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Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference Companion (GECCO Companion)

On Solving the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows using Quantum Annealing

Axel Vargas, Pradyumn Kumar Shukla, Richard Allmendinger, Andreas Jaeger

Published Jul 14, 2024• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

This study explores Quantum Annealing (QA) versus Classical Computing (CC) approaches in solving the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (CVRPTW), using real-world logistics data from Siemens Advanta. By modeling the problem as a Service Network Design (SND) with binary variables and framing CVRPTW within a quantum mechanical paradigm suitable for QA, this approach leverages quantum annealing in a novel manner to tackle the complex optimization challenges inherent in the VRP. Contrasting it with the performance of the traditional branch and cut solver---a specific CC technique---this research unveils the prospective benefits and existing challenges of QA in complex optimization scenarios, thereby emphasizing the need for advancing quantum computing.

DOI
10.1145/3638530.3664139

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This study explores Quantum Annealing (QA) versus Classical Computing (CC) approaches in solving the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (CVRPTW), using real-world logistics data from Siemens Advanta. By modeling the problem as a Service Network Design (SND) with binary variables and framing CVRPTW within a quantum mechanical paradigm suitable for QA, this approach leverages quantum annealing in a novel manner to tackle the complex optimization challenges inherent in the VRP. Contrasting it with the performance of the traditional branch and cut solver---a specific CC technique---this research unveils the prospective benefits and existing challenges of QA in complex optimization scenarios, thereby emphasizing the need for advancing quantum computing.
In the current competitive industrial environment, the study of NP-hard issues is becoming more and more significant. In logistics, the Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) is one of the popular challenges, especially in cold chain logistics, which requires the management of perishable goods. This problem involves identifying the optimal paths for vehicles responsible for transporting goods to different locations. Due to its combinatorial nature and the complexity of finding optimal solutions, it is identified as an NP-hard problem that requires an unreasonable time frame to solve. Recently, quantum computing has proven to be a promising approach for addressing some of the complex challenges. Among quantum methodologies, quantum annealing (QA) has demonstrated the potential to accelerate computation times in solving optimization problems. By leveraging the principles of quantum tunneling and superposition, QA can explore solution spaces more efficiently. Therefore, this study explores the application of QA to address VRP in cold chain logistics, aiming to develop solutions that minimize travel distances during deliveries. The case study demonstrates that QA can achieve, on average, at least 85% of optimal performance while providing approximately 95% faster run times compared to classical genetic algorithms (GA). This contributes to greater efficiency in cold chain logistics operations.
Quantum annealing (QA) is a quantum computing algorithm that works on the principle of Adiabatic Quantum Computation (AQC), and it has shown significant computational advantages in solving combinatorial optimization problems such as vehicle routing problems (VRP) when compared to classical algorithms. This paper presents a QA approach for solving a variant VRP known as multi-depot capacitated vehicle routing problem (MDCVRP). This is an NP-hard optimization problem with real-world applications in the fields of transportation, logistics, and supply chain management. We consider heterogeneous depots and vehicles with different capacities. Given a set of heterogeneous depots, the number of vehicles in each depot, heterogeneous depot/vehicle capacities, and a set of spatially distributed customer locations, the MDCVRP attempts to identify routes of various vehicles satisfying the capacity constraints such as that all the customers are served. We model MDCVRP as a quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) problem, which minimizes the overall distance traveled by all the vehicles across all depots given the capacity constraints. Furthermore, we formulate a QUBO model for dynamic version of MDCVRP known as D-MDCVRP, which involves dynamic rerouting of vehicles to real-time customer requests. We discuss the problem complexity and a solution approach to solving MDCVRP and D-MDCVRP on quantum annealing hardware from D-Wave.
The Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem (CVRP) is an NP-optimization problem (NPO) that has been of great interest for decades for both, science and industry. The CVRP is a variant of the vehicle routing problem characterized by capacity constrained vehicles. The aim is to plan tours for vehicles to supply a given number of customers as efficiently as possible. The problem is the combinatorial explosion of possible solutions, which increases superexponentially with the number of customers. Classical solutions provide good approximations to the globally optimal solution. D-Wave's quantum annealer is a machine designed to solve optimization problems. This machine uses quantum effects to speed up computation time compared to classic computers. The problem on solving the CVRP on the quantum annealer is the particular formulation of the optimization problem. For this, it has to be mapped onto a quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) problem. Complex optimization problems such as the CVRP can be translated to smaller subproblems and thus enable a sequential solution of the partitioned problem. This work presents a quantum-classic hybrid solution method for the CVRP. It clarifies whether the implemenation of such a method pays off in comparison to existing classical solution methods regarding computation time and solution quality. Several approaches to solving the CVRP are elaborated, the arising problems are discussed, and the results are evaluated in terms of solution quality and computation time.
In this paper, we explore the potential for quantum annealing to solve realistic routing problems. We focus on two NP-Hard problems, including the Traveling Salesman Problem with Time Windows and the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows. We utilize D-Wave's Quantum Annealer and Constrained Quadratic Model (CQM) solver within a hybrid framework to solve these problems. We demonstrate that while the CQM solver effectively minimizes route costs, it struggles to maintain time window feasibility as the problem size increases. To address this limitation, we implement a heuristic method that fixes infeasible solutions through a series of swapping operations. Testing on benchmark instances shows our method achieves promising results with an average optimality gap of 3.86%.
This paper proposes a quantum algorithm for the capacitated vehicle routing problem with time windows (CVRPTW) based on Grover Search framework. This problem is often faced by Postal services in the context of package delivery or other time-sensitive operations. We provide an implementation on gate based quantum computer of a model inspired by classical route first, cluster second technique. The quantum paradigm allows to overcome suboptimality inherent property of this decomposition. In the current NISQ (Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum) era, the most important limitation is the number of available qubits which makes time windows and capacity constraints hard to tackle. We introduce a qubit-efficient split-inspired modeling which adds only a linear number of decision qubits to standard quantum formulations for Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP).
Quantum annealing (QA) is a heuristic search algorithm that can run on Adiabatic Quantum Computation (AQC) processors to solve combinatorial optimization problems. Although theoretical studies and simulations on classic hardware have shown encouraging results, these analyses often assume that the computation occurs in adiabatically closed systems without environmental interference. This is not a realistic assumption for real systems; therefore, without extensive empirical measurements on real quantum platforms, theory-based predictions, simulations on classical hardware or limited tests do not accurately assess the current commercial capabilities. This study has assessed the quality of the solution provided by a commercial quantum annealing platform compared to known solutions for the Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem (CVRP). The study has conducted extensive analysis over more than 30 hours of access to QA commercial platforms to investigate how the size of the problem and its complexity impact the solution accuracy and the time used to find a solution. Our results have found that the absolute error is between 0.12 and 0.55, and the quantum processor unit (QPU) time is between 30 and 46 micro seconds. Our results show that as the constraint density increases, the quality of the solution degrades. Therefore, more than the problem size, the model complexity plays a critical role, and practical applications should select formulations that minimize the constraint density.