D-Wave and PSA Collaborate to Apply Quantum Annealing for Terminal Crane Scheduling

Container ports sit at the center of modern trade, orchestrating the flow of goods that sustain economies worldwide. Yet the complexity of port operations—especially the scheduling of cranes that load and unload containers—poses a formidable challenge. On August 10, 2022, PSA International, one of the world’s largest port operators, and Canadian quantum computing company D-Wave announced a landmark collaboration: a quantum annealing pilot project focused on optimizing container crane scheduling at Singapore’s Pasir Panjang Terminal.

This collaboration represents a turning point. While logistics firms have explored quantum computing in routing and simulation, the PSA–D-Wave pilot is one of the first to bring quantum annealing into the real-time operational scheduling of port cranes at scale. By tackling this high-impact problem, the pilot provides a glimpse into how quantum logistics could reshape maritime operations in Southeast Asia and beyond.

Port Scheduling Needs Quantum Tools

Container terminals are complex ecosystems. Each ship arrival sets off a chain of dependencies: cranes must be assigned, trucks coordinated, and vessels turned around quickly. Idle cranes waste both time and money, while scheduling conflicts can cascade into costly delays across supply chains.

Traditional scheduling relies on combinatorial optimization, where algorithms search for efficient sequences under many constraints. Yet as the scale of operations grows—hundreds of cranes, thousands of containers, shifting arrival times—classical methods often cannot generate optimal solutions fast enough for real-time decision-making.

Enter quantum annealing. By modeling crane scheduling as a Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) problem, D-Wave’s system can explore vast solution spaces simultaneously, identifying near-optimal crane assignments more efficiently than classical systems in certain scenarios.

For PSA, which manages over 80 terminals globally, this represents a strategic experiment. If even marginal efficiency gains can be achieved consistently, the payoff is enormous in terms of cost savings, throughput, and sustainability.

How the Pilot Was Structured

The pilot centered on PSA’s Pasir Panjang Terminal Stage 6, a site emblematic of Singapore’s role as a global maritime hub. The collaboration unfolded in structured phases:

1. Data Integration
   PSA provided detailed historical logs of crane movements, vessel arrivals, and truck flows. These datasets formed the basis for creating QUBO models that capture the real-world scheduling constraints and objectives.

2. Annealer Runs
   D-Wave’s Advantage quantum annealer was accessed through the cloud. For each scheduling cycle, up to 5,000 QUBO scenarios were processed, with the annealer producing candidate crane schedules optimized for minimal idle time and maximal throughput.

3. Solver Output and Feedback
   The results from the quantum annealer were compared against PSA’s existing terminal operating system (TOS). Human schedulers then reviewed these outputs, validating practical feasibility and refining constraint models for subsequent iterations.

4. Hybrid Integration
   Classical algorithms post-processed the quantum outputs, smoothing them into forms compatible with PSA’s operational software. The human-in-the-loop approach ensured reliability while testing the boundaries of quantum capability.

This architecture showcased a pragmatic balance: using quantum to accelerate and expand the search space, while relying on classical and human oversight to ground results in operational reality.

Early Efficiency Gains and Insights

Initial results from the pilot were promising. PSA reported:

• 12% reduction in crane idle time compared to baseline schedules.

• 7% improvement in weekly throughput, translating to faster vessel turnaround.

• Smoother operational flow, with fewer schedule conflicts and less manual intervention.

While modest in absolute numbers, these efficiency gains have outsized impacts. A reduction in vessel wait times improves berth utilization, reduces congestion, and enhances customer satisfaction for shipping lines. Over a year, millions of dollars can be saved by shaving even minutes off each crane cycle across thousands of vessel calls.

These findings also echo earlier quantum logistics experiments by D-Wave with Maersk at ports in Rotterdam and Los Angeles, underscoring the replicability of quantum scheduling benefits across geographies.

