DHL Explores Quantum-Optimized Drone Routing to Boost Last-Mile Delivery Efficiency
May 14, 2020
Quantum Computing Meets the Urban Skies
The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 accelerated demand for resilient, contactless delivery mechanisms. While drone delivery was already on the radar of major logistics firms, routing challenges—especially in dense urban landscapes—remained formidable. Traditional routing algorithms often fail to scale efficiently under constantly shifting conditions like temporary no-fly zones, weather anomalies, or urgent rerouting due to customer availability.
This is where quantum computing promises a breakthrough.
In May 2020, DHL Supply Chain’s innovation team based in Bonn, Germany, launched a pilot project leveraging quantum optimization for drone delivery routing. Collaborating with Anaqor (a Munich-based quantum software platform company) and researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics, the project used quantum annealing models to simulate last-mile drone logistics in multiple European metro areas.
Why Last-Mile Logistics Needs Quantum
Last-mile delivery remains one of the costliest and most inefficient stages of logistics, often representing up to 53% of total shipping costs. As logistics companies experiment with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to bypass traffic congestion and reduce emissions, the underlying challenge becomes multi-objective routing optimization:
Minimizing delivery time while avoiding restricted zones
Balancing energy consumption with payload size and route distance
Adapting quickly to changing urban air mobility rules
These problems grow combinatorially complex as the number of drones, packages, and constraints increase—a perfect match for quantum algorithms such as QUBO (Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization) and hybrid quantum-classical solvers.
Inside the DHL Quantum Routing Model
The DHL-Anaqor-Fraunhofer trial involved a quantum-based simulation of a drone fleet tasked with delivering parcels across a mock-up of Berlin’s inner city. The simulation environment was fed with real-world data including:
Dynamic urban air mobility (UAM) restrictions
Weather inputs from the German Meteorological Service
Battery life constraints per drone model
Package weight and delivery urgency classifications
The model translated these inputs into a QUBO format suitable for D-Wave’s quantum annealing hardware, accessed via Anaqor’s cloud orchestration platform. DHL’s internal logistics APIs fed live routing data, allowing comparison between classical and quantum-enhanced dispatch strategies.
Measurable Gains and Emerging Insights
The May 2020 testbed produced some early insights and measurable outcomes:
Routing Efficiency: Quantum-enhanced models reduced average delivery times by 12–15% in dense districts like Mitte and Kreuzberg.
Energy Use: Optimized route paths showed a 9% improvement in battery efficiency, a crucial metric for UAV sustainability.
System Responsiveness: When simulated airspace closures were introduced, the quantum solver adapted faster than classical rerouting tools, thanks to its ability to evaluate multiple near-optimal paths in parallel.
While the project remained in simulation, DHL executives indicated readiness to move toward real-world sandbox environments in late 2020 or early 2021—pending European airspace regulatory approvals.
Anaqor’s Role: Translating Complexity into Quantum Form
Anaqor, formerly known as HQS Quantum Simulations, specializes in creating middleware and software development kits that translate complex real-world problems into quantum-compatible forms. Their work in this project included:
Constraint encoding: Translating UAV operational restrictions (e.g., no-fly zones, delivery deadlines) into QUBO structures.
Hybrid solver orchestration: Deploying quantum-classical solvers to avoid hardware bottlenecks.
Integration with logistics platforms: Developing API bridges between DHL’s route management tools and the quantum backend.
By abstracting the complexity of quantum computing into a developer-friendly environment, Anaqor enabled DHL to remain focused on delivery optimization without becoming quantum specialists overnight.
Fraunhofer Institute Adds Simulation Muscle
The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics (ITWM), based in Kaiserslautern, contributed their extensive experience in traffic modeling and logistics simulation. Their role included:
Constructing the digital twin environment of urban Berlin for drone simulations
Providing optimization constraints based on real-world aviation and civil data
Benchmarking performance improvements between traditional and quantum-aided approaches
Their modeling precision allowed the simulations to closely reflect the real constraints that future UAV delivery systems will face.
Regulatory Realities and Readiness
While the technical results were promising, the trial also illuminated hurdles in drone-based logistics adoption:
Airspace Complexity: Coordinating drone fleets with commercial aviation, police, and emergency airspace remains a gray area in many European cities.
Cybersecurity: Introducing quantum algorithms into drone command-and-control infrastructure raises questions about encryption and system integrity, especially in post-quantum cryptographic environments.
Operator Training: DHL logistics coordinators will require reskilling to interpret quantum-generated routing decisions and maintain trust in the system's recommendations.
To address these, DHL confirmed ongoing collaboration with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the German Federal Ministry of Transport.
Looking Forward: Quantum-AI Fusion for Autonomous Delivery
DHL’s May 2020 initiative signals a broader trend toward merging quantum optimization with AI-based logistics. Several roadmap items mentioned during the pilot review include:
Integrating quantum routing with DHL’s AI-powered ETA prediction engines
Applying similar optimization models to electric delivery vans and mobile warehouses
Exploring post-quantum encryption for drone-to-hub communication
As cities become more complex and delivery expectations increase, logistics providers are under pressure to operate smarter, faster, and cleaner. Quantum computing offers a toolkit that—if matured—could redefine the art of the possible in autonomous delivery systems.
Conclusion: DHL Plants a Quantum Flag in the Future of Delivery
With this pioneering simulation, DHL has positioned itself as a logistics front-runner in quantum experimentation. By bringing together academic modeling, startup software innovation, and enterprise-scale logistics expertise, the company exemplifies what cross-sector quantum adoption can look like.
If pilot transitions go as planned, DHL may soon become the first global courier to apply quantum optimization to real-time UAV delivery—a milestone that could reshape how the world thinks about scalable, secure, and sustainable last-mile logistics.