  There are a number of tasks in quantum information science that exploit
non-transitional adiabatic dynamics. Such a dynamics is bounded by the
adiabatic theorem, which naturally imposes a speed limit in the evolution of
quantum systems. Here, we investigate an approach for quantum state engineering
exploiting a shortcut to the adiabatic evolution, which is based on rapid
quenches in a continuous-time Hamiltonian evolution. In particular, this
procedure is able to provide state preparation faster than the adiabatic
brachistochrone. Remarkably, the evolution time in this approach is shown to be
ultimately limited by its "thermodynamical cost,"provided in terms of the
average work rate (average power) of the quench process. We illustrate this
result in a scenario that can be experimentally implemented in a nuclear
magnetic resonance setup.
