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An International Network on Quantum Annealing
The International Network on Quantum Annealing (INQA) will for the first time establish a mechanism by which four global collaborations come together to share technical and intellectual know-how and critically analyse developments in theoretical and experimental research in quantum annealing.
Upcoming Seminars
- 28 May 2024 | 16:00 UTC | Andrew King | D-Wave Systems
Computational supremacy in quantum simulation
Quantum computers hold the promise of solving certain problems that lie beyond the reach of conventional computers. Establishing this capability, especially for impactful and meaningful problems, remains a central challenge. One such problem is the simulation of nonequilibrium dynamics of a magnetic spin system quenched through a quantum phase transition. State-of-the-art classical simulations demand resources that grow exponentially with system size. Here we show that superconducting quantum annealing processors can rapidly generate samples in close agreement with solutions of the Schrödinger equation. We demonstrate area-law scaling of entanglement in the model quench in two-, three- and infinite-dimensional spin glasses, supporting the observed stretched-exponential scaling of effort for classical approaches. We assess approximate methods based on tensor networks and neural networks and conclude that no known approach can achieve the same accuracy as the quantum annealer within a reasonable timeframe. Thus quantum annealers can answer questions of practical importance that classical computers cannot.
- 5 June 2024 | 00:01 UTC | Anath Tenneti | Carnegie Mellon University
Quantum inspired algorithms for non-linear integer optimization problems
In this talk, we introduce and summarize part of the research from the Quantum Technologies Group (QTG) at Carnegie Mellon University, founded by Sridhar Tayur, to explore the twin questions of (a) what can emerging quantum technologies do for Operations Research (OR) and (b) what can OR do for emerging quantum technologies (computing, communications, sensing)? In today’s talk, we focus on computational experience with quantum annealing on a practical problem. We first introduce a novel hybrid quantum-classical heuristic algorithm (GAMA, Graver Augmented Multi-seed Algorithm) for non-linear, integer optimization which uses Graver basis as test sets. We will present an extension of GAMA to solve constrained bi-level optimization problems, a bi-level nested GAMA within GAMA: GAGA. Finally, we will illustrate GAGA using a practical application related to disaster response, the First Responder Network Design Problem (FRNDP), described below. In the aftermath of a sudden catastrophe, First Responders (FR) strive to promptly reach and rescue immobile victims. Simultaneously, other mobile individuals take roads to evacuate the affected region, access medical facilities or shelters, or reunite with their relatives. The escalated traffic congestion significantly hinders critical FR operations if they share some of the same roads. A proposal from the Turkish Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure being discussed for implementation is to allocate a subset of road segments for use by FRs only, mark them clearly, and pre-communicate them to the citizens. For the FR paths under consideration: (i) there should exist an FR path from designated entry points to each demand point in the network, and (ii) evacuees try to leave the network (through some exit points following the selfish routing principle) in the shortest time possible when they know that certain segments are not available to them. We develop a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) formulation for the FRNDP and solve it using GAGA. We test GAGA on random graph instances of various sizes and instances related to an expected Istanbul earthquake. Comparing GAGA against a state-of-the-art exact algorithm for traditional formulations, we find that GAGA offers a promising alternative approach. We hope our work encourages further study of quantum (inspired) algorithms to tackle complex optimization models from other application domains. If time permits, we will showcase other work being conducted at QTG.
Visit past seminars to view a list of all of our past seminars and their abstracts.
If you miss any of our live seminars you can watch our previous sessions on our YouTube Channel.
About INQA
The INQA network unifies the research activities of major global collaborations in quantum annealing in North America, Japan, the European Union and the United Kingdom.
By hosting weekly on-line seminars and annual international conferences and by funding exchange visits, the INQA network will address the key topics which will enable quantum annealing to move towards a true quantum scaling advantage over classical approaches to NP-hard computational problems.
The topics INQA will focus on include:
- Exploiting quantum coherence
- Extending the order and degree of qubit interactions
- Strategies for error correction
- Exploiting diabaticity and non-stoquasticity in a systematic way
The network will be led by Professor Paul Warburton of UCL, who is a co-investigator in the UK’s Quantum Computation and Simulation (QCS) Hub and in the recently-announced QEVEC project. He was also previously a co-investigator in the US-led QEO and QAFS collaborations.
Members of the management board include:
- Prof Paul Warburton (UCL, UK)
- Dr Pol Forn-Díaz (IFAE, Spain)
- Dr Shiro Kawabata (AIST, Japan)
- Prof Viv Kendon (University of Strathclyde, UK)
- Dr Jamie Kerman (MIT Lincoln Lab, USA)
INQA is supported by a International Network Grant from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.