Quantum Computing and the Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Industry: Trends, Challenges, Near-Term Practical Opportunities and Future Outlook
Digital computing and allied communication tools have been phenomenal, but they are fast reaching their technical limits and also their capacity to solve certain extant complex problems. Quantum computing has now emerged with a touted potential to deal with aspects of the latter complex problems and also significantly transform extant computing and communication methods. Yet, little studies exist in the Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry related literature on quantum computing to boost awareness and also explore its prospective impact on the AEC industry. This study discusses the underpinning basic concepts, technologies and trends in the quantum computing domain to build awareness to boost Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry capacity on the topic. The research dissects the challenges in this novel area. And also examines the near-term practical opportunities and potential impact of quantum computing on the AEC industry. The study concludes with suggestions for practice and future research.
Digital computing and allied communication tools have been phenomenal, but they are fast reaching their technical limits and also their capacity to solve certain extant complex problems. Quantum computing has now emerged with a touted potential to deal with aspects of the latter complex problems and also significantly transform extant computing and communication methods. Yet, little studies exist in the Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry related literature on quantum computing to boost awareness and also explore its prospective impact on the AEC industry. This study discusses the underpinning basic concepts, technologies and trends in the quantum computing domain to build awareness to boost Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry capacity on the topic. The research dissects the challenges in this novel area. And also examines the near-term practical opportunities and potential impact of quantum computing on the AEC industry. The study concludes with suggestions for practice and future research.
ABSTRACT Digital computing and allied communication tools have been phenomenal, but they are fast reaching their technical limits and also their capacity to solve certain extant complex problems. Quantum computing has now emerged with a touted potential to deal with aspects of the latter complex problems and also significantly transform extant computing and communication methods. Yet, little studies exist in the AEC industry related literature on quantum computing to boost awareness and also explore its prospective impact on the AEC industry. This paper discusses the underpinning basic concepts, technologies and trends in the quantum computing domain to build awareness to boost Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry capacity on the topic. The paper dissects the challenges in this novel area. And also examines the near term practical opportunities and potential impact of quantum computing on the AEC industry. The paper concludes with suggestions for practice and future research.
ABSTRACT Digital computing and allied communication tools have been phenomenal, but they are fast reaching their technical limits and also their capacity to solve certain extant complex problems. Quantum computing has now emerged with a touted potential to deal with aspects of the latter complex problems and also significantly transform extant computing and communication methods. Yet, little studies exist in the AEC industry related literature on quantum computing to boost awareness and also explore its prospective impact on the AEC industry. This paper discusses the underpinning basic concepts, technologies and trends in the quantum computing domain to build awareness to boost Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry capacity on the topic. The paper dissects the challenges in this novel area. And also examines the near term practical opportunities and potential impact of quantum computing on the AEC industry. The paper concludes with suggestions for practice and future research.
The ever-growing complexity of construction projects on the one hand, and the increasing use of emerging technologies in the AEC industry on the other hand, have significantly escalated computational complexity. This trend is expected to continue. However, conventional computing tools and technologies highly rely on classical computing techniques that may not be able to handle computational tasks which become larger and more complex over time. Quantum computing (QC) is a fast-evolving technology that promises to completely revolutionize the computation capabilities in various fields, including engineering, by enabling complex computations that currently are impossible or prohibitively time consuming. As a result, QC can be seen as a next-generation solution to address computational challenges arising in the AEC’s today and future. However, scant attention has been drawn to what the QC can bring to the AEC industry. This study reviews the existing QC literature to explore AEC applications that could benefit from QC-based methods, and the potential challenges associated with their implementation in the AEC industry. Illustrating a clear outlook of the potential advantages and challenges, the study also helps to set realistic expectations over the potential improvement that QC can offer over conventional techniques.
The ever-growing complexity of construction projects on the one hand, and the increasing use of emerging technologies in the AEC industry on the other hand, have significantly escalated computational complexity. This trend is expected to continue. However, conventional computing tools and technologies highly rely on classical computing techniques that may not be able to handle computational tasks which become larger and more complex over time. Quantum computing (QC) is a fast-evolving technology that promises to completely revolutionize the computation capabilities in various fields, including engineering, by enabling complex computations that currently are impossible or prohibitively time consuming. As a result, QC can be seen as a next-generation solution to address computational challenges arising in the AEC’s today and future. However, scant attention has been drawn to what the QC can bring to the AEC industry. This study reviews the existing QC literature to explore AEC applications that could benefit from QC-based methods, and the potential challenges associated with their implementation in the AEC industry. Illustrating a clear outlook of the potential advantages and challenges, the study also helps to set realistic expectations over the potential improvement that QC can offer over conventional techniques.
Construction robotics play a crucial role in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, but they face significant computational challenges due to dynamic environments, multi-agent coordination, and largescale combinatorial optimization problems.Quantum computing (QC) offers potential advantages for large-scale search and combinatorial tasks, but its relevance to construction robotics remains unclear.This paper presents a scoping review of QC in robotics.We first collect literature using keyword search from Scopus and Web of Science databases, and then screen through data and include related literature following PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews).We analyze the 96 included studies using bibliometric and thematic analyses to identify research trends and challenges for construction robotics.Results show growing interest in QC robotics since 2020, with dominant applications in path planning, kinematics and control, multi-robot coordination, and decision-making.We identify key barriers to applying QC in construction robotics, including current hardware limitations, simulation-to-real gaps, stringent safety and explainability requirements, and suggest future research directions, including hybrid quantum-classical approaches, QC robotics benchmarks, and explainable QC.
Quantum computing, leveraging the principles of quantum mechanics, is emerging as one of the most transformative technologies of the 21st century, promising computational power that can tackle problems once considered unsolvable. Unlike classical computing, which processes data in bits, quantum computing operates using quantum bits or ‘qubits’ that exploit quantum superposition and entanglement, enabling vastly superior processing power. This paper examines the challenges and opportunities presented by quantum computing, focusing on its potential to transform various industries such as healthcare, finance, education, defence, utilities and more. Additionally, the paper explores its environmental implications and impact on sustainability. A literature survey of key research contributions and a discussion of commercial timelines highlight the current state and future of this revolutionary technology. While quantum computing presents immense opportunities, its technical and economic challenges must be overcome for it to reach widespread commercial adoption. The paper concludes with an exploration of the road ahead for this nascent technology. Despite significant challenges, quantum computing offers unprecedented opportunities to transform multiple sectors, making it an essential area for ongoing research.