QAOA, VQE, and quantum annealing applied to resource allocation problems: what these algorithms can and cannot do today.
Algorithms, hardware, and the optimisation landscape. Key areas include: QAOA: parameterised quantum circuits for approximate combinatorial optimisation; VQE for optimisation: variational approaches and the barren plateau challenge; Quantum annealing: annealer hardware architectures, minor embedding, and problem size constraints.
Mapping real problems to quantum hardware. Key areas include: QUBO and Ising model formulations for fleet routing, sensor placement, and spectrum allocation; Constraint encoding: penalty terms, slack variables, and the overhead of real-world constraints; Problem decomposition: hybrid quantum-classical approaches for problems exceeding qubit capacity.
Benchmark-specific comparisons on defence-relevant problems. Key areas include: Published benchmark results: quantum annealing and QAOA versus classical solvers on vehicle routing; The classical heuristic challenge: why simulated annealing and genetic algorithms keep improving; Quantum-inspired classical algorithms: tensor networks and dequantisation results.
Quantum optimisation for a defence logistics problem. Key areas include: Facilitator-led demonstration: formulating a defence asset allocation problem as QUBO; Running QAOA on a cloud quantum processor and comparing with Gurobi classical solution; Interpreting results: solution quality, runtime, and the scaling question.
When and how to engage with quantum optimisation. Key areas include: Near-term strategy: quantum-inspired classical methods for immediate deployment; Medium-term pilots: identifying defence problems suitable for hybrid quantum-classical approaches; Long-term planning: fault-tolerant quantum optimisation and its projected capabilities.
Early results from defence and aerospace organisations. Key areas include: Published results from AFRL, DSTL, and defence contractor quantum optimisation trials.
Q&A and Programme Planning: this session covers the core principles and technical underpinnings relevant to the subject area.
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