--- title: Helmut Katzgraber (55North): Why materials simulation... description: Helmut Katzgraber, general partner at quantum VC fund 55North and former quantum lead at AWS, argues that near- to mid-term quantum computing advantage will... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/helmut-katzgraber-55north-why-materials-simulation-beats-optimization-for-near-term-quantum-28v0unb7u twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Helmut Katzgraber (55North): Why materials simulation beats optimization for near-term quantum | daily.dev og:description: Helmut Katzgraber, general partner at quantum VC fund 55North and former quantum lead at AWS, argues that near- to mid-term quantum computing advantage will... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/helmut-katzgraber-55north-why-materials-simulation-beats-optimization-for-near-term-quantum-28v0unb7u og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/28V0unB7U.png og:image:alt: Helmut Katzgraber (55North): Why materials simulation beats optimization for near-term quantum og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Helmut Katzgraber (55North): Why materials simulation beats optimization for near-term quantum **[The Quantum Insider](https://daily.dev/sources/thequantuminsider)** · 20 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Helmut Katzgraber, general partner at quantum VC fund 55North and former quantum lead at AWS, argues that near- to mid-term quantum computing advantage will likely appear first in materials, chemicals, and pharma simulation rather than optimization, where he remains skeptical classical methods will be beaten anytime soon. He discusses European quantum competitiveness (strong talent and labs, weak growth capital and product mindset), the 55North fund's structure (first close of 134M euros, up to 300M euros, investing pre-seed to Series B across hardware, software, sensing, and networking), cloud versus on-prem deployment trends, full-stack versus component business models, and workforce advice favoring hybrid physics-plus-business degrees. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### Is quantum computing likely to beat classical computers at optimization problems in the near term? No, classical technologies are expected to outperform quantum devices in optimization for the foreseeable future, according to a venture capitalist and former AWS quantum leader. Instead, the first real quantum advantage is expected in simulating strongly correlated materials such as battery materials, organic LEDs, and metal-organic drug complexes, where classical compute struggles. _Investors weighing where quantum will pay off first can track materials simulation progress on daily.dev._ ### How much funding has 55North raised for quantum technology investments? The quantum-focused venture fund 55North closed its first round at 134 million euros and can grow up to 300 million euros. Based in Denmark with backing from Novo Nordisk Foundation and EIFO, it invests from pre-seed through Series B across computing, sensing, and networking technologies, with a global mandate centered on the Nordics and Europe. _Founders scoping quantum funding options can follow fund sizes and mandates like this on daily.dev._ ### Will quantum computers move from cloud access to on-premises deployment as they become more useful? Most quantum machines are expected to remain cloud-accessible because they require heavy babysitting and are easier to maintain at manufacturer sites, similar to HPC clusters. Some institutions, such as HPC centers like Juelich or national intelligence agencies, may still deploy on-prem machines, but a full shift away from cloud access is unlikely in the near term. _Teams planning quantum infrastructure can weigh cloud versus on-prem trade-offs using insights like these on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Novo Holdings Report: Quantum Investment Must Move Beyond Hardware to Build Applications](https://daily.dev/posts/novo-holdings-report-quantum-investment-must-move-beyond-hardware-to-build-applications-pcipvqx0z) · The Quantum Insider · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Quantum modeling for breakthroughs in materials science and sustainable energy](https://daily.dev/posts/quantum-modeling-for-breakthroughs-in-materials-science-and-sustainable-energy-9268kygeh) · MIT News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Guest Post: Why Chemistry Could Be Quantum Computing’s First Foothold](https://daily.dev/posts/guest-post-why-chemistry-could-be-quantum-computing-s-first-foothold-cjfbebfep) · The Quantum Insider · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#cloud](https://daily.dev/tags/cloud), [#venture-capital](https://daily.dev/tags/venture-capital), [#quantum-computing](https://daily.dev/tags/quantum-computing) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/helmut-katzgraber-55north-why-materials-simulation-beats-optimization-for-near-term-quantum-28v0unb7u) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Helmut Katzgraber (55North): Why materials simulation beats optimization for near-term quantum","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/helmut-katzgraber-55north-why-materials-simulation-beats-optimization-for-near-term-quantum-28v0unb7u","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/helmut-katzgraber-55north-why-materials-simulation-beats-optimization-for-near-term-quantum-28v0unb7u"},"datePublished":"2026-10-03T08:18:36.324Z","dateModified":"2026-10-03T08:18:59.148Z","description":"Helmut Katzgraber, general partner at quantum VC fund 55North and former quantum lead at AWS, argues that near- to mid-term quantum computing advantage will...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--P4t4XyoV--/f_auto/v1722860399/public/Placeholder%2001","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--P4t4XyoV--/f_auto/v1722860399/public/Placeholder%2001","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"The Quantum Insider","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Quantum Insider","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/t_logo,f_auto/v1/logos/7b14a6b34c1b464c9e8a88d9a0dac951","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/thequantuminsider"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/helmut-katzgraber-55north-why-materials-simulation-beats-optimization-for-near-term-quantum-28v0unb7u","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"cloud,venture-capital,quantum-computing","timeRequired":"PT20M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Quantum Insider","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/thequantuminsider"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Helmut Katzgraber (55North): Why materials simulation beats optimization for near-term quantum"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/helmut-katzgraber-55north-why-materials-simulation-beats-optimization-for-near-term-quantum-28v0unb7u#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Is quantum computing likely to beat classical computers at optimization problems in the near term?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No, classical technologies are expected to outperform quantum devices in optimization for the foreseeable future, according to a venture capitalist and former AWS quantum leader. 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