With quantum computing, it is hoped that problems which today's computers cannot handle could be solved. The Quantum Summit of the ICT industry association Bitkom, which will take place online on May 11 and 12, will provide an overview of the latest developments, use cases and trends in quantum computing.

And not only that: together with political decision-makers, industry and research institutions, the event will explore how the future of quantum computing can be shaped in Europe and Germany.

Project QuaST: Solving complex optimization problems

The presentation by Jeanette Lorenz, Senior Scientist at Fraunhofer IKS, is dedicated to the project QuaST (Quantum-enabling Services and Tools for Industrial Applications). It aims to build a bridge from industrial challenges to quantum solutions. In collaboration with the Fraunhofer institutes AISEC, IIS and IISB, the Technical University of Munich, the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre, IQM, ParityQC, Infineon Technologies and DATEV, a software stack is to be developed under the leadership of Fraunhofer IKS that includes tools for complex optimization problems and offers users an additional level of abstraction compared to existing software tools. 

Hybrid quantum computing algorithms form the basis for this. This is intended to address a wide range of different complex combinatorial problems such as network optimization or economic analyses.

Together with Infineon, Fraunhofer IKS presents the main innovations of QuaST using the example of a use case from the semiconductor industry. This industry has inherently long lead times and produces under conditions that are difficult to predict, leading to a high demand for flexibility in the increasingly complex supply chain processes. Optimization is therefore crucial to achieve a competitive advantage through operational excellence.