An Overview of Algorithms for Solving Vehicle Routing Problems in the Quantum-Classical Cloud

Abstract

Introduction. The hope of solving the problem of the avalanche-like growth of requirements for computing power, essential for solving complex routing problems and other problems of combinatorial optimization, relies on the latest quantum computers, in the development of which governments and corporations invest multi-billion investments. The article examines modern routing algorithms and performs their analysis and verification, if the authors of the algorithm provided appropriate test programs. The purpose of the article is to review the current state of development in the field of development of routing algorithms for hybrid quantum-classical clouds, analyze them and propose a classification of algorithms. Results. Modern quantum computers (QCs) make it possible to find approximate solutions to some of mathematical problems faster than classical computers. The inaccuracy of the solutions obtained by the QC is a consequence of physical and technological limitations: calculation errors are caused by thermal noise, a small number of computational elements - qubits and connections between them, which requires the decomposition of the problem and the use of heuristic algorithms. The analysis of approaches to the solution of optimization problems on QC allows us to single out: quantum response and variational search of eigenvalues based on quantum logic gates as the general directions of development of the vast majority of algorithms for solving routing problems. The considered algorithms reduce the vehicle routing problem to a quadratic unconstrained binary optimization problem, which is isomorphic to the Hamilton-Ising model. In this form, the problem is suitable for embedding in QC, which finds an approximate solution that has the best statistical reliability or corresponds to the quantum state with the lowest energy. As a separate class, vehicle routing algorithms for classical computers that use quantum computing to accelerate problem solving can be distinguished. For example, neural networks that calculate weighting factors using QC or an ant algorithm that calculates a pheromone trail in a hybrid cloud. It should be mentioned the quantum-inspired algorithms, which are based on software tools for the simulation of QC and the corresponding libraries and allow creating an effective class of algorithms for solving problems of vehicle routing. Conclusions. Combining hardware quantum annealing with a number of software tools for calculating optimization problems for classical computers in a hybrid quantum-classical cloud service allows to obtain advantages in speed and accuracy of some types of complex optimization problems of a commercial scale, in particular, routing vehicles, which is already bringing substantial profits to a number of corporations. Keywords: vehicle routing problem, quantum computer, annealing, combinatorial optimization, traveling salesman problem, clustering, qubit.