Future potentials of quantum computing for industry and economy

What will quantum computing make possible and when?

Another day full of appointments. And of course you want to be on time. But the rush hour traffic makes the morning start as always with a test for the nerves: Following the "stop and go" principle, you torture yourself with your vehicle from traffic light to traffic light. Past construction sites, lane narrowing and congested intersections. You wonder whether the flow of traffic through the city couldn't be regulated more cleverly - but you also realize that traffic planners are faced with an almost superhuman challenge in view of the complexity of urban road networks. Is there a solution anyway? Yes, in the near future. Quantum computing makes it possible ...

Quantum computing (QC) is the talk of the town these days wherever particularly powerful computers are involved - all the more so since Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder has described the technology as a "warp drive for the research of the future" [1] and the Bavarian state government has made a total of 300 million euros available in the Hightech Agenda Plus funding program for the QuantumTech Vision Bayern has provided [2]. Yet to this day, many people still have very diffuse ideas about how quantum computers work and their possible applications - and that includes business and industry, even though the new technology may revolutionize our world in the medium term in much the same way as Konrad Zuse's "Z1" and the now ubiquitous personal computer.

QAR-Lab: Systematic development of quantum competence from research to user level

In the meantime, however, there is an institution in Bavaria, the QAR-Lab, which has set itself the goal of researching the potential of quantum computing, testing existing hardware and bringing quantum computing into application. Business and industry should have the easiest possible access to the new technology.

The QAR-Lab (Quantum Applications and Research Laboratory) was founded in 2016 by Prof. Dr. Claudia Linnhoff-Popien at the Chair of Mobile and Distributed Systems at LMU Munich. "Our goal," says Prof. Dr. Linnhoff-Popien, "is to conduct basic research on the one hand and to make quantum technology usable for practical applications on the other."

The mission of the QAR Lab is to

educate in research and teaching the quantum experts of the future
to provide an early quantum advantage in the areas of optimization and artificial intelligence for a wide variety of industries with the help of quantum computing
to enable architecture-independent programming of quantum computers through a specially developed middleware (UQO platform)
to establish a learning platform for teaching programming skills for quantum computing
under the name CAQAO, to make the new technology accessible to a wide range of users in industry - for example, through workshops or lectures and the identification of potential use cases

To evaluate diverse QC systems, the QAR Lab uses various quantum computers and accesses computers from IBM, Fujitsu, D-Wave Systems and Rigetti via the cloud. It conducts "challenges" with real-world application scenarios in which different hardware and programming strategies are tested to solve specific tasks.

QAR-Lab "Quantum Computing Optimization Challenge"

In spring 2021, QAR-Lab organized a QC Programming Challenge in which five use cases of the companies BASF, BMW, SAP, Siemens and Trumpf were calculated on four quantum computers each to find out which computer delivers the best results for which use case. A second challenge followed in November 2021 with the companies E.ON, Evonik Industries and BAYER.

The following gate-model or annealing-based computers were used. annealing-based computers:

IBM Q System One
Rigetti Aspen-9
Fujitsu DAU
D-Wave Advantage

The participating students from LMU Munich had to go to great lengths to familiarize themselves with the operation of the quantum computers before the experiment could begin. Due to the lack of standardization, this included familiarizing themselves with the various software development kits (SDKs) of the individual computers.

Making quantum computing usable for non-specialists

One of the goals of the challenge was to gain insights into performance, noise and user experiences when accessing the quantum computers in connection with the various use cases. Prof. Dr. Linnhoff-Popien comments: "There are no other comparable experimental setups in Germany to date in which students can gain such comprehensive experience with the programming of quantum computers - the QAR Lab is currently leading the way in this respect. Our goal is to make quantum computing more accessible and extensively commercially viable even for non-specialists, in order to give companies and institutions an early quantum advantage."

The Challenge: Raising Awareness of the Range of Possible Applications

"Up to now, quantum computing has been a matter for specialists who intervene very deeply in the systems with programming close to the hardware," says Prof. Dr. Linnhoff-Popien. "Today, we are facing a similar situation with quantum computing as we were about 50 years ago with the personal computer. And just like the PC, quantum computing will be operable by non-specialist users in the near future. Software developers are already looking for ways to make working with a quantum computer more intuitive. Now the main thing is to raise awareness of where the quantum computer can play out its advantages everywhere."

The five QC levels of QAR-Lab: When will companies be able to achieve a quantum advantage?

The scientists of QAR-Lab expect that companies will be able to realize their first economic quantum advantages in the next five to ten years. To evaluate where a company already stands, the respective company and its use cases are classified according to the QAR Lab model of five QC levels. In this way, one gradually determines the need for specific use cases and the expected timeframe for achieving the quantum advantage:

QC Level 0 (Thinking) There is an awareness that quantum computing could significantly increase performance and efficiency for certain processes.

QC Level 1 (Classification) There is an awareness that economic advantages can be achieved with QC in the areas of optimization, simulation and artificial intelligence.

QC Level 2 (Discovery) The company has already collected a list of potential use cases for QC.

QC Level 3 (Selection) According to QAR-Lab's four criteria (severe, important, appropriate, and early use cases), the potential use cases are weighted and a favorite is determined.

QC Level 4 (Implementation) The favorite use case is implemented on several different quantum computers. The results are then compared in terms of runtime and quality of the solution.

QC Level 5 (Prediction) After evaluating the comparison of different QC systems and determining the need for qubits, QAR Lab experts predict when the necessary hardware will be available and an early quantum advantage can be achieved.

