The Role of Computer Architecture in Advancing QC (and the Role of QC in Advancing Computer Architecture!)

For decades, Quantum Computing has been seen as a compelling possibility as a novel form of computing offering the potential of speedups large enough to make useful intractable problems tractable. In recent years, near-term quantum computers have been built demonstrating the basics of the approach. A huge gap exists, however, between the resource requirements of “useful” QC algorithms, and the resources available on current near-term prototypes.

Computer Architecture research seeks to help close this gap by bringing expertise on optimizations and abstractions developed in decades of advances in classical computing. For example, our group has worked on techniques for (i) portable noise-aware compilation, (ii) circuit cutting to fit large codes into smaller prototypes, and (ii) algorithmic optimizations well-suited to today’s near-term implementations. Offering 3X-50X benefits, these techniques offer the potential to close the algorithms-prototype gap years sooner than otherwise. Also interestingly, I will note ways in which computer architecture explorations for QC are in turn also influencing how classical computer systems are designed and run.