Quantum from the Ground Up: First Edition Now Available

I have been learning and writing about quantum computing on gordostuff.com since October 2025. The posts started as a way to make sense of announcements as they happened: IonQ hitting 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity, Microsoft unveiling Majorana 2, IBM running a 12,635-atom protein simulation, Apple releasing a 50,000-step formal proof of its post-quantum cryptographic library. Each one went up as a standalone post. After eight months and seventeen posts, it made more sense to put them together in one place.

The result is Quantum from the Ground Up, a free PDF now available at gordostuff.com. This first edition covers posts through June 2026 and runs 50 pages across 19 chapters. It is written for someone entering the quantum workforce, or seriously considering it, who has a technical background but has not taken a graduate course in quantum mechanics.

Download: Download PDF

The book covers six qubit fabrication platforms in sequence: superconducting circuits, trapped ions, photonics, neutral atoms, silicon spin qubits, and topological qubits. Each chapter describes the physical mechanism, the fabrication or trapping method, current performance numbers, and the specific engineering problems that remain unsolved. The qubit chapters are followed by sections on hybrid classical-quantum protein simulation, AI-assisted hardware calibration, post-quantum cryptography, and the hardware landscape as it stands in mid-2026.

Two chapters address the workforce directly. The first maps the adjacent skill sets the quantum supply chain actually needs: semiconductor process engineering, cryogenic systems operation, RF electronics, machine learning for hardware calibration, and cryptographic implementation. None of those require a physics PhD. The second chapter maps the full degree pathway from a two-year associate degree through a PhD, with specific programs, what each credential prepares you to do, and salary ranges at each level. The field has a real workforce shortage. The shortage is not only at the PhD tier.

The plan is to update the book quarterly as new posts are published. The field moves fast enough that a quarterly cycle makes sense: slow enough to let any given announcement settle, fast enough to stay current with actual engineering progress. This edition covers October 2025 through June 2026. The next update will incorporate posts from Q3 2026.

Seventeen posts, fifty pages, fifteen images, one dark navy cover. The posts were worth writing individually. They are more useful together. Download free at Download PDF.

Support This Work

The book is free and will stay free. If you find it useful and want to support future editions, you can contribute at ko-fi.com/gordostuff.