Telefónica and Würth Deploy Quantum Computing for Logistics Packaging Optimization, Reducing Transport Volume

Key Takeaways

Order Efficiency Gains: Pilot improved packaging efficiency across 14% of more than 6,000 processed orders.

Volume and Material Cuts: Shipping boxes reduced by around 3%, truck transport volume by up to 7%, and cardboard consumption by more than 6%.

Hybrid Industrial Use Case: One of the first industrial quantum computing applications at Telefónica’s Bilbao center combines quantum solvers with AI for real logistics data.

Telefónica and Würth España, the Spanish subsidiary of the Würth Group, have developed a pioneering innovation project applying quantum computing and artificial intelligence to optimize logistics packaging at Würth’s facility in Agoncillo, La Rioja. The initiative was executed in collaboration with TECNALIA and QCentroid at Telefónica’s Javier Echenique Quantum Technologies Talent and Technology Center in Bilbao. Across more than 6,000 orders the pilot improved packaging efficiency for 14% of shipments, cutting the number of boxes by approximately 3%, truck transport volume by up to 7%, and cardboard consumption by more than 6%.

Hybrid Quantum Packing Optimization

The project targets the combinatorial packing problem of arranging heterogeneous products into the fewest and smallest shipping containers while minimizing wasted space. Quantum computing approaches, integrated with classical artificial intelligence algorithms through QCentroid’s QuantumOps platform, enable hybrid solvers capable of exploring high-dimensional configuration spaces that challenge purely classical heuristics at operational scale. Real order data from the Agoncillo logistics center guided the optimization, producing denser packing schemes that reduced both container count and overall shipment volume. Developed at the Javier Echenique Quantum Technologies Talent and Technology Center—inaugurated in January 2026 as a European hub for applied quantum technologies—the work ranks among the earliest industrial quantum computing use cases focused on supply-chain operations.

TECNALIA contributed applied research expertise while QCentroid supplied the enterprise quantum adoption layer that translates algorithmic progress into deployable workflows. Telefónica’s telecommunications infrastructure provided the connectivity and service framework supporting access to these emerging computational resources. The resulting hybrid quantum-classical pipeline demonstrates that near-term quantum hardware and software can already deliver measurable operational value when paired with mature AI techniques and domain-specific logistics data.

Logistics Efficiency and Sustainability Impact

Quantitative outcomes from the pilot confirm commercial relevance. The hybrid quantum-AI approach was applied to real operational data from Würth’s Agoncillo logistics center, delivering the following measured improvements:


Table: Delivered and measured results from the quantum-AI study.

These savings translate directly into lower per-order logistics costs for Würth while advancing material-efficiency and emissions-related sustainability targets. The approach remains fully compatible with existing warehouse execution systems, enabling incremental deployment rather than wholesale replacement of current processes.

The project further consolidates Telefónica’s broader quantum technology portfolio. The operator previously introduced quantum-safe data-center interconnection services and became the first European carrier to run an experimental metropolitan Quantum Key Distribution network over commercial fiber. Additional pilots have secured healthcare links with Vithas and are protecting Spanish National Police facilities through combined QKD and post-quantum cryptography. By adding a high-volume industrial logistics use case, Telefónica illustrates that hybrid quantum solutions now address both security and operational-efficiency requirements across multiple economic sectors.

Bottom Line

Telefónica and Würth show hybrid quantum computing already yields concrete efficiency and sustainability gains in industrial logistics packaging.

Find out more here.

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