Quantum vs. Traffic: A Real-World Optimization Use Case — with Tal David of Quantum Art

From The Post-Quantum World by Protiviti

December 10, 2025 · 30 min · Episode 118

About this episode

This episode discusses a real-world application of quantum computing to optimize traffic flow, featuring Tal David from Quantum Art.

Traffic congestion isn't just a daily annoyance; it’s a multi-billion dollar drain on the global economy. In this episode, we explore a concrete, real-world application of quantum computing that aims to solve this problem today. Tal David, Co-founder and CEO of Quantum Art, joins host Konstantinos Karagiannis to discuss the company’s major new partnership with Ayalon Highways in Israel. Tal breaks down how they are moving beyond theoretical simulations to use quantum algorithms for synchronizing traffic lights and managing flow in metropolitan areas, potentially reducing commute times and optimizing city planning in ways classical computers simply can't handle. Beyond the use case, Tal takes us under the hood of Quantum Art’s unique trapped-ion architecture. Unlike competitors that rely on physically shuttling ions, Quantum Art utilizes optical tweezers and massive multi-qubit gates to perform operations on dozens of qubits at once, drastically improving speed and fidelity. We also dive into their aggressive roadmap, which includes a 50-qubit system launching soon, a 1,000-qubit "Perspective" system targeted for 2027, and how they are leveraging NVIDIA technology to power the…

People in this episode

Host: Konstantinos Karagiannis

Guest: Tal David

Topics covered

quantum computing
traffic optimization
urban planning
technology partnerships
quantum algorithms

Keywords

quantum computing
traffic congestion
quantum algorithms
city planning
optical tweezers

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Quantum Art, Ayalon Highways, NVIDIA

Places: Israel