Port of Rotterdam Launches Quantum Logistics Pilot with Delft Quantum Institute
March 26, 2018
Europe’s Busiest Port Eyes Quantum Advantage
In March 2018, the Port of Rotterdam Authority announced a groundbreaking initiative to apply quantum computing and quantum-inspired algorithms to optimize its maritime logistics systems. Partnering with the QuTech Institute at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), this marked the first major European port authority to seriously investigate quantum technologies for operational gains.
The Port of Rotterdam—Europe’s largest seaport by cargo tonnage—handles more than 470 million tonnes of cargo per year and connects with over 1,000 ports worldwide. Its scale, complexity, and role in global supply chains made it an ideal candidate for quantum logistics experimentation.
Quantum Meets Intermodal Scheduling
The collaboration centered on exploring how quantum-inspired algorithms could be used to:
Optimize berth scheduling to reduce ship wait times
Coordinate container transshipment across rail, road, and inland waterways
Improve storage yard utilization under uncertainty
Manage real-time traffic flow within port logistics zones
With millions of containers moving through Rotterdam annually, current optimization algorithms faced significant computational bottlenecks—especially under changing weather, vessel delays, or infrastructure constraints. Quantum techniques, even in early hybrid forms, promised to improve both solution speed and decision quality.
TU Delft and QuTech Bring the Quantum Expertise
At the heart of this initiative was QuTech, the Netherlands’ national center for quantum technology co-founded by TU Delft and TNO. QuTech had already been working on advancing quantum network infrastructure and fault-tolerant quantum processors.
The port collaboration focused on applying quantum optimization models, particularly those inspired by quantum annealing and quantum variational algorithms, to simulate container flow and terminal congestion scenarios. While actual quantum hardware was not yet commercially viable at scale in 2018, QuTech's algorithms were able to model quantum behavior on classical systems with quantum-inspired heuristics.
The pilot leveraged open-source tools such as Ocean SDK from D-Wave and experimental solvers running on TU Delft’s High Performance Computing Center to simulate quantum-enhanced logistics scenarios.
Data from Real Operations Feed the Simulations
What set this pilot apart from academic exercises was its reliance on real-time operational data from Rotterdam’s digital port ecosystem.
The port authority’s logistics platform—Portbase—provided anonymized historical and live data on ship arrivals, terminal throughput, truck entries, rail departures, and container dwell times. These datasets were crucial to train the quantum-inspired models for evaluating optimization under real-world conditions.
Key trial scenarios included:
Coordinating barge and rail transfers with low turnaround windows
Rescheduling berth slots due to tidal delays or ship bunching
Reducing carbon emissions by better syncing modal handovers
TU Delft’s simulations showed early promise in producing more globally optimal solutions compared to traditional rule-based or greedy algorithms, especially for multi-modal congestion management.
A Response to Growing Maritime Pressure
The urgency for quantum innovation stemmed from several pressures:
Port congestion due to increasing global trade volumes.
Environmental mandates, particularly from the EU, requiring ports to reduce emissions and energy use.
Digital transformation needs, as Rotterdam pursued its ambition to become the “smartest port” by 2030.
Quantum approaches offered a new computational paradigm that could potentially solve problems beyond the reach of classical systems—especially as port data complexity grew exponentially.
By beginning early trials in 2018, Rotterdam positioned itself to lead in quantum logistics preparedness when commercial quantum hardware matures later in the decade.
National and Regional Support
This initiative did not occur in isolation. The Netherlands had already declared quantum technology as one of its national innovation priorities through its Top Sector High Tech Systems and Materials (HTSM) program.
The Rotterdam-TU Delft pilot received backing from:
Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management
InnovationQuarter, the regional economic development agency
TNO, the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research
Together, these groups sought to create a living lab for quantum supply chain innovation, linking academic research with operational application and commercialization pathways.
Global Ports Watching Closely
The March 2018 pilot caught the attention of other port authorities worldwide. Representatives from:
Port of Singapore Authority (PSA)
Hamburg Port Authority (Germany)
Port of Los Angeles (USA)
expressed interest in observing Rotterdam’s progress and potentially launching similar studies.
With maritime shipping being one of the most logistically complex and environmentally critical sectors globally, any gains in computational decision-making could ripple across trade networks.
Quantum and Green Ports: A Strategic Convergence
One of the most compelling use cases for quantum optimization in Rotterdam was its link to decarbonization.
By better orchestrating the arrival and handoff of containers between ships, trucks, and trains, the port aimed to:
Reduce idling time of diesel-powered cargo vessels
Minimize unnecessary crane movements
Optimize empty container repositioning
Align modal transfers with low-emission routing
Quantum-inspired models offered the potential to reduce up to 8% of internal port emissions based on early simulations—an outcome that could significantly support Rotterdam’s green port agenda.
Integration with Digital Twin Infrastructure
The Port of Rotterdam had already been investing in a high-fidelity digital twin of the entire port ecosystem. This model allowed decision-makers to simulate weather, traffic, equipment, and freight flow interactions.
In March 2018, TU Delft engineers began integrating their quantum-inspired algorithms into this digital twin infrastructure. The goal was to see how quantum techniques could be used in what-if planning, predictive modeling, and operational reconfiguration.
As the digital twin grows in fidelity and real-time capability, quantum optimization layers could help it evolve from a simulation tool into a real-time command and control assistant.
Looking Ahead: Preparing for Quantum Hardware Integration
While the 2018 pilot ran on classical simulations of quantum logic, the partnership planned future transitions to actual quantum hardware via:
D-Wave cloud services
Rigetti Forest SDK
IBM Q Experience
TU Delft also had its own hardware development track in collaboration with Intel and Qutech, with the goal of deploying a Dutch-based superconducting qubit processor in the coming years.
By initiating algorithm development now, Rotterdam ensured that its quantum logistics capabilities would be ready once scalable quantum hardware became commercially accessible.
Conclusion: A Model Port for Quantum Logistics
The Port of Rotterdam’s March 2018 launch of a quantum optimization pilot with TU Delft positioned it as a global pioneer in maritime logistics innovation. At a time when most quantum headlines focused on finance or pharma, this marked a crucial expansion of quantum ambitions into the supply chain and trade infrastructure domains.
By combining real operational data, academic expertise, and strategic public-private partnerships, Rotterdam laid a foundation for a future in which quantum computing could optimize not just computers or algorithms—but the very movement of goods that powers the global economy.
As other smart ports look to digital twins and AI, the Dutch port's bold move into quantum logic suggests that the next major wave of efficiency, sustainability, and resilience may be powered not by silicon, but by qubits.