Optimization of Air Traffic Applications

Lufthansa Industry Solutions Joins Quantum Technology & Application Consortium

Berlin/Norderstedt, February 2, 2022 – The Quantum Technology & Application Consortium (QUTAC) is gaining two new members: In addition to the founding members BASF, BMW Group, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bosch, Infineon, Merck, Munich Re, SAP, Siemens and Volkswagen, Lufthansa Industry Solutions and Deutsche Telekom AG will also be involved in the consortium in the future for the industrial utilization of quantum computing. This means that QUTAC is accepting its first new members just over six months after its founding on June 10, 2021 and is also representing the German telecommunications and aviation industries for the first time.

“We are pleased to welcome Deutsche Telekom and Lufthansa Industry Solutions as two more leading German companies to QUTAC, bringing essential application areas of quantum computing from their industries to the consortium,” said Dr. Reinhard Ploss, Chairman of the QUTAC Executive Committee and CEO of Infineon Technologies AG. “We are thus taking another important step toward a commercially successful quantum computing ecosystem and towards strengthening the digital sovereignty of Germany and Europe.”

Quantum computing in aviation

Lufthansa Industry Solutions will focus on air traffic applications such as quantum computing-based optimization of maintenance processes, flight plan and flight routes, gate assignment and air cargo distribution. With these application problems, the Lufthansa subsidiary will focus on scheduling and routing problems in the aviation industry.

“We want to drive innovation and invest in innovation to help our customers succeed in a strong market environment,” emphasizes Jörn Messner, Managing Director of Lufthansa Industry Solutions. “Quantum computing is a significant future technology, and our goal is to foster cross-industry and open exchange, thereby driving innovation and launching directly once the technology is widely available.”

“Quantum computing is a significant future technology, and our goal is to foster cross-industry and open exchange, thereby driving innovation and launching directly once the technology is widely available.”
Jörn Messner, Managing Director der Lufthansa Industry Solutions

QUTAC begins operational work

Six months after its founding, QUTAC has also laid the foundation for the operational work of its members. In a position paper published by Springer Open, the consortium provides an overview of the state of quantum computing in the industries of its member companies and identifies 24 application cases in which it will drive industrial utilization. On this basis, QUTAC has successfully begun operational implementation. Members are working together in working groups to develop specific applications. These include the topics of materials research, production and logistics, engineering and design, and quantum systems. News about the consortium's work is published on the central platform at www.qutac.de.

In the Quantum Technology and Application Consortium (QUTAC), some of Germany's largest corporations from business and industry have joined forces to elevate quantum computing to the level of large-scale industrial application. QUTAC members include BASF, BMW Group, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bosch, Deutsche Telekom AG, Infineon, Lufthansa Industry Solutions, Merck, Munich Re, SAP, Siemens and Volkswagen. The consortium's goal is to identify, develop, test and share applications for quantum computing and to identify funding needs. Within the framework of various development projects, the members are driving forward initial practical applications in the field of quantum computing in their respective industries and also across industries.

Lufthansa Industry Solutions is a service provider for IT consulting and system integration. This Lufthansa subsidiary helps its clients with the digital transformation of their companies. Its customer base includes companies both within and outside the Lufthansa Group, as well as more than 300 companies in various lines of business. The company is based in Norderstedt and employs more than 2,100 members of staff at several branch offices in Germany, Albania, Switzerland and the USA.