ProvideQ: A Quantum Optimization Toolbox

Abstract: Hybrid solvers for combinatorial optimization problems combine the advantages of classical and quantum computing to overcome difficult computational challenges. Although their theoretical performance seems promising, their practical applicability is challenging due to the lack of a technological stack that can seamlessly integrate quantum solutions with existing classical optimization frameworks. We tackle this challenge by introducing the ProvideQ toolbox, a software tool that enables users to easily adapt and configure hybrid solvers via Meta-Solver strategies. A Meta-Solver strategy implements decomposition techniques, which splits problems into classical and quantum subroutines. The ProvideQ toolbox enables the interactive creation of such decompositions via a Meta-Solver configuration tool. It combines well-established classical optimization techniques with quantum circuits that are seamlessly executable on multiple backends. This paper introduces the technical details of the ProvideQ toolbox, explains its architecture, and demonstrates possible applications for several real-world use cases. Our proof of concept shows that Meta-Solver strategies already enable the application of quantum subroutines today, however, more sophisticated hardware is required to make their performance competitive.