Who can benefit from quantum computing?

Quantum computing will in future permeate almost all branches of business and industry as well as areas of society and make a significant contribution to efficiently solving the most complex processes such as the urban traffic planning scenario outlined at the beginning. In this context, it is already possible today for many companies and institutions to position themselves for an early quantum advantage - and the QAR Lab is working on this to:

Identify application fields and use cases In which application fields can quantum technology be used to solve complex tasks and achieve real competitive advantages in a specific industry?

Implementation of quantum computing solutions QAR-Lab works together with the company or institution to develop solution approaches for specific tasks based on quantum technology. In doing so, the partners get to know and understand quantum algorithms.

Choosing the right quantum hardware Not every quantum computer is equally well suited for a specific task. QAR-Lab maintains close partnerships with well-known manufacturers of quantum hardware. On three quantum computers and one quantum-inspired annealer, QAR-Lab tests the performance of computer architectures to explore the best possible results for specific use cases.

Concrete use cases: In which areas will quantum computing revolutionize our world in the future?

Quantum computing is of interest for all applications where our current computers reach the limits of their performance. The QAR Lab's current research focus here is on

Optimization
Quantum-Assisted Artificial Intelligence

A typical use case where quantum computing proves to be extremely powerful is in solutions that require an enormous amount of computation due to the many parameters that need to be considered.

Quantum pilot project at Volkswagen AG For example, Volkswagen AG launched the world's first quantum pilot project for optimizing traffic flow (Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem) in Lisbon back in 2019: Nine vehicles of the urban MAN bus fleet were integrated into a QC system based on a quantum computer from D-Wave. The goal was to detect congestion and disruptions in time and to choose the fastest route to the destination in near real time [3]. In another project, Volkswagen succeeded in using quantum computing to significantly reduce the travel times of 10,000 cabs in traffic in the Chinese mega-metropolis of Beijing [4].Quantum computing is thus an application that promises enormous benefits not only for the traffic planners of major cities, but also for the logistics, transportation and travel sectors in general.

Quantum computing in the automotive sector at the BMW Group The BMW Group is also exploring the possibilities of quantum computing in the automotive sector, and in the summer of 2021, with the involvement of the global quantum computing community, it hosted a challenge with four focus areas [5]:

Optimizing sensor positions for automated driving functions
Simulating material deformations in the production process
Optimizing the configuration of pre-production vehicles
Machine learning for automated quality analyses

Optimizing the positions and paths of robotic arms along production lines and new possibilities for automated quality control and predictive maintenance are of particular interest in the industrial production environment.

The other potential applications of quantum computing range from imaging processes in medical technology and the chemical and pharmaceutical industries to data protection solutions and cryptography or systems for high-precision metrological recording of electric, magnetic and gravitational fields, seismic vibrations or changes in velocity. Even stock portfolios can be optimized to maximize profits with the help of quantum computing.

Innovation needs partners: Politicians have recognized the future potential of quantum technology

Whoever wants to advance quantum computing needs strong partners not only in research and industry, but also driving forces in politics.

In January 2021, the Bavarian state government announced the merger of the five major players in the Munich quantum scene to form the Munich Quantum Valley initiative. The alliance includes the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the Max Planck Society, the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and the Technical University of Munich. The goal is to expand Bavaria's leading position in the field of quantum technology research, not only vis-à-vis the other German states, but also vis-à-vis international high-tech nations such as the USA and China.

In a five-point future plan [6], the Bavarian state government also aims to give quantum technology additional impetus by promoting start-ups and cross-industry innovations.

An essential role in this context is played by the QuantumTech Vision Bavaria, the framework of which was defined by Bavaria's Digital Minister Judith Gerlach, Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger, and representatives of universities, research institutions and industry: The aim is to translate the extensive findings from Bavarian basic research into quantum technology directly into industrial value creation.

Bayern Innovativ: Thinknet and impulse generator between all players

On behalf of the ministries of economics, science and digitization, Bayern Innovativ GmbH acts as a thinknet in this context and, together with experts from research and industry, created a roadmap to capture the potential of quantum technology in Bavaria and to promote knowledge transfer between science and research, business and industry, and with politics.

Learn more about the Quantum Technology Roadmap of the Bavarian State Government

Just like LMU's QAR Lab, Bayern Innovativ sees its mission in using its diverse contacts to build an optimally networked, cross-industry quantum tech ecosystem in order to establish the Free State of Bavaria as one of the world's leading quantum technology locations. In addition, Bayern Innovativ acts as a contact point with a high level of consulting expertise for large companies, SMEs and start-ups that want to realize solutions in the field of quantum computing or find partners for joint projects.

The QAR Lab of the LMU and Bayern Innovativ: rapidly implementing technological change with quantum computing

The QAR Lab of the LMU focuses on basic research, training user skills and identifying concrete use cases together with partners from industry and business.

Bayern Innovativ wants to bring quantum computing as a future technology "on the road" with concrete applications as quickly as possible. Dr. Andreas Böhm, Project Manager Technology and Head of Quantum Technology at Bayern Innovativ, says: "We have seen with digitalization that many companies put off important innovations and transformation steps until an emergency situation such as the Corona pandemic forces them to act. We should avoid this mistake with quantum technology and take action in good time. After all, other countries are at a similar stage of research as we are in Bavaria, but are already taking a much more application-oriented approach to the subject."