Teams competing in the “Towards an Efficient and Sustainable Supply Chain” category of the Airbus-BMW Quantum Challenge have united to address a critical issue in modern manufacturing: the optimization of supply chains to reduce carbon dioxide emissions while ensuring reliability and efficiency. The complexity of producing mobility products like vehicles and aircraft results in highly intricate logistics and transport networks. Because these products and systems are significant contributors to carbon emissions, innovations could lead to global environmental improvements.
This challenge is not just about improving the efficiency of moving parts and materials between manufacturing sites, according to organizers; it’s about creating a supply chain that is both environmentally sustainable and cost-effective.
At the core of this challenge is the need to develop quantum solutions that can navigate the complexities of these vast and interconnected supply chains. Quantum technology offers the ability to carve out solutions that may one day revolutionize how we approach logistical problems, providing new ways to optimize routes, manage resources and predict disruptions. Ultimately, these teams are finding innovative quantum methods that can respect the demanding application constraints while delivering significant reductions in carbon emissions.
In this series, we delve into the solutions proposed by these pioneers, finalists in the Airbus-BMW Group Quantum Computing Challenge. We’ve asked them to share their unique approaches, the challenges they faced, and the impact their solutions could have on the future of mobility. Join us as we explore the cutting-edge world of these solutions and meet the innovators who are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in using quantum computers to solve some of mobility’s biggest challenges.
4colors Research: Redefining Supply Chain Optimization
4colors Research, one of the finalists in the Quantum Challenge, is focused on blending classical optimization methods with quantum computing. This approach is set to address some of the toughest logistical challenges faced by industries today.
“We focus on combining classical and quantum approaches because we believe that’s where the biggest improvements can be made,” says Dr. Marcin Kaminski, Founder & CEO of 4colors Research. “Supply chain optimization problems are incredibly complex for traditional computers. We’re exploring how to bring together classical and quantum computing to tackle the challenges faced by companies like Airbus and BMW.”
The team draws on their extensive experience in both academia and industry to approach these difficult problems. While classical optimization has a strong foundation, quantum computing offers new possibilities for creating faster, more effective algorithms. The company is committed to a hybrid approach that integrates both classical and quantum methods.
“We believe that for quantum optimization to work, it needs a solid base in classical techniques,” Kaminski explains. “Our hybrid approach builds on traditional optimization and uses quantum computing to improve the more challenging aspects.”
As 4colors Research continues to refine its technology, they see quantum computing playing a key role in the future of logistics and transportation. “Quantum optimization could help us solve larger problems more quickly,” Kaminski adds, pointing to the potential benefits for the entire industry.
Based in Cambridge, UK, 4colors Research is an R&D consulting firm that has worked with clients around the world, focusing on bringing advanced optimization and analytics solutions to real-world challenges.
NTT DATA: Balancing Sustainability with Efficiency
The NTT DATA team’s approach to the Quantum Challenge is driven by a commitment to matching the incredible power of innovation to solve some of sustainability’s thorniest challenges.
Their team is focused on minimizing carbon dioxide emissions in supply chains, a challenge that aligns perfectly with their goals, according to Raoul Heese, Lead Technical Consultant Quantum Computing, NTT DATA. “The problem we have chosen is to optimize supply chains to minimize carbon dioxide emissions,”. “This task is critical because it has a direct impact on the sustainability of the aerospace and automotive industries.”
To tackle this problem, the NTT DATA team employs a hybrid approach that integrates quantum, quantum-inspired and classical methods.
“Our solution uses a three-fold combination of quantum, quantum-inspired, and classical methods to comprehensively address the given optimization task,” Heese said.
This versatile approach allows them to handle a wide range of problem complexities, making their solution scalable and adaptable to different industrial scenarios.
It may take time, but the team is optimistic about the potential impact of their work.
“We don’t expect immediate breakthrough improvements, but our goal is to use the limited quantum technology available today to develop solutions that can be scaled with better quantum technology in the future,” Heese said. “This allows us to help drive innovation in quantum-powered logistics and opens the door to new research opportunities for industrially relevant problems.”
NTT DATA is a Japanese multinational information technology service and consulting company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The company helps clients transform through consulting, industry solutions, business process services, IT modernization and managed services.
Q-CTRL: Overcoming Quantum Hardware Challenges
Q-CTRL, another leading team in the Quantum Challenge, is focused on accelerating quantum-enhanced optimization to deliver practical solutions to the industry.
“We entered the Quantum Mobility Quest to accelerate the timeline for quantum-enhanced optimization and provide value to industry through practically useful solutions,” explains Sam Marsh, senior solutions engineer, Q-CTRL.
Their approach involves a hybrid algorithm that decomposes the problem into components to be solved on either classical CPUs or quantum QPUs, depending on the sub-problem’s difficulty.
“We applied a modified version of the Q-CTRL quantum solver to each sub-problem, which is a customization of our QAOA Solver for approximate optimization,” Marsh said.
This innovative method, combined with their proprietary error suppression techniques, allows Q-CTRL to achieve high-quality results even on today’s quantum hardware.
Looking to the future, Q-CTRL sees quantum computing playing an increasingly important role in industries like automotive and aviation.
“We anticipate ongoing progress in the performance of quantum optimization and expect initial quantum solution enhancements to be incremental,” said Marsh. “Early, high-impact applications will occur where small improvements over existing solutions enable significant environmental and economic benefits across (for instance) an entire supply chain. Over the coming decade, we envisage enterprises spanning aviation, automotive, and beyond applying early quantum computing as part of production solutions for key optimization problems, just like the problem posed in this challenge.”
By continuing to refine their approach, Q-CTRL aims to push the boundaries of what is possible with quantum technology in the logistics and transportation sector.
The Road Ahead: Quantum Technology’s Transformative Potential
So, what’s next for our challengers?
Their progress goes beyond winning and losing a contest. The goal of the challenge is that the work of 4colors Research, NTT DATA and Q-CTRL will showcase the immense potential of quantum computing to transform supply chain management.
These teams will work on addressing the challenges of efficiency and sustainability, as they move toward the finals in the contest. Ultimately, these teams are contributing to a future where logistics are optimized not just for cost and speed but also for their environmental impact.
