow, and human users will remain responsible for every click.
Either way, the Amazon Perplexity AI lawsuit signals a new era where software negotiates, decides, and acts for us, and where the legal system will determine who controls the future of online action.
Read the original coverage at Bloomberg.
Explore more Laterstack sensational tech stories:
ICC drops Microsoft Office for European open source alternative
The day the Internet stopped: Inside AWS’s massive cloud collapse
The Quantinuum Helios quantum computer is the latest leap toward practical quantum power. Built to push beyond the limits of today’s machines, it could soon help scientists discover new materials, design better medicines, and rethink how computers learn.
Developed by Quantinuum, Helios is a trapped-ion quantum computer, meaning it uses charged atoms as the smallest possible units of information. These atoms, called qubits, can hold multiple values at once, giving them the ability to explore countless outcomes simultaneously.
Helios marks a turning point because it has 96 qubits, nearly double its predecessor. It does this without losing the accuracy that makes trapped-ion systems the most reliable in the field. In essence, the Quantinuum Helios quantum computer can run bigger experiments and produce cleaner results than ever before.
What makes Helios different
Inside the machine, ions float above a gold chip that looks like a tiny racetrack. They travel through narrow channels, guided by electric signals. When the right ions line up, they interact to perform calculations.
David Hayes, Quantinuum’s director of computational design, compared it to spinning a hard drive. “We spin the ions in a loop. When the one we want gets close to the junction, we pull it aside, perform the operation, and send it back into the loop.”
This movement keeps operations fast and prevents errors. It also allows scientists to connect any two qubits, a key step toward the complex networks needed for future breakthroughs.
What it means for the real world
The Quantinuum Helios quantum computer is not a theoretical experiment. It is a working tool that can already simulate how matter behaves at the smallest scales. Those simulations could lead to advances that affect daily life.
Energy and superconductors
Helios is being used to model how electrons form pairs inside superconductors. These materials carry electricity with zero loss, but most only work at extreme cold. If quantum simulations lead to room-temperature superconductors, the impact would be enormous.
Power lines that never waste energy, Magnetic trains that float friction-free, Data centers that run cooler and faster
Medicine and chemistry
Quantum computers can simulate molecules with precision that classical computers cannot match. With Helios, researchers could test how drugs bind to proteins before ever running a lab experiment. That could shorten the path to new treatments for complex diseases.
Artificial intelligence
Future versions of the Quantinuum Helios quantum computer may train AI systems to detect patterns that ordinary computers cannot find. It could improve climate models, financial forecasts, and medical diagnostics by working through possibilities in parallel.
Cybersecurity
Quantum power can break traditional encryption, but machines like Helios also help design quantum-safe systems that can protect future networks. This makes Helios part of the solution, not the threat.
How Helios works in simple terms
Helios operates using a “loop and leg” design. Think of it like cars driving around a circular track. When one car reaches the right spot, it turns down a side road, performs a quick task, then merges back onto the main loop.
This design keeps traffic flowing and reduces the time needed for each operation. It also prepares the system for future versions that will use grid-like layouts, connecting hundreds of qubits together like city streets.
Developers can already write code for Helios using Guppy, Quantinuum’s Python-based software kit. It lets programmers control qubits using familiar commands such as “if” and “for”, the same logic used in everyday coding.
The path ahead
Helios is part of a larger roadmap leading to fully error-corrected quantum systems. These future machines could run continuously, like cloud servers, without losing data.
Jenni Strabley, Quantinuum’s vice president, said that every run helps refine the design. “Each time the ions move through the junction, we learn. That reliability carries forward into every next generation.”
For now, Helios is being used to simulate superconductivity, study quantum algorithms, and test new compiler tools that translate human code into quantum commands. It is a bridge between research and real-world impact.
As quantum technology matures, machines like the Quantinuum Helios quantum computer will move from labs to industries, reshaping energy systems, medicine, and artificial intelligence. The era of practical quantum computing is no longer a concept. It has started.
Read the original coverage at Ars Technica.
Explore more Laterstack quantum insights:
NVIDIA just built the bridge between quantum and classical computing
IBM proves quantum error correction can run on standard AMD chips