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Large-scale wireless coverage optimization: A quantum approach

Chengkang Pan, Xin Yi, Shuai Hou, Wenqing Zhong, Deming Li, Fei Wang, Chunfeng Cui, Qinglin Pan

Published Jul 15, 2025• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Wireless network coverage optimization is critical for improving service quality. However, optimizing large-scale networks remains challenging for both classical algorithms and quantum methods in the NISQ era. This paper proposes a quantum approach that models the problem as a covering graph, partitions it using a QUBO formulation, and solves subproblems via a filtered variational quantum eigensolver. The method is experimentally validated on real quantum hardware, including a coherent Ising machine and a superconducting quantum processor, and compared with classical methods like SA and PSO. This work introduces a divide-and-conquer strategy for large-scale network coverage optimization and expands the solution landscape.

DOI
10.1016/j.icte.2025.06.019

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Wireless network coverage optimization is critical for improving service quality. However, optimizing large-scale networks remains challenging for both classical algorithms and quantum methods in the NISQ era. This paper proposes a quantum approach that models the problem as a covering graph, partitions it using a QUBO formulation, and solves subproblems via a filtered variational quantum eigensolver. The method is experimentally validated on real quantum hardware, including a coherent Ising machine and a superconducting quantum processor, and compared with classical methods like SA and PSO. This work introduces a divide-and-conquer strategy for large-scale network coverage optimization and expands the solution landscape.
The widespread deployment of 5G networks has drawn growing attention to the optimization of wireless communication systems. Among various techniques, quantum-based approaches are distinguished by their remarkably fast computation time compared to conventional optimization methods. In this paper, we propose a quantum-inspired approach to the wireless resource allocation problem. The problem is formulated as an Ising model and solved using both Coherent Ising Machine (CIM) and D-Wave’s quantum annealer. Furthermore, the performance of these quantum-based methods is compared with that of the Simulated Annealing (SA) algorithm.
Multi-objective combinatorial optimization in wireless communication networks is a challenging task, particularly for large-scale and diverse topologies. Recent advances in quantum computing offer promising solutions for such problems. Coherent Ising Machines (CIM), a quantum-inspired algorithm, leverages quantum properties of coherent light, enabling faster convergence to the ground state. This paper applies CIM to multiobjective routing optimization in wireless multi-hop networks. We formulate the routing problem as a Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) problem, and map it onto an Ising model, allowing CIM to solve it. CIM demonstrates strong scalability across diverse network topologies without requiring topology-specific adjustments, overcoming the limitations of traditional quantum algorithms like Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) and Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE). Our results show that CIM provides feasible and near-optimal solutions for networks containing hundreds of nodes and thousands of edges. Additionally, a complexity analysis highlights CIM's increasing efficiency as network size grows.
Quantum Optimization (QO) is emerging as a promising approach to tackle hard combinatorial optimization problems by leveraging the unique computational properties of quantum hardware. In recent years, QO has gained traction in Machine Learning (ML), where problems such as clustering and vector quantization can be naturally expressed as Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) problems. These ML applications often involve complex, high-dimensional data, which directly influences both the structure and scale of the resulting QUBO formulations. However, current quantum devices fall under the category of Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) hardware, which imposes significant limitations on qubit counts and small error rates. This dissertation investigates the impact of data complexity and data scale—as encountered in ML settings—on the effectiveness and feasibility of QO on NISQ devices. We propose novel, hardware-aware methods to overcome these challenges. The first part of this thesis focuses on the effect of data complexity for QO. We analyze how problem structure—particularly when QUBO formulations are derived from ML tasks—affects quantum solvability. We identify the spectral gap as a key factor in the success of adiabatic quantum algorithms and provide a theoretical and empirical analysis linking data-induced complexity to optimization performance.To address noise sensitivity and limited precision, we introduce a preprocessing framework based on a principled Branch-and-Bound algorithm that reduces dynamic range while preserving global optima. This improves robustness on both quantum annealers and classical solvers. In the second part, the thesis addresses challenges introduced by data scale. First, we propose a recursive Divide-and-Conquer strategy that breaks down large QUBO problems into tractable subproblems, demonstrated through an application to Bundle Adjustment in 3D scene reconstruction. Second, we introduce a variable and constraint generation method inspired by column generation for Integer Linear Programming, enabling dynamic QUBO size growth. This technique is successfully applied to Multi-Agent Pathfinding, where it scales well on NISQ devices while maintaining compatibility with classical solvers. Finally, we explore QUBO reformulations that reduce problem size through compact encodings and cyclic expansion, enabling the use of quantum hardware for tasks such as FPGA placement in chip design. Across all contributions, the developed algorithms are evaluated both theoretically and empirically, with experiments conducted on real quantum and quantum-inspired hardware. These methods significantly improve solution quality, scalability, and hardware compatibility, paving the way for more effective use of QO in practical settings. While tailored for NISQ era constraints, the results remain relevant for fault-tolerant quantum computing, offering insights into the long-term viability of QO across hardware generations.
Optimizing routing in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) is pivotal for minimizing energy consumption and extending network lifetime. This paper introduces a resource-efficient compilation method for distributed quantum circuits tailored to address large-scale WSN routing problems. Leveraging a hybrid classical-quantum framework, we employ spectral clustering for network partitioning and the Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) for optimizing routing within manageable subgraphs. We formulate the routing problem as a Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) problem, providing comprehensive mathematical formulations and complexity analyses. Comparative evaluations against traditional classical algorithms demonstrate significant energy savings and enhanced scalability. Our approach underscores the potential of integrating quantum computing techniques into wireless communication networks, offering a scalable and efficient solution for future network optimization challenges.
Variational Quantum Algorithms are a major method of harnessing Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum devices to solve classically intractable problems in physics, chemistry, optimization, and machine learning. The current review offers a critical overview of VQAs, with special emphasis on their theoretical backgrounds, algorithmic structures, and application performance within realistic models of noise. Several key variants, such as the Variational Quantum Eigensolver, Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm, and Quantum Neural Networks, are compared in terms of noise robustness, ansatz archi- tecture, and hybrid quantum-classical methods of optimization. Benchmarks in fields such as quantum chemistry, finance modeling, and particles and nuclei physics reveal the poten- tial of VQAs in achieving practical quantum advantage. Fundamentally limiting factors 1such as barren plateaus, optimization overhead, and hardware constraints are considered in addition to mitigation strategies, including adaptive construction of ansatz, informed training in the presence of noise, and quantum error correction using QVECTOR. The paper is concluded with an overview of the scalability and future of VQAs in the direction of transitioning toward fault-tolerant quantum computing.
Coherent Ising machines (CIMs) have emerged as specialized quantum hardware for large-scale combinatorial optimization. However, for large instances that remain challenging for classical methods, some platforms support only finite-precision inputs, and the required scaling and quantization can degrade solution quality. Dynamic portfolio optimization (DPO) can be formulated as a quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) problem, but large instances are especially vulnerable to precision loss under global scaling. We propose a block coordinate descent method that decomposes the DPO model along the time dimension and iteratively solves compact time-block subproblems on the device. Experiments on finite-precision CIM hardware show that the method enables these instances to be solved under hardware precision limits, yields portfolios competitive with classical benchmark solvers, and reduces runtime through fast CIM solution of the resulting subproblems. These results demonstrate the promise of finite-precision CIMs as a practical and scalable approach to structured large-scale combinatorial optimization.