August 11, 2026 — Four Atoms, One Chip: Pasqal's Bid to Fix Quantum's Scaling Wall
Pasqal says it trapped rubidium atoms using laser light routed entirely through a photonic chip, a possible fix for neutral-atom computing's free-space optics bottleneck — though it's a four-atom proof of concept, not the ten-thousand-atom machine on the roadmap. Plus: Congress eyes a 68% quantum defense funding boost as IonQ closes its SkyWater deal, Ethereum's Vitalik Buterin reprioritizes quantum safety, Morgan Stanley pledges quantum a seat at its $1.5 trillion innovation initiative, Utah launches a state quantum council, QCi posts mixed Q2 earnings, and Google's Bitcoin quantum-threat…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.