Speaker Interview: Joseph Doetsch, Quantum Lead, Lufthansa Industry Solutions

Quantum Leap

As a trained physicist working in data science and IT, Joseph Doetsch has followed quantum computing for a long time. However, recent advances in the space firmed up that keen interest. "When I saw that development in quantum computing hardware, algorithms and software frameworks could lead to business benefit within a few years, we started to identify potential use cases within Lufthansa," he said.

Quantum computing's potential to optimise the airline and logistic industries is immense. For Doetsch and Lufthansa, this led to a flurry of activity to test the boundaries of the technology over the last few years. As Joseph recalls, "We started programming first proof of concepts and built up our own quantum team."

The Role of Quantum at Lufthansa

Quantum computing has almost endless possible applications, and for Lufthansa Industry Solutions (LHIND), it benefits two aspects of their organisation. "LHIND scouts new technologies for the Lufthansa Group and implements the business-ready technologies in the different company sectors," Joseph notes.

"At the same time, LHIND is a leading IT consulting company, serving the automotive, logistics, maintenance-repair-overhaul and other sectors," he added.

Doetsch and his team use their research to identify use cases and develop business solutions within the Lufthansa Group while building and extending their knowledge base. These learnings then power their consulting arm, which Doetsch tells us "consists of quantum briefings and workshops, use case identification, and the implementation of quantum algorithms to solve real business problems."

Doetsch's role is central to these goals "I currently have the pleasure of advancing the topic of quantum computing within the company, as well as coordinating, together with the Lufthansa Industry Solutions Team, the quantum computing activities."

Quantum Computing: Optimising the Airline Business

Air traffic planning and airline operations are two obvious candidates for optimisation by quantum computing. Currently, LHIND is focused on solving flight route optimisation and logistics problems.

As Doetsch suggests, "Flight route optimisation needs to take into account frequently changing data, such as weather and wind patterns, while also adhering to fixed rules such as air traffic restrictions."

Lufthansa's goal is to minimise travel time, fuel consumption and climate impact simultaneously. As Doetsch says, "Taking these partly contradictory aspects into account makes the problem very complex and difficult to find the global optimum. Here, quantum computers could become a real game changer."

Quantum computing: Real-world Impact or Hype?

Quantum computing has been hailed as the future of complex calculations for decades; however, building these machines has proved difficult. We asked Joseph how close Lufthansa was to unlocking the incredible promise of this fascinating tech. "We are currently preparing for the availability of quantum computing hardware to solve business-relevant problems. While this may still be a few years down the road, we think it is important to prepare now."

Lufthansa is taking a long-term strategic approach that will allow them to hit the ground running once the tech becomes available. As Doetsch suggests, "Use case identification and algorithm development need to happen now so that we can be ready to gain business advantage."

Solutions for the Quantum Skills Gap

The quantum skills gap is a persistent issue across the ecosystem. Workers struggle to keep up with the pace of change. However, Lufthansa has been drawing upon internal resources. As Doetsch explains, "We have a very good base of data scientists with a physics background from which we currently recruit our quantum team."

Of course, the organisation also understands the importance of external talent acquisition. "We continuously grow our data science / AI and quantum teams and always look for talented and motivated new colleagues, especially AI Engineers, Data Engineers and Cloud Engineers/Architects."

QUTAC: Working Together to Deliver Solutions

Developing quantum computing machines is a vastly challenging and complex process. No organisation can solve these issues alone, which is why collaboration is critical. Quantum Technology & Application Consortium (QUTAC) is a collection of twelve of Germany's leading corporations collaborating on quantum computing.

As Doetsch explains, "QUTAC aims to promote the technical sovereignty of Germany and Europe and establish a new platform for action to bring industrial use of quantum technology to the fore."

Doetsch clarifies, "Its focus is not on the hardware but on developing and applying business cases. It is about building knowledge, gathering experience, and attracting and inspiring talented young people to engage with the new technology."

Quantum in Five Years

With so much excitement and progress being made in the quantum computing space, it's interesting to speculate as to what the sector will look like in the next five years. However, Doetsch sounds a note of caution, “We are currently waiting for the first case of quantum advantage on a business-relevant problem. It is optimistic to expect this in five years, but it may be possible."

As for what he's more confident will happen, Joseph says, "In general, I expect the quantum computing sector to grow significantly."

"On the software side, I am counting on further standardisation." he adds, before pointing out that "having a common programming interface that is easy to integrate into current software architecture and enables access to different quantum computers is key for leveraging business value."

Want to hear more? Catch Joseph Doetsch in person and on-stage at QuantumTech this September in London as he gives a keynote presentation titled: Leveraging quantum computing for the logistics and airline industry on day 2 at 2:50pm! Register now here.