Quantum computing in civil engineering: Potentials and limitations

First published in
Lecture notes in civil engineering  
Number in series
629 LNCE
Start Page
15
End Page
28
Citation
20th International Conference on Computing in Civil and Building Engineering, ICCCBE 2024 (2025)
Contribution to Conference
20th International Conference on Computing in Civil and Building Engineering, ICCCBE 2024  
Publisher DOI
10.1007/978-3-031-87364-5_2
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105002371663
Publisher
Springer
ISBN of container
978-3-031-87364-5
978-303187363-8
Quantum computing is a new computational paradigm with the potential to solve certain computationally challenging problems much faster than traditional approaches. Civil engineering encompasses many computationally challenging problems, which leads to the question of how well quantum computing is suitable for solving civil engineering problems and how much impact and implications to the field of civil engineering can be expected when deploying quantum computing for solving these problems. To address these questions, we will, in this paper, first introduce the fundamentals of quantum computing. Thereupon, we will analyze the problem classes to elucidate where quantum computing holds the potential to outperform traditional computers and, focusing on the limitations, where quantum computing is not considered the most suitable solution. Finally, we will review common complex computation use cases in civil engineering and evaluate the potential and the limitations of being improved by quantum computing.
Subjects
Civil engineering
Quantum computing
DDC Class
600: Technology
690: Building, Construction
539: Matter; Molecular Physics; Atomic and Nuclear physics; Radiation; Quantum Physics