Quantum Computing for Sustainability in Mobility and Aviation
QCentroid
QCentroid is fostering a stakeholder ecosystem where sustainable transformation and prosperity are incentivized and aligned. We believe that science, data, and exponential technologies will be quintessential in realizing sustainable new ways of working, living, and driving sustainable industry transformation forward.
One of the focus areas of QCentroid is quantum computing for sustainability. In the previous article Quantum Against Climate change, we explored how quantum computing, a Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technology that we believe will form the base layer of the future technology stack, can have an exponential impact on the fight against climate change. Please refer back to that article for an introduction to quantum computing and sustainability.
In this article, we explore how quantum computing can bring about sustainable transformation in the mobility and aviation industries.
We hope to inspire collaboration on individual, academic, and industrial scales in this effort. Please reach out to us to inquire about how we can join forces.
Mobility
According to a recent report by Mckinsey, quantum computers can transform the automotive industry by 2025. Quantum technologies are expected to bring an added value of $2 to $3 billion to the industry by 2030.
Here's how quantum computing applications can drive sustainable transformation across the automotive value chain:
Quantum optimization can facilitate vehicle routing and route optimization.
Quantum AI/ML can accelerate learning in autonomous vehicle navigation.
Quantum simulations in material and chemical process research can drive the electric vehicle transition by making better batteries and fuel cells.
Quantum cryptography can ensure the security of connected vehicles.
Quantum computers can accelerate vehicle design by computing-intensive fluid dynamics simulations to decrease drag and fuel consumption.
The data-crunching power of quantum AI/ML can improve predictive maintenance.
Quantum computing can improve demand forecasting, warehouse logistics, and supply-chain management across the value chain.
Quantum computing could make virtual crash testing faster and more accurate.
Suppliers whose core competencies are not central to EVs, such as transmission or fuel tank and tubing manufacturers, can leverage QC to gain a competitive edge in producing goods outside their traditional playing field.
Aviation
In 2019, civil aviation made up 3% of global carbon emissions. If left unchecked, aviation's share of emissions could reach 10% by 2050. Here's how quantum computing can help the industry decarbonize:
Global Network Optimization: Network optimization problems such as flight planning, fleet allocation, and crew scheduling are at the heart of the airline business, leading to significant operations costs and environmental footprint. Optimization tasks are not easy for classical systems to handle. The traditional step-by-step approach achieves only local optimization of the sub-processes deployed, and these systems have trade-offs. Flight routing does not incorporate crew scheduling, crew scheduling does not include block times, and block time planning does not consider fuel planning.
Quantum computing algorithms for multivariate optimization tasks could handle complex global network optimization problems in a single shot.
Design improvements: Improved fuel efficiency and reduced carbon emissions make aircraft more aerodynamic. However, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are only functional to a limited extent in aerodynamic flow modeling, as the partial differential equations (PDEs) at the heart of CFD are highly complex and compute-intensive. Quantum computers can solve such problems with ease. Zapata Computing, for instance, offers combinatorial optimization algorithms to solve PDEs.
Better batteries for e-aviation: Globally, there are around 215 e-aircrafts in development. Aside from generating new business models, enabling quieter aircraft, and potentially making flight safer, the technology could also keep aviation's share of emissions at current levels, even as other industries become cleaner. The industry must close the technology gap to electrical propulsion, and battery density is one of the primary bottlenecks. Higher density batteries by quantum simulation could pave the way to an electrified aviation industry.
Let’s collaborate!
This article is the second in a series on quantum computing for sustainability. Here we have briefly covered the application of quantum computing to drive sustainable transformation in the mobility and aviation industry forward.
We look forward to feedback regarding this article and learn about further high impact applications of quantum computing in mobility and aviation.
We hope this article inspires collaboration to leverage quantum computing to drive the sustainable transformation of industries. Please reach out to us if you're interested in joining forces.
To learn more about QCentroid, please visit us at www.qcentriod.xyz or by email at info@qcentroid.xyz