IBM and Maersk Explore Quantum Algorithms for Global Route Optimization
November 7, 2016
Maersk Partners with IBM to Simulate Quantum-Powered Ocean Freight Planning
On November 7, 2016, IBM Research and Maersk Line, the world’s largest container shipping company, jointly announced a quantum computing research initiative aimed at transforming how ocean freight routes are planned and optimized.
The partnership focused on leveraging quantum-inspired algorithms and emerging quantum annealing models to simulate and eventually optimize vast global route networks that span weather systems, fuel markets, customs protocols, and port congestion forecasts.
While no quantum hardware was deployed at this stage, the collaboration used IBM’s high-performance computing infrastructure and early QISKit modules—part of what would become the foundation of IBM Q—to model quantum optimization scenarios.
The Complexity of Global Ocean Logistics
With Maersk handling shipments across over 600 ports in 130 countries, optimizing ocean freight logistics represents one of the most computationally demanding challenges in global trade. Route planning must account for:
Weather variability (storms, currents, tides)
Fuel price fluctuations and consumption models
Port congestion and docking schedules
Regulatory constraints and customs windows
Cold chain and container integrity metrics
Traditional algorithms often rely on simplifications that limit real-time adaptability, especially under volatile conditions.
IBM’s quantum researchers saw this as a prime use case for quantum-enhanced combinatorial optimization, where even modest quantum processors might outperform classical approaches through accelerated convergence on viable routing alternatives.
Quantum Algorithms and Use Cases Modeled
During the initial phase of the project, the IBM–Maersk team focused on three quantum use case simulations:
Fuel-Efficient Routing Under Weather Constraints – Applying quantum annealing to minimize cost and risk across thousands of vessel-path permutations.
Intermodal Handoff Timing Optimization – Determining the best time and port for container transfer to rail or truck modes.
Dynamic Congestion Avoidance – Using predictive models to reroute vessels in real time based on port crowding projections.
The team built hybrid simulations combining early-stage quantum routines with classical preprocessing to evaluate which logistics functions would benefit most from quantum acceleration.
Potential Impact on Emissions and Cost
According to IBM’s preliminary models:
Fuel consumption could be reduced by 6–10% on transcontinental routes
Emissions could fall by up to 12% through smarter weather and speed planning
Delivery windows could be tightened by 1–2 days, improving contract compliance
Maersk’s Chief Digital Officer, Ibrahim Gokcen, emphasized: “Quantum computing offers a promising new lens through which we can reimagine ocean logistics—not incrementally, but exponentially.”
Building Toward a Quantum Future
IBM and Maersk stated that while practical quantum computers were still years away, their collaboration helped lay the groundwork for future deployment by identifying algorithmic gaps and validating hybrid computing models.
The results would inform subsequent investments by Maersk into digital twins and AI-routing modules that could eventually integrate with quantum co-processors as they mature.
IBM’s research director Dr. Heike Riel remarked, “Early exploration with real logistics data helps us develop not just algorithms, but insights into the kind of quantum infrastructure needed for global-scale optimization.”
Implications for Maritime and Supply Chain Sectors
The announcement of this initiative spurred interest across the global freight and maritime sectors. Other companies including Hapag-Lloyd, CMA CGM, and China COSCO Shipping began exploring similar partnerships with quantum software startups.
Governments in Denmark and the Netherlands—both maritime logistics hubs—pledged increased funding for applied quantum research in maritime trade.
Academic collaborations also followed, with TU Delft and MIT’s Center for Transportation & Logistics beginning quantum logistics feasibility studies by late 2016.
Conclusion
The IBM–Maersk initiative launched in November 2016 marks an early and strategic exploration of how quantum computing could reshape ocean freight planning. By simulating optimization scenarios using quantum-inspired techniques, the project illuminated how future-ready logistics systems might respond to a rapidly evolving technological frontier.
As shipping companies face mounting pressure to reduce emissions and increase efficiency, quantum computing is poised to become a cornerstone of the next-generation maritime logistics toolkit.