On 13th June 2025, the NHR Quantum Optimization Tutorial took place at ISC High Performance 2025 (ISC’25) in Hamburg. Organized by three NHR centers, Paderborn Center for Parallel Computing (PC2), NHR-Nord@Göttingen, and NHR@ZIB, the tutorial provided participants with hands-on experience in quantum computing and its advantages for solving optimization problems in scientific applications.
The tutorial began with an introduction to gate-based quantum computing and variational quantum algorithms, allowing participants to experiment with quantum circuits, quantum eigensolver and minimizer using Qiskit during hands-on exercises. The second session focused on the Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA), a quantum algorithm designed to solve combinatorial optimization problems by integrating gate-based quantum circuits and classical optimization. Participants engaged in interactive exercises, learning to design parameterized quantum circuits and explore potential quantum speedups for tackling NP-hard problems on HPC system. Real-world applications were demonstrated, including computation of the lowest eigenvalue, max-cut in undirected graph, and job shop scheduling problem, showcasing how quantum computing can address complex optimization challenges on HPC clusters.
“The combination of theoretical introductions and practical demos made quantum optimization concepts much more approachable,” remarked one participant during the hands-on session.
