The Volkswagen Group is the world’s first automaker to intensively test the use of quantum computers. Volkswagen is cooperating with leading quantum computing company specialist D-Wave Systems. At CeBIT 2017, the two companies today announced their cooperation. In a first research project, IT experts from Volkswagen have already successfully developed and tested a traffic flow optimization algorithm on a D-Wave quantum computer.
Martin Hofmann, CIO of the Volkswagen Group, said: «Quantum computing is the next generation of supercomputing and can bring us tremendous progress in all key areas of IT and digitalization. In strategic cooperation with D-Wave, we are learning to make effective use of the strengths of a quantum computer. We are taking a further major step towards the digital future of the Volkswagen Group».
In the first research project, data scientists and big data experts from Volkswagen, working with data from 10,000 public taxis in Beijing, have successfully shown that they can optimize traffic flow in the mega-metropolis using a quantum computer. Further projects are to follow in the course of cooperation with D-Wave. Initially, the main focus is on the further development of specialist expertise and entrepreneurially meaningful applications. Volkswagen expects a wide range of application possibilities especially in the areas of autonomous driving, the robotic enterprise, the smart factory, machine learning and intelligent mobility solutions.
