Thom, Lorenzo & Gago (D-Wave, InspirationQ, Moody’s): Why honest TSP benchmarks matter more than hype

Key takeaways

• Benchmarking the Travelling Salesperson Problem fairly means comparing quantum annealing against the best classical solvers available, not weak baselines built to make quantum look good.
• D-Wave's hybrid solver combines quantum annealing with classical heuristics, and the panel discusses where that combination actually helps versus where classical solvers alone still win.
• Moody's approaches optimization problems from a business risk perspective, asking whether a quantum or hybrid method delivers measurable value before adopting it, not just whether it runs.
• InspirationQ's role is to build neutral, reproducible benchmark methodology so companies can judge optimization claims on the same terms across vendors and problem sizes.