How do quantum annealing and quantum optimization algorithms differ from gate-based quantum computing approaches?

Quantum annealing and quantum optimization algorithms are specialized quantum computing techniques used to solve combinatorial optimization problems by finding the lowest-energy state of a quantum system. Gate-based quantum computing, on the other hand, relies on manipulating individual qubits using quantum gates to perform computations. While gate-based quantum computing is more versatile, quantum annealing excels in certain optimization tasks due to its analog nature.