Traffic Management using Dwave by Volkswagen

Traffic Management using Dwave by Volkswagen

The Volkswagen Group is the world’s first automaker to extensively evaluate the use of quantum computers in its vehicles. Towards this effort, Volkswagen is colloborating with specialist quantum computing company, D-Wave Systems. The two companies announced their cooperation at CeBIT 2017. In a first research project, IT experts from Volkswagen have successfully developed and tested an algorithm for traffic flow optimization on a D-Wave quantum computer.

During the Web Summit conference 2019 Lisbon, Portugal, Volkswagen AG has successfully developed and demonstrated first live use of quantum computing to optimize traffic routing. They demonstrated the traffic management system using nine public transport buses to calculate the fastest travel routes in real time. The system was powered by D-Wave quantum computer and developed by Volkswagen scientists in United States and Germany.

Owing to exponential increase in volume of traffic in last 2 decades, advanced computing and state-of-the art apps such as Google map successfully provides routing options based live traffic volumes and possible routes. However, these calculations does not include many other vehicles choices (such as temporary stop signals or lane close) that can influence navigation. Taking those inputs from other vehicles to create new optimized routes may create a cascading effect. It will further lead to traffic congestion in new optimized routes thereby making them an inefficient choice for the motorists.

The traffic in major cities is highly complex due to large number of road, commuters, vehicles, to name a few. It will be impossible for conventional computer to create optimized routes on the fly. Depending on number of variables in this traffic management system, the world most powerful supercomputer will take thousands of year to calculate the optimized route.

For this traffic management system, Scientists used classical machine learning to predict the flow of traffic and to optimize the distribution of vehicles. These drivers of these nine buses (Quantum Shuttle) used tablets for real time update of routes in order to prevent traffic jam. The route had 26 stops to drop guests off at the Conference venue and interestingly enough, these drivers were able to avoid the traffic jams before they arose.

Volkswagen’s system relies on D-Wave quantum annealer, a different kind of machine than the universal quantum computers under development by other firms, including google. Quantum annealer is capable in solving specific distribution problems, and traffic optimization is one of them.

The Traffic management system developed by Volkswagen is to optimize traffic of any volume and when ready can be potentially, used in any city around the world. Volkswagen plans to make this traffic management system market-ready and offer it to transport, taxi companies and fleet operators.

8 Responses

Leave A Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *