Terra Quantum acquires divis intelligent solutions to accelerate development and application of classical and hybrid quantum algorithms

• Acquisition of divis intelligent solutions is a major step to leverage quantum computing capabilities for complex analytical challenges.
• Combined software engineering and research power will accelerate and simplify the development classical and hybrid quantum algorithms for real-world application today.

St. Gallen, 29 June 2023 – Terra Quantum, a leader in quantum technologies, acquires divis intelligent solutions GmbH (“divis”), a leading pioneer in classical optimization and machine learning algorithms. divis, co-founded and led by Prof. Thomas Bäck, pioneers the application of evolutionary techniques and algorithms to enable efficient data analysis, automatic machine learning, and process optimization. The company serves clients in automotive, chemical, consumer, energy, and synthetic material sectors (e.g., 3M, BMW Group, IOI Oleo GmbH, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG).

“Maximizing utilization of quantum computing power requires the right combination of classical and quantum algorithms. Combining the technologies of both companies will take application of quantum technology to the next level. This will enable to efficiently solve more real-world business challenges today,” says Markus Pflitsch, CEO of Terra Quantum.

The acquisition of divis complements Terra Quantum’s existing algorithm capabilities, while divis’ customers gain access to quantum technology. By combining divis’ expertise in classical algorithms with Terra Quantum’s quantum computing know-how, both companies will together accelerate the development of classical and hybrid quantum algorithms. The integration will reduce complexity for customers and make solution development easier and faster.

Specifically, the advancement of Generative AI with its increasing demand for compute will not only require a hybrid approach merging classical and quantum technologies, but also superior classical machine learning algorithms. Combining Terra Quantum’s and divis’ expertise will result in the development of innovative techniques and methodologies specifically tailored to generative AI, ultimately pushing the boundaries of what is currently possible in terms of AI-generated content and applications.

“This acquisition is a major milestone for Terra Quantum, marking our first acquisition of scarce talent and intellectual property,” says Markus Pflitsch, CEO of Terra Quantum. “divis’ team has an impressive track record of delivering most advanced machine learning algorithms globally. With Thomas Bäck, we welcome one of the world’s most distinguished experts in optimization and machine learning to our team."

"We are excited to extend our commercially proven evolutionary algorithms for classical optimization problems to the quantum space,” says Prof. Thomas Bäck, Managing Director of divis intelligent solutions GmbH. “We look forward to working alongside the largest and most experienced team in the European quantum industry, focused on providing significant commercial advantage to our customers.”

Following the acquisition, divis’ founder Prof. Thomas Bäck will remain Managing Director at divis and Professor of Computer Science with the Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science. He is an expert in evolutionary computation, machine learning and their real-world applications.

The companies did not disclose terms of the transaction, which closed earlier in May 2023.