Airbus and BMW Group have officially announced the winners of Quantum Computing Challenge, which happens to be an international initiative to identify and mature quantum solutions for the most promising mobility applications.
In case you weren’t aware, quantum computing is already known for bearing an ability to impact various industries, something it will achieve by speeding up responses to an array of computational challenges, ranging from optimizing supply chains and manufacturing processes to improving vehicle and aircraft engineering.
You see, Quantum-inspired algorithms, which are already able to run today on classical high-performance computers, can be used to support the design boasted by next generation of mobility solutions. This, in turn, offers a glimpse of the significant role real quantum algorithms could play for future mobility solutions.
Coming back to the Quantum Computing Challenge, it will effectively allow Airbus and BMW to identify the most promising quantum computing applications to improve the way aircraft and cars are designed, manufactured and operated.
“The teams have achieved outstanding progress, and the results of this challenge confirm that quantum technologies have the potential to shape the next generation of aircraft,” said Isabell Gradert, Vice President Central Research and Technology at Airbus. “Quantum technology is no longer confined to only fundamental research. Even if it might still be a long way off, it’s clearly advancing towards industrial applications, and we must collaborate with the best experts in the world so that we can fully leverage its potential as soon as it becomes viable.”
Talk about the winners of this new challenge, a winning team was selected for each of five competition categories. We begin from Quantum Simulation category, where University of Southern California’s team was adjudged a winner. This came after it demonstrated that material behavior, such as energy absorption and binding properties, can be better analyzed by using quantum technologies.
Next category in line would be Quantum Solvers. Here, the team from University of Hamburg in Germany came out on top after showing how quantum computing could be combined with classical computing solutions to solve complex equations, as well as minimize aircraft noise and maximize aerodynamic efficiency.
Then, there was a segment dedicated towards Quantum-powered Logistics. This one deemed 4colors Research, a start-up from the UK, a winner for using quantum computing to minimize CO2 emissions and other costs expended in the supply chain logistics process, a particularly complex challenge for the mobility sector.
Moving on to the category or Quantum Machine Learning, it named the team from Quandela, a start-up from France, as winner for exploring whether quantum computing can enhance critical scenario generation, such as transforming limited daytime data into precise and realistic nighttime conditions. The idea behind doing so is to leverage potential application for mobility, and therefore, improve the reliability of autonomous systems in diverse environments.
The last category in line would be Golden App, where the team from TU Delft, a Netherlands University, edged out everyone by providing a novel solution in quantum composite design. The team’s work is understood to be unique because of its real-world applicability, specifically in addressing optimization techniques during the layering of carbon fiber materials. Markedly enough, these weight-saving properties of carbon fiber are important for reducing fuel consumption across the aviation and automotive industries.
Among other things, it must be mentioned that all finalists in this competition were given access to quantum resources through Amazon Web Services (AWS) to run their algorithms, as well as an opportunity to work with aerospace, automotive and quantum experts from Airbus and the BMW Group.
“Quantum technology has the power to redefine innovation across industries. This year’s Airbus and BMW Group Quantum Computing Challenge underscores the importance of cross-industry partnerships in accelerating the journey from groundbreaking research to practical applications,” said Robert Bruckmeier, General Manager Computing & Network Artificial Intelligence at BMW Group. “While we are still in the early stages, the progress made in this challenge reaffirms our belief in quantum technology’s potential to drive extraordinary advancements for the automotive industry.”
