Encrypted QUBO Solving for Secure Cloud Optimization

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing solutions for solving Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) problems face challenges in balancing computational efficiency with information security, particularly when data is transmitted over online platforms, exposing sensitive information to service providers.

Innovation Solution

A cryptographic method is employed to encrypt the QUBO problem before transmission, using either an encryption matrix or vector to secure the data, ensuring that only the user can decrypt the solution.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If QUBO problems are solved through online platforms, then computational efficiency is improved, but information security deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomputational efficiencyVSAvoidinformation security

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by encrypting the QUBO problem data before transmission to the online solver. The encryption is performed in advance on the user's side, transforming the original problem into an encrypted form that can be solved computationally while protecting the underlying information. This allows the system to leverage cloud computing resources for efficient solving while maintaining security through pre-encryption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces encryption as an intermediary layer between the user's sensitive data and the online solver. The encrypted representation of the QUBO problem acts as a mediator that enables computational processing without exposing the original information. The solver works with the encrypted form, and the solution is subsequently decrypted by the user, thus the intermediary encryption mechanism preserves both computational efficiency and information security.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of information

If QUBO problems are solved locally, then information security is improved, but computational efficiency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation securityVSAvoidcomputational efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by encrypting the QUBO problem data before transmission to the online solver. The encryption is performed in advance on the user's side, transforming the original problem into an encrypted form that can be solved computationally while protecting the underlying information. This allows the system to leverage cloud computing resources for efficient solving while maintaining security through pre-encryption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces encryption as an intermediary layer between the user's sensitive data and the online solver. The encrypted representation of the QUBO problem acts as a mediator that enables computational processing without exposing the original information. The solver works with the encrypted form, and the solution is subsequently decrypted by the user, thus the intermediary encryption mechanism preserves both computational efficiency and information security.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Loss of information

If encryption is applied to QUBO problems, then information security is improved, but device complexity deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation securityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the encryption and decryption operations from the core QUBO solving process, implementing them as separate preliminary and post-processing steps. The encryption module transforms the original QUBO problem into an encrypted form that is then passed to a standard QUBO solver unchanged. This separation allows the use of well-established QUBO solving algorithms without modifying them, while adding security through the extracted encryption layer.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs universal encryption techniques that can be applied to any QUBO problem regardless of its specific structure or application domain. The encryption method works with the general QUBO formulation, making the security mechanism universally applicable across different problem types without requiring problem-specific customization. This universality reduces the overall system complexity by using a single encryption approach for all cases.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS20250365148A1Solving cryptography method for optimization and QUBO problems solver system

Publication Date: 2025.11.27 QCENTROID LABS SL

AI summary

A QUBO solving method for optimizing a function f(x) defined by a matrix Q and a vector p such 5 that and comprising the steps of: encrypting the function f(x) to be optimized by using an encryption matrix P and/or an encryption vector k; sending the encrypted version of the function to be optimized f′(x′) to a QUBO solver; receiving an encrypted version of the solution to the QUBO problem x′*, obtained by optimization of the encrypted version of the function f′(x′) performed by the QUBO solver; and decrypting the solution to the QUBO problem, thus obtaining x*.