PostScriptum backs quantum chip startup SemiQon in up to €30M quantum push
What's the deal? SemiQon, a Finnish quantum-technology startup, has raised early-stage funding led by PostScriptumDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the investment firm of AI millionaire Peter Sarlin. PostScriptum says it will commit up to €30 million to quantum technology overall, with SemiQon its first investment under that strategy.
What does the company do? SemiQon spun out of Finnish research institute VTTDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → in 2023. It develops silicon-based chip and electronics solutions designed to help quantum computing scale.
Why now? The deal follows quickly on the heels of Sarlin's broader push into deep tech, and lands the same day quantum computer maker IQM listed on the Helsinki stock exchange's main list. Sarlin argues the biggest scientific breakthroughs enabling quantum computing are largely done; the challenge now is scaling the technology into practical use.
What's the endgame? PostScriptum sees quantum computing as one of the most significant computing shifts of the coming decades, and says quantum hardware and the AI systems that use it must develop in parallel. Sarlin frames it plainly: quantum computing is "not a separate technological field, but the next computing paradigm."
The key hire: PostScriptum also named Antti Vasara, former chief executive officer of VTT, as its head of quantum technology, overseeing quantum strategy and supporting portfolio companies. Vasara previously worked at McKinsey, Nokia, and F-Secure, and now advises the European Commission's quantum strategy group. He argues deep-tech firms need patient, long-term owners because development cycles are long.
What could go wrong? Scaling from a few qubits to hundreds of thousands—and eventually millions—depends on advances in control and cooling technology, not just processors. SemiQon founder and chief executive officer Himadri Majumdar says building such solutions requires partners who "think in terms of decades, not quarters."
The signal: The round reflects a systematic effort by Sarlin—whose fortune stems in part from the roughly €614 million sale of Silo AI to AMDDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →—to build a competitive AI and quantum ecosystem in Finland and Europe. Alongside new deep-tech ventures and donations to academic AI research, the SemiQon investment ties private Finnish capital directly to Europe's push for technological competitiveness.
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