We propose an efficient algorithm that combines column generation and quantum annealing to solve binary quadratic problems. Binary quadratic problems are difficult to solve because they are NP-hard. An attempt to solve binary quadratic problems efficiently by column generation has been studied, but it demands successively solving quadratic unconstrained binary optimization problems. We solve the bottleneck by using quantum annealing or simulated annealing. Our results demonstrate a good approximate solution obtained in 2.7 to 1000 times shorter computational time to use column generation and quantum annealing to solve binary quadratic problems than the existing fast solver.
We propose an efficient algorithm that combines column generation and quantum annealing to solve binary quadratic problems. Binary quadratic problems are difficult to solve because they are NP-hard. An attempt to solve binary quadratic problems efficiently by column generation has been studied, but it demands successively solving quadratic unconstrained binary optimization problems. We solve the bottleneck by using quantum annealing or simulated annealing. Our results demonstrate a good approximate solution obtained in 2.7 to 1000 times shorter computational time to use column generation and quantum annealing to solve binary quadratic problems than the existing fast solver.
Column generation (CG) has been used to solve constrained 0-1 quadratic programming problems. The pricing problem, which is iteratively solved in CG, can be reduced to an unconstrained 0-1 quadratic programming problem, allowing for the efficient application of quantum annealing (QA). The solutions obtained by CG are continuous relaxations, which cannot be practically used as feasible 0-1 solutions. This study proposes a post-processing method for constructing feasible 0-1 solutions from the continuous relaxations obtained through CG. Numerical experiments on randomly generated problems demonstrate that CG with the proposed post-processing yields solutions comparable to commercial solvers with significantly reduced computation time.
Recent advances in quantum computing have shown great potential for solving combinatorial optimization problems. A notable example is the quadratic knapsack problem, a constrained binary optimization problem. However, current quantum-inspired algorithms require Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) formulations. Transforming constrained optimization into QUBO impacts the algorithms' speed and efficiency. In this study, we evaluate five existing transformation methods and propose four novel approaches. We assess them by using Simulated Annealing (SA), and find that three of our approaches outperform existing methods in terms of execution time as well as quality and quantity of feasible solutions found. Also, we tested these transformations on a quantum annealer, which was unable to solve even small instances, due to limitations in connectivity and error rates. In general, our results highlight the advantages of the new approaches, which reduce the number of variables in the QUBO representation.
Recent advancements in quantum computing have demonstrated significant potential for solving combinatorial optimization problems, like the quadratic knapsack problem, a constrained binary optimization problem. However, current quantum and quantum-inspired algorithms often require transforming these constrained problems into an unconstrained form, known as Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO). Such transformations can significantly impact the algorithms’ speed and efficiency. In this study, we evaluate five existing transformation methods and propose four novel approaches. We assess all nine methods using Simulated Annealing and find that three of our approaches outperform existing methods in terms of execution time and the quality and quantity of feasible solutions found. Additionally, we tested these transformations on quantum annealers, which were unable to solve even small problem instances, due to limitations in connectivity and error rates. However, our results highlight the advantages of the new approaches, which reduce the total number of variables in the QUBO representation. This is a critical factor for enhanced performance on emerging quantum hardware, since it also reduces the required number of qubits and the embedding chain lengths.
Recent advancements in quantum computing have demonstrated significant potential for solving combinatorial optimization problems, like the quadratic knapsack problem, a constrained binary optimization problem. However, current quantum and quantum-inspired algorithms often require transforming these constrained problems into an unconstrained form, known as Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO). Such transformations can significantly impact the algorithms’ speed and efficiency. In this study, we evaluate five existing transformation methods and propose four novel approaches. We assess all nine methods using Simulated Annealing and find that three of our approaches outperform existing methods in terms of execution time and the quality and quantity of feasible solutions found. Additionally, we tested these transformations on quantum annealers, which were unable to solve even small problem instances, due to limitations in connectivity and error rates. However, our results highlight the advantages of the new approaches, which reduce the total number of variables in the QUBO representation. This is a critical factor for enhanced performance on emerging quantum hardware, since it also reduces the required number of qubits and the embedding chain lengths.
Recent advancements in quantum computing have demonstrated significant potential for solving combinatorial optimization problems, like the quadratic knapsack problem, a constrained binary optimization problem. How- ever, current quantum and quantum-inspired algorithms often require transforming these constrained problems into an unconstrained form, known as Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO). Such transfor- mations can significantly impact the algorithms’ speed and efficiency. In this study, we evaluate five existing transformation methods and propose four novel approaches. We assess all nine methods using Simulated An- nealing and find that three of our approaches outperform existing methods in terms of execution time and the quality and quantity of feasible solutions found. Additionally, we tested these transformations on quantum annealers, which were unable to solve even small problem instances, due to limitations in connectivity and error rates. However, our results highlight the advantages of the new approaches, which reduce the total num- ber of variables in the QUBO representation. This is a critical factor for enhanced performance on emerging quantum hardware, since it also reduces the required number of qubits and the embedding chain lengths.
In this study, the maze generation using quantum annealing is proposed. We reformulate a standard algorithm to generate a maze into a specific form of a quadratic unconstrained binary optimization problem suitable for the input of the quantum annealer. To generate more difficulty mazes, we introduce an additional cost function Qupdate to increase the difficulty. The difficulty of the mazes was evaluated by the time to solve the maze of 12 human subjects. To check the efficiency of our scheme to create the maze, we investigated the time-to-solution of a quantum processing unit, classical computer, and hybrid solver. The results show that Qupdate generates difficult mazes tailored to the individual. Furthermore, it show that the quantum processing unit is more efficient at generating mazes than other solvers. Finally, we also present applications how our results could be used in the future.