The Volkswagen Group has developed a traffic management system for taxi companies using quantum computing with D-Wave and will present its findings at the Web Summit technology conference in Lisbon.

The traffic management system would use precise calculations to replace forecasts of urban traffic volumesm transport demand, and travel times. D-Wave is a quantum computing specialist that worked with Volkswagen to develop a quantum algorithm that would help taxi companies deploy their fleets in a way that would minimze wait times for passengers.

Quantum computers can solve highly complex tasks such as traffic optimization much faster than conventional super-computers, according to Volkswagen.

"We want to gain an in-depth understanding of applications of this technology which could be beneficial to the company," said Florian Neukart, principal scientist at Volkswagen's CODE Lab in San Francisco. "This includes traffic optimization as public transport organizations and taxi companies in large cities are highly interested in managing their fleets efficiently. Our quantum-optimized traffic management system could assist them in the future."