HELSINKI, FINLAND — March 13, 2026: While the tech world awaits practical quantum computers, a new startup founded by a serial Finnish entrepreneur is betting millions that enterprises need to run on them today. Eighteen months after selling his AI startup to AMD for $665 million, Peter Sarlin has launched QuTwo, an AI lab building an orchestration layer to help major companies transition from classical to quantum computing immediately. The fully-funded venture, backed by Sarlin’s family office PostScriptum, has already secured “large design partnerships which are in the tens of millions” with European giants like fashion retailer Zalando and financial services provider OP Pohjola. QuTwo’s premise is simple: don’t wait for the hardware, build the software bridge now.
QuTwo OS: The Orchestration Layer for a Hybrid Computing Future
QuTwo is not building quantum hardware. Instead, the startup is developing QuTwo OS, a sophisticated software layer designed to manage computational workloads across classical and eventual quantum systems. CEO Peter Sarlin explained the strategy to TechCrunch. He believes AI is approaching an efficiency wall that quantum computing may eventually help solve. However, the company is not betting on a specific timeline for quantum supremacy. “We’re building for the quantum world, but QuTwo is an AI company,” Sarlin stated, clarifying that their core mission is “pushing AI workloads from classical to quantum.” This involves creating a flexible system that supports both quantum and non-quantum algorithms, allowing enterprises to focus on business problems rather than hardware routing.
The immediate practical advantage lies in quantum-inspired computing. This approach uses classical hardware to simulate quantum behavior, providing some of the anticipated benefits today while circumventing the stability and error-correction hurdles plaguing current quantum hardware. For partners like Zalando, this means developing proactive “lifestyle agents”—AI tools that go beyond simple search to suggest products and experiences—using a hybrid computational approach from the outset.
Backed by Deep Expertise and Major Finnish Tech Figures
QuTwo’s team bridges the quantum-AI divide with notable figures from both fields. The quantum side is represented by IQM co-founder Kuan Yen Tan and board member Antti Vasara, who also chairs SemiQon, a Finnish quantum chip startup. The enterprise and AI expertise comes from Sarlin himself and Kaj-Mikael Björk, a former co-founder at Silo AI. Adding significant corporate heft is Pekka Lundmark, the former CEO of Finnish telecom giant Nokia, who has joined QuTwo’s board. Across its operations, the startup employs over 30 quantum and AI scientists.
Sarlin’s investment vehicle, PostScriptum, has already placed strategic bets in the quantum space, funding Finnish leaders IQM and QMill. This positions QuTwo with unique insight into the hardware landscape it aims to abstract. The startup’s commercial-minded approach is evident in its early, lucrative design partnerships. These co-development agreements serve a dual purpose: they fund product development while providing critical real-world feedback on enterprise needs and expectations for quantum-era tools.
The Investor Perspective: Solving AI’s Energy Crisis
Sarlin represents a growing cohort of investors who see quantum computing as a solution to a pressing problem: the unsustainable energy demands of advanced AI. Classical computing architectures are struggling with the computational complexity of next-generation AI models. Quantum computing promises to outperform classical computers in specific, complex optimization and machine learning tasks with potentially greater efficiency. “Initial use cases will require mixed hardware environments,” Sarlin noted, emphasizing that the transition will be gradual, not a sudden flip of a switch. Enterprises, therefore, need a managed path forward—a service QuTwo aims to provide.
Quantum Readiness as a Competitive Enterprise Strategy
For QuTwo’s launch partners, engaging now is a strategic gamble on future competitiveness. The collaboration with OP Pohjola focuses on a joint quantum AI research initiative, exploring applications in complex financial modeling and risk assessment. For Zalando, the goal is to build a next-generation recommendation engine that operates at a scale and personalization level beyond current capabilities. These design partnerships are, in essence, early-access programs for quantum advantage. They allow these companies to build institutional knowledge, adapt their data pipelines, and train their teams on quantum-native thinking long before the hardware is commercially robust.
