Quantum algorithms for scheduling problems: a survey

Abstract

Quantum algorithms have the potential to solve combinatorial optimization problems faster than classical algorithms. A particular example for combinatorial optimization problems are scheduling problems. This work provides summarizes quantum or quantum-inspired algorithms for scheduling problems, providing an overview of 20 years of research. We categorize the approaches by problem type and algorithm type. A condensation of the reviewed literature to the main ideas and details about the considered problem size, solvers and evaluation metrics enables a quick comparison with and placement into the current state of research for future works. We further critically assess the comparability of the reviewed literature and present crucial metrics for future comparison.