A Reality Check on Quantum Optimisation: Evidence from an Industrial Case Study

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2607.13325v1
• Date: Tue, 14 Jul 2026 23:18:36 GMT
• Title: A Reality Check on Quantum Optimisation: Evidence from an Industrial Case Study
• Abstract summary: We study an industrial variant of the Job-Shop Scheduling Problem using quantum, quantum-inspired, and classical methods.<n>We show that hardware-software co-design is essential for solution quality and scalability.
• Score: 0.9783583496014847
• License: http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/
• Abstract: Quantum Processing Units promise speed-ups for selected computational problems, including combinatorial optimisation, but their industrial utility remains an open challenge. We study an industrial variant of the Job-Shop Scheduling Problem using quantum, quantum-inspired, and classical methods across three platforms: IBM Quantum, the D-Wave Quantum Annealer, and the Fujitsu Digital Annealer. By tailoring formulations to hardware-specific constraints, we show that hardware-software co-design is essential for solution quality and scalability. We benchmark all approaches against an exact classical solver and a MILP formulation, evaluating runtime, solution quality, and scalability. Our results indicate that quantum and quantum-inspired optimisation can support industrial solver selection, integration in classical workflows, modelling decisions, and early proof-of-concept development, while suggesting a potential path towards improved approximations for industrial scheduling.

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