Benchmarking Quantum Reinforcement Learning

Georg Kruse, Georg Kruse, Rodrigo Coelho, Andreas Rosskopf, Robert Wille, Jeanette-Miriam Lorenz, Jeanette-Miriam Lorenz

2025

Abstract

Quantum Reinforcement Learning (QRL) has emerged as a promising research field, leveraging the principles of quantum mechanics to enhance the performance of reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms. However, despite its growing interest, QRL still faces significant challenges. It is still uncertain if QRL can show any advantage over classical RL beyond artificial problem formulations. Additionally, it is not yet clear which streams of QRL research show the greatest potential. The lack of a unified benchmark and the need to evaluate the reliance on quantum principles of QRL approaches are pressing questions. This work aims to address these challenges by providing a comprehensive comparison of three major QRL classes: Parameterized Quantum Circuit based QRL (PQC-QRL) (with one policy gradient (QPG) and one Q-Learning (QDQN) algorithm), Free Energy based QRL (FE-QRL), and Amplitude Amplification based QRL (AA-QRL). We introduce a set of metrics to evaluate the QRL algorithms on the widely applicable benchmark of gridworld games. Our results provide a detailed analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the QRL classes, shedding light on the role of quantum principles in QRL and paving the way for future research in this field.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Kruse G., Coelho R., Rosskopf A., Wille R. and Lorenz J. (2025). Benchmarking Quantum Reinforcement Learning. In Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Agents and Artificial Intelligence - Volume 1: QAIO; ISBN 978-989-758-737-5, SciTePress, pages 773-782. DOI: 10.5220/0013393200003890

in Bibtex Style

@conference{qaio25,
author={Georg Kruse and Rodrigo Coelho and Andreas Rosskopf and Robert Wille and Jeanette-Miriam Lorenz},
title={Benchmarking Quantum Reinforcement Learning},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Agents and Artificial Intelligence - Volume 1: QAIO},
year={2025},
pages={773-782},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0013393200003890},
isbn={978-989-758-737-5},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Agents and Artificial Intelligence - Volume 1: QAIO
TI - Benchmarking Quantum Reinforcement Learning
SN - 978-989-758-737-5
AU - Kruse G.
AU - Coelho R.
AU - Rosskopf A.
AU - Wille R.
AU - Lorenz J.
PY - 2025
SP - 773
EP - 782
DO - 10.5220/0013393200003890
PB - SciTePress