Port of Rotterdam Trials Quantum-Enabled Optimization with Delft-Based QBlox and TNO
April 26, 2022
The Port of Rotterdam, Europe’s largest and busiest seaport, has long been at the forefront of adopting advanced digital and operational technologies to keep pace with growing global trade demands. On April 26, 2022, the Port Authority announced a major milestone in its innovation journey—a collaborative pilot with Delft-based quantum control electronics company QBlox and Dutch applied research institute TNO. The project aimed to trial quantum-enabled optimization methods within critical port operations, including container stacking, berth allocation, and intermodal scheduling.
This initiative reflects a broader recognition that the computational intensity of modern logistics has exceeded what traditional optimization methods and even high-performance computing (HPC) can reliably deliver. As ports become increasingly congested, automated, and environmentally regulated, new technologies such as quantum computing—or quantum-inspired optimization—are being considered as potential enablers for efficiency and resilience.
Why Quantum at Europe’s Busiest Port?
The Port of Rotterdam handles over 14 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) annually, making it not just Europe’s largest port but one of the world’s most complex multimodal hubs. Beyond container traffic, it supports bulk carriers, inland shipping networks, railway hubs, road transport, and energy distribution systems.
Traditional HPC approaches already play a critical role in managing such complexity, particularly for modeling dynamic arrivals and departures, fuel usage, and equipment scheduling. However, several converging challenges—including increasing vessel sizes, the rise of autonomous equipment, the need for sustainable routing, and disruptions from both climate change and geopolitical shocks—have amplified the scale and complexity of optimization problems.
Quantum technologies, in theory, can outperform classical approaches in solving such combinatorial optimization tasks. While today’s quantum computers are still in their infancy, quantum-inspired or quantum-enabled simulations can already provide valuable insights by mimicking quantum mechanics’ ability to explore vast solution spaces more efficiently than classical heuristics.
The Partnership and Objectives
The April 2022 initiative brought together three key players:
QBlox: A Delft-based startup specializing in scalable control stack solutions for superconducting and spin qubit systems. Although not building full processors, QBlox provides modular, cryo-compatible hardware essential to quantum research across Europe. For this pilot, QBlox contributed a simulation-ready control stack capable of reproducing quantum sampling behaviors within a classical emulation environment.
TNO (Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research): TNO’s logistics research group adapted its simulation engines—already used for Dutch smart logistics programs—to include pseudo-quantum solvers. These solvers emulated quantum-enhanced optimization behavior, enabling a side-by-side comparison with conventional metaheuristics.
Port of Rotterdam Authority: The port set clear operational goals for the trial. These included reducing crane idle times, minimizing container reshuffling inefficiencies, improving berth planning for overlapping arrivals, and smoothing modal transfers at the rail-inland-sea interface.
Simulation and Emulation Setup
The April 2022 pilot did not use an actual quantum processor but instead relied on hybrid simulation. TNO modeled port operations using its established logistics simulation frameworks. QBlox’s pseudo-quantum control stack was then integrated to provide sampling behavior akin to that expected from future quantum processors.
The simulation targeted three operational use cases:
Container stacking sequences – optimizing crane movements under varying arrival conditions to reduce reshuffling.
Berth assignment planning – allocating docking slots dynamically based on ship class, tidal conditions, and expected throughput.
Intermodal transfer scheduling – coordinating transfers between inland waterway vessels, trucks, and rail terminals over three-day peak demand periods.
Performance was benchmarked against standard metaheuristic solvers to assess whether the quantum-inspired approaches provided measurable benefits.
Key Findings and Performance Metrics
The trial demonstrated early but meaningful improvements in simulated efficiency:
11% reduction in crane idle times under scenarios requiring high-density container stacking.
7% better berth utilization when ships arrived with overlapping schedules.
9% faster modal rescheduling during simulated disruption events, such as delayed arrivals or equipment downtime.
A critical insight was that the hybrid solver’s ability to escape local minima and present diverse solution sets contributed significantly to operational flexibility. While not yet replacing classical optimization entirely, the trial suggested that quantum-enabled methods could provide complementary tools in complex logistics decision-making.
Alignment with the Dutch National Quantum Strategy
The pilot aligns closely with the Netherlands’ broader Quantum Delta NL strategy, which aims to position the country as a leading quantum hub by 2027. The Delft–Rotterdam corridor is central to this ambition, hosting:
TU Delft, a leader in superconducting qubit research.
QBlox and QuantWare, hardware startups scaling quantum stack components.
TNO, which bridges applied quantum science with industrial and national logistics programs.
For the Port of Rotterdam, the pilot was as much about future-proofing as about immediate gains. With rising competition from other global ports and increasing demands for digitally sovereign operations, testing quantum-enabled optimization underscores the port’s strategy to remain at the technological frontier.
Challenges and Outlook
The project team acknowledged several constraints in this early-stage trial:
No true quantum processor was used; all results were derived from simulations.
For small problem sizes, classical solvers still outperformed emulated quantum-inspired approaches.
External port data—such as weather, customs processing, and labor availability—remains difficult to quantify in models, limiting the real-world applicability of results.
Nevertheless, the partners charted clear next steps:
By 2024, integrating hybrid solvers with live telemetry from cranes and vessels.
Testing compatibility with upcoming European quantum processors, including those available on Quantum Inspire.
Scaling pilot scenarios to cover 50+ container bays and simulating week-long scheduling cycles.
Global Impact and Relevance
The Port of Rotterdam’s April 2022 pilot adds to a growing body of experiments worldwide. Notable initiatives include:
Singapore’s PSA Group partnering with D-Wave on crane scheduling.
Busan Port in South Korea evaluating quantum data pilots for logistics planning.
Harwich International Port in the UK receiving funding for quantum transport security projects.
With its scale, strategic location, and strong ties to Europe’s quantum ecosystem, the Port of Rotterdam is uniquely positioned to push forward applied quantum logistics research.
Conclusion
The April 26, 2022, quantum-enabled optimization pilot at the Port of Rotterdam represents a significant step toward integrating next-generation computing into real-world logistics. While the trial relied on simulated environments rather than live quantum processors, the results showed clear performance improvements in critical operational metrics, such as crane efficiency, berth utilization, and intermodal scheduling.
By collaborating with Delft-based QBlox and TNO, the port reinforced its commitment to innovation while aligning with the Netherlands’ national quantum strategy. As quantum technology matures, Rotterdam’s early engagement could provide it with a first-mover advantage in transforming seaport operations—offering not only efficiency gains but also a pathway toward greener, more resilient, and digitally sovereign logistics systems.
At a time when global supply chains face unprecedented stress, initiatives like this underscore how the convergence of quantum science and logistics can deliver tangible solutions to complex challenges.