As global energy demand continues to rise, efficient energy management is essential to support the growing integration of renewable energy in the energy mix while controlling operational costs. This paper introduces a method that leverages non-exact Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) formulation combined with tailored post-processing to boost the optimization of the energy management problem of 5G base stations. Unlike traditional rule-based approaches, which rely heavily on domain expertise and manual design, we propose a systematic QUBO-based framework suitable for Quantum Annealing (QA). The proposed formulation significantly reduces the number of decision variables (from 1995 in an exact QUBO to approximately 144) making it compatible with current QA hardware while producing high-quality solutions. Furthermore, the post-processing steps further improve solution quality, increasing the global optimal solution achievement rate by 10–15% depending on the solver. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is deployable on current hardware and achieves performance comparable to conventional rule-based systems. Such observations highlight the potential of such designs in solving real-world optimization challenges.
As global energy demand continues to rise, efficient energy management is essential to support the growing integration of renewable energy in the energy mix while controlling operational costs. This paper introduces a method that leverages non-exact Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) formulation combined with tailored post-processing to boost the optimization of the energy management problem of 5G base stations. Unlike traditional rule-based approaches, which rely heavily on domain expertise and manual design, we propose a systematic QUBO-based framework suitable for Quantum Annealing (QA). The proposed formulation significantly reduces the number of decision variables (from 1995 in an exact QUBO to approximately 144) making it compatible with current QA hardware while producing high-quality solutions. Furthermore, the post-processing steps further improve solution quality, increasing the global optimal solution achievement rate by 10–15% depending on the solver. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is deployable on current hardware and achieves performance comparable to conventional rule-based systems. Such observations highlight the potential of such designs in solving real-world optimization challenges.
With the increasing emphasis on energy efficiency and sustainability, optimizing the energy supply of base stations, the major energy consumers in communication networks, has become a critical problem. In addition, for real-time and scalable energy optimization in sustainable base station systems, it is necessary to obtain highly-efficient solutions in a shorter time. We formulate the base station power optimization problem as a Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) problem, where the goal is to minimize a combination of power costs while satisfying operational constraints. Furthermore, to improve computational efficiency, we propose a QUBO simplification method that cuts down QUBO coefficients with small absolute values to zero. We solve both the original and simplified QUBOs using an Ising machine. Experimental results show that our QUBO simplification approach accelerates computation by up to 10 X on large-scale instances, with minimal degradation in solution quality.
This paper investigates the use of Quantum Annealing (QA) devices for optimizing unit scheduling in renewable energy systems, addressing the challenge of energy balancing with intermittent generation. We compare two approaches for encoding inequality constraints in Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) formulations: (a) the conventional slack-variable-based method and (b) a novel soft-encoding technique called unbalanced penalization. This first application of unbalanced penalization in the energy and power systems domain, aims to disseminate knowledge about near-term applications of quantum-computing and how to make best use of it within the community. Through computational experiments, we find thatUnbalanced Penalizationconsistently outperforms the conventional method of using slack variables by reducing the number of variables in the QUBO formulation. Despite this, its inherent nature penalizes feasible solutions unevenly, preventing the ability to handle much larger problem sizes. More broadly, we observe that both methods-like most pure quantum approaches-struggle with scalability on current QA hardware, as solution quality declines with increasing problem size. In light of these limitations, we assess the feasibility of purely quantum solutions and argue that hybrid approaches remain the most practical path forward.
Quantum computers can potentially solve large-scale combinatorial problems very efficiently when the problems are first converted into the quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) format. Scheduling in fifth generation (5G) base stations is a practical combinatorial problem that cannot be solved optimally in real-time using classical computing. We formulate the downlink (DL) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) scheduling at 5G base stations as QUBO and analyze the QUBO formulation scalability with respect to the key system parameters. The single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) QUBO formulation looks promising because the number of QUBO variables grows linearly while the problem search space grows exponentially with increasing number of users. Based on the simulation results, the suboptimal greedy algorithm for the SU-MIMO performs well with a high number of users and low bandwidth. A hybrid approach, where either a quantum solver or a suboptimal low-complexity classical algorithm is selected based on the system parameters, seems sensible in practice. This work paves the way for future quantum and quantum-inspired implementations of scheduling in cellular systems.
In this poster, we use quantum annealing to solve the optimal operation for a photovoltaic-powered 5G base station, and discuss its usefulness and quality. The formulated QUBO for quantum annealing works on D-Wave quantum machine, and the results showed that quantum annealing can produce 100 times faster and better quality solutions in comparison with Simulated Annealing(SA). Scaling experiments showed that quantum annealing is more likely to produce good solutions with decision variables of around 50~100, and splitting the problem gave better results than SA in various scaling.
Quantum annealing (QA) offers a physics-inspired approach for such subproblems by mapping them onto an Ising Hamiltonian, which is algebraically equivalent to a Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) model executable on quantum annealers or hybrid solvers. However, their practical employment in wireless systems critically depends on the specific problem formulation, on the particular variable encoding, constraint handling, solver selection, hardware embedding, and fair benchmarking. This paper develops wireless-oriented QUBO modeling guidelines for QA-assisted resource allocation. We first present a beginner-friendly toy example in which a terrestrial-aerial resource-allocation problem with a fractional signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) maximization objective is reformulated into a two-bit QUBO via Boolean interpolation, converted into an Ising representation, and decoded back into a wireless scheduling decision. The same scheduling is applicable to UAV, aircraft, satellite, and terrestrial links in SAGIN systems. We then review the QA foundations and solver ecosystems, including binary quadratic, discrete quadratic, constrained quadratic, and hybrid models from the perspective of NG wireless optimization. Furthermore, we discuss both binary and discrete encoding, penalty-based constraint conversion, embedding overhead, solution decoding, and feasibility verification. A QUBO Compatibility Index is introduced as a lightweight diagnostic metric for assessing the associated QUBO formulation readiness, rather than a predictor of runtime or solution quality. Finally, a case study on max-min uplink power control in cell-free massive MIMO illustrates how a fairness-oriented wireless problem can be discretized, constrained, converted into the concept of a QUBO, and evaluated against classical baselines. A host of key challenges and future directions are also discussed.
In this study, we explore Quantum Annealing (QA) as a new method for determining the optimal observation schedule for the radar MARSIS onboard the Mars Express mission, with the aim of obtaining a high-quality coverage of the South Pole of Mars. The MARSIS observation plan is greatly influenced by space weather and it is constrained by the limited hardware of the Mars Express spacecraft. In this work, we build upon previous research on classical optimization algorithms and present a novel Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) formulation, tailored for execution on the D-Wave quantum annealer. We test the solution of the QUBO formulation through QA on small-scale instances of the problem, derived from real data provided by the MARSIS operation center. We also study the effects of the penalties introduced in the QUBO and compare QA with classical algorithms, drawing some conclusion on the current applicability of this new technology.