Architecting full-stack quantum computing systems in the NISQ era and beyond

Abstract

The advances in quantum hardware with functional quantum processors integrating tens of noisy qubits, together with the availability of near-term quantum algorithms have allowed the development of the so-called full-stacks that bridge quantum applications with quantum devices. In this talk, we will provide an overview of the different layers of the quantum computing full-stack, with emphasis on the software ones that include the compilation of quantum algorithms. We will then discuss the need for optimal physical-aware and algorithm-driven compilation techniques in the midst of the NISQ (Noisy Intermediate-scale quantum) era. We will also focus on key principles for architecting quantum computers such as codesign, optimization and benchmarking and illustrate how the use of structured design space exploration methodologies could help towards the development of a cross-layer codesign framework for full-stack quantum computing systems. Finally, we will talk about the scalability of quantum computing systems, which is one of the main challenges the quantum computing community is currently facing.