Quantum from the Ground Up
Hardware, Security, and the Emerging Workforce — Gordon F. Snyder Jr.
A free PDF pulling together posts from this blog into a single volume. 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.
This edition covers 19 chapters across six parts: quantum networking over existing fiber, the Massachusetts quantum workforce investment, the physics-versus-engineering distinction, six qubit fabrication platforms (superconducting, trapped ion, photonic, neutral atom, silicon spin, and topological), hybrid classical-quantum protein simulation, AI-assisted hardware calibration, post-quantum cryptography, the hardware landscape as it stands in mid-2026, and two chapters on the quantum workforce including a full degree pathway map from a two-year associate degree through a PhD.
| Edition | First edition, June 2026 |
| Pages | 50 |
| Chapters | 19 |
| Source posts | 17 posts, October 2025 – June 2026 |
| Updates | Quarterly |
| License | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 — free to share with attribution, no commercial use, no modifications |
What’s in it
- Quantum networking over existing telecom fiber (ytterbium-171)
- Massachusetts’ $50M quantum workforce investment
- The physics-versus-engineering distinction, with historical parallels
- Six qubit platforms: superconducting, trapped ion, photonic, neutral atom, silicon spin, topological
- 12,635-atom protein simulation (IBM / Cleveland Clinic / RIKEN)
- NVIDIA Ising: AI-assisted calibration and error correction
- Post-quantum cryptography: software and hardware paths, NIST standards, migration timeline
- Apple’s 50,000-step formal verification of ML-KEM
- Google running both superconducting and neutral atom platforms
- QuEra’s room-temperature neutral atom architecture
- Workforce skills the quantum supply chain needs now
- Degree pathways from two-year AS through PhD, with programs and salary ranges
Updates
This page will always link to the current edition. Updates are planned quarterly as new posts on quantum hardware, security, and workforce development are published on this blog. The next edition will cover Q3 2026.
Support this work
The book is free and will stay free. If you find it useful and want to support future editions, contributions are welcome at ko-fi.com/gordostuff.
