D-Wave Hybrid-Quantum Application Cuts BASF Manufacturing Scheduling Time
(NYSE: QBTS) and BASF, a chemical company, have completed a proof-of-concept project using a hybrid-quantum application to optimize manufacturing workflows at a BASF liquid-filling plant. This technology reduced production scheduling time dramatically—from 10 hours with an industrial-grade classical solver to just five seconds.
Efficiency Improvements Achieved
The hybrid-quantum application was created to enhance scheduling of tasks and assignments of liquid tanks, delivering clear advantages over classical methods:
- 14% reduction in lateness
- 9% decrease in setup times
- Up to 18% shorter tank unloading durations
Demonstrating Hybrid-Quantum Capabilities
The project proved that hybrid-quantum technology can enable rapid decision-making, which classical-only optimization struggles to provide. Quick solution generation from the application targets easing bottlenecks in manufacturing and supply-chain operations.
D-Wave views this project as an important milestone on the path to deploying hybrid-quantum applications in production within the manufacturing and supply chain industries.
Significance for the Industry
This collaboration highlights the potential of hybrid-quantum computing to transform industrial scheduling by significantly accelerating processes and improving operational metrics.
Author’s summary: The hybrid-quantum application developed by D-Wave and BASF drastically accelerates manufacturing scheduling while improving efficiency, marking a key advance for quantum computing in industry.