This strategy reflects a broader trend in enterprise technology: preparing for paradigm shifts years in advance. The table below outlines the key differences between QuTwo’s approach and traditional quantum computing strategies.
| Strategy | Focus | Timeline | Enterprise Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Quantum R&D | Building or accessing hardware; solving specific, isolated problems. | Long-term (5-10+ years for broad application). | High. Capital-intensive with uncertain, siloed returns. |
| QuTwo’s Orchestration Approach | Building software abstraction layer; integrating quantum logic into existing AI workflows. | Immediate (using quantum-inspired) to long-term. | Lower. Focuses on incremental integration and current business value. |
The Roadmap: From Quantum-Inspired to Quantum-Native
QuTwo’s development roadmap is explicitly hardware-agnostic. QuTwo OS is being designed to interface with various quantum processing units (QPUs) as they mature, including those from Sarlin’s portfolio companies. The near-term goal is to maximize the value of quantum-inspired algorithms on classical supercomputers and GPUs. The mid-term plan involves seamlessly integrating early, noisy quantum hardware for hybrid computations. The long-term vision is a fully automated system that dynamically routes computational tasks to the most efficient processing unit available—classical or quantum—based on the problem type, required speed, and cost parameters.
This layered approach de-risks the enterprise adoption curve. Companies can begin rewriting and optimizing algorithms today within the QuTwo framework, gaining immediate benefits from quantum-inspired techniques. Their code and data structures will then be progressively “quantum-ready,” minimizing the friction when more powerful quantum hardware comes online. It turns a future capital expenditure question into a manageable, ongoing operational software investment.
European Ambition in the Global Quantum Race
QuTwo’s launch from Helsinki underscores Europe’s ambition to carve out a significant role in the quantum computing ecosystem, not just in hardware but in the crucial software and application layers. With strong ties to Finland’s vibrant quantum research community and a founder with a proven exit track record, QuTwo is positioned to attract global enterprise clients looking for a pragmatic path forward. The startup’s progress will be a key indicator of whether the quantum value chain can be meaningfully accessed before the underlying hardware reaches full maturity.
Conclusion
Peter Sarlin’s QuTwo represents a pivotal shift in the quantum computing narrative. It moves the conversation from speculative hardware breakthroughs to practical, software-driven enterprise integration. By building an AI orchestration layer today, QuTwo is enabling companies like Zalando and OP Pohjola to future-proof their operations and potentially gain a first-mover advantage in the quantum era. With tens of millions in early design partnerships and a team blending quantum physics and enterprise AI expertise, QuTwo’s bet is clear: the business infrastructure for quantum computing must be built in parallel with the hardware, not after it. The success of this approach will be measured by how seamlessly enterprises can cross the bridge when the quantum future finally arrives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What exactly is QuTwo building?
QuTwo is developing an AI orchestration software layer called QuTwo OS. It is designed to help enterprises manage and run computational workloads across a mix of classical computers and, eventually, quantum computers, facilitating a gradual transition.
Q2: How can companies use quantum computing if the hardware isn’t ready?
QuTwo utilizes “quantum-inspired” algorithms. These are software techniques that run on classical hardware but are designed using principles from quantum mechanics, offering some performance benefits today and preparing systems for future quantum hardware.
Q3: Which companies are already working with QuTwo?
As of March 2026, QuTwo has announced design partnerships with European fashion retailer Zalando, to build “lifestyle agent” AI, and Finnish financial services group OP Pohjola, for a joint quantum AI research initiative.
Q4: Who is funding QuTwo?
The startup is currently fully funded by the PostScriptum family office of its founder, Peter Sarlin. Sarlin previously sold his AI startup, Silo AI, to AMD for $665 million.
Q5: What is the difference between quantum computing and quantum-inspired computing?
Quantum computing uses quantum bits (qubits) in specialized hardware to perform calculations. Quantum-inspired computing uses algorithms based on quantum principles but runs them on standard, classical computer hardware, making it viable today without waiting for quantum hardware to mature.
Q6: Why would a retail company like Zalando invest in quantum computing research?
Quantum and quantum-inspired computing have potential for revolutionizing complex optimization problems. For Zalando, this could mean vastly more efficient supply chain logistics, hyper-personalized customer recommendations, and advanced trend forecasting models that process enormous datasets.
This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy and quality.