Global and Regional Significance

The pilot’s timing is significant. Southeast Asia is a linchpin of global trade, with Singapore acting as one of its busiest transshipment hubs. With rising container volumes, port operators must continuously innovate to maintain efficiency and competitiveness.

PSA’s initiative quickly resonated across the region:

• Other PSA hubs in Port Klang, Malaysia, and Guangzhou, China expressed interest in testing quantum logistics pilots.

• Port authorities in Indonesia and Thailand initiated exploratory discussions about adopting similar methods.

• International competitors, including the Port of Antwerp and the Port of Los Angeles, began comparative assessments to benchmark their systems against Singapore’s trial.

This ripple effect suggests that quantum logistics is no longer experimental but is entering strategic consideration across major maritime corridors.

Environmental and Strategic Impacts

The sustainability implications are equally notable. Improved crane scheduling reduces vessel idle time at berths, lowering emissions from ships waiting to unload. More efficient crane operations also reduce energy consumption, aligning with global decarbonization goals.

For PSA, these operational gains translate into stronger environmental credentials. As shippers and logistics providers face mounting pressure to decarbonize, ports that can demonstrate quantum-enabled efficiency and lower emissions gain a competitive edge in procurement decisions.

Challenges and Constraints

Despite its success, the pilot highlighted challenges that must be addressed before full-scale deployment:

• Scalability: Extending quantum scheduling across multiple terminals with higher complexity.

• System Integration: Ensuring seamless compatibility between quantum outputs and PSA’s legacy systems.

• Talent Development: Training human schedulers to understand and trust quantum-driven recommendations.

• Hardware Access: Reliance on cloud-based quantum systems introduces latency; on-premise solutions remain a longer-term goal but require investment.

Addressing these challenges will be vital for embedding quantum scheduling into the daily fabric of port operations.

Next Steps and Roadmap

Looking ahead, PSA and D-Wave outlined a roadmap to scale the initiative:

• 2023 expansions: Real-time A/B testing at Pasir Panjang and other PSA hubs.

• Enhanced QUBO models: Incorporating inter-terminal coordination and energy efficiency constraints.

• Analytics dashboards: Offering real-time monitoring and adaptive scheduling insights.

• Industry publications: Sharing findings with the global port community to build confidence in quantum adoption.

This forward plan underscores the intent to move beyond pilot projects into operational rollouts.

A Broader Quantum-Logistics Wave

PSA’s announcement was part of a broader trend in 2022:

• IBM and Abu Dhabi Ports (July 2022) began exploring quantum simulation for logistics optimization.

• Airbus and IonQ (October 2022) applied quantum computing to aerospace cargo loading.

• Quantinuum and Mitsui (September 2022) announced joint projects to optimize Asia-Pacific logistics flows.

Together, these initiatives signal that logistics—traditionally slow to adopt emerging technologies—is becoming a proving ground for quantum applications.

Strategic Fit for Singapore

Singapore has long positioned itself as a leader in maritime innovation. Its Smart Nation agenda and Maritime 2050 vision emphasize digitalization, sustainability, and efficiency in port operations. PSA’s quantum pilot aligns perfectly with these national objectives.

By embracing quantum logistics early, Singapore strengthens its position as a global hub, ensuring its ports remain competitive amid rising trade volumes and decarbonization mandates.

Conclusion

PSA International’s partnership with D-Wave, announced on August 10, 2022, marks a defining moment in the application of quantum computing to real-time logistics. The pilot demonstrated that quantum annealing can reduce crane idle time and increase throughput in one of the world’s busiest ports, proving the operational value of hybrid quantum-classical solutions.

While challenges in scalability and integration remain, the success at Pasir Panjang provides a compelling case for broader adoption. As PSA expands pilots and shares results globally, this initiative could serve as a blueprint for how ports worldwide harness quantum power to optimize efficiency and sustainability.

In the longer term, if quantum annealing evolves into standard practice, the crane scheduling systems of the future may well be among the first operational logistics domains fully reshaped by quantum computing.