Distributed Quantum Computing and Applications

量子力学以其预言的怪异性质而闻名：它允许几个不同的状态同时存在（量子叠加）和粒子之间的超强关联（量子纠缠）。量子计算（QC）利用这种奇怪的性质，比任何传统计算机都能提供更快，更准确的数据处理和安全的数据保护。英国国家量子计算中心确定的五个QC用例是优化、量子化学、流体动力学、机器学习和小分子模拟。英国政府早就认识到QC的未来潜力，并于2014年建立了一个全国性的量子技术中心网络。现在，QC成为英国国家增长计划中数字行业的三大“基础技术”之一。量子技术的国际发展正在迅速进行，美国技术巨头谷歌最近对数字量子优势进行了早期的学术演示。除了成熟的公司，QC的发展还催生了许多全球性的初创公司，包括剑桥量子计算，ORCA量子计算，牛津离子，牛津量子计算，相位，量子运动，Rahko和Riverlane。QC规模的不断扩大带来了几个关键的技术挑战：（1）隔离控制和系统间串扰，（2）高效的经典监控和反馈，以及（3）对大量相关问题数据的高效量子访问。事实上，面对传统计算中的类似问题，信息和通信技术（ICT）的研究人员一直致力于“分布式计算”，包括云计算和分布式数据的最佳处理。在ICT和QC研究人员的共同努力下，这个多学科团队将及时应对分布式量子信息处理（DQIP）量子设备网络集群的设计和有效使用的挑战。在补充可扩展量子计算方面正在进行的努力的同时，该项目旨在为实用的DQIP制定一个明确可行的路线图，并引入关键设计原则，以实现DQIP开发中每个复杂且相互关联的方面的凝聚力。因此，随着量子系统向工业规模发展，该项目也将有助于显示出显著的量子优势，增加QC的时间轴和实际工业评估的确定性，为英国经济向前发展在该领域增加投资和增长奠定基础。具体而言，该项目将探索设计问题的四个关键方面：（1）在应用层，给出了算法和体系结构的具体结构和要求：（2）在算法层，给出了量子和常规处理节点混合环境下的通信要求;（3）在网络层，将优化所需的量子过程，以实现最大的连通性;以及（4）在光互连层，将研究光子系统中量子信息的编码和有效传输。我们的目标是弥合QC和ICT中已建立的工具和方法之间的差距，并专注于设计问题的这些不同方面之间的相互关联的约束的强大网络，以实现实际DQIP的开发。为了实现这一目标，该项目汇集了一个调查团队，该团队在不同和互补领域的先前研究中具有良好的业绩记录，包括计算金融和流体动力学，优化的网络系统和分布式计算，以及量子信息和光学。

Quantum mechanics has been known for weird nature it predicts: It allows several distinct states to exist simultaneously (quantum superposition) and super-strong correlations (quantum entanglement) between particles. Quantum computing (QC) makes use of this weird nature for faster and more accurate data processing and secure data protection than any conventional computers can offer. Five use cases for QC identified by the UK National Quantum Computing Centre are optimisation, quantum chemistry, fluid dynamics, machine learning and small molecule simulation. The UK government has long recognised the future potential of QC, having established in 2014 a national network of Quantum Technology Hubs. Now, QC appears as one of three "foundational technologies" for the digital sector in the UK National Plan for Growth. International development in quantum technology is proceeding rapidly, with a recent, early academic demonstration of digital quantum advantage by the US technology monolith Google. Besides established companies, QC development has spawned many start-up companies worldwide with UK representations including Cambridge Quantum Computing, ORCA Quantum Computing, Oxford Ionics, Oxford Quantum Computing, Phasecraft, Quantum Motion, Rahko and Riverlane.The increasing scale of QC raises several key technological challenges: (1) Isolated control and inter-system crosstalk, (2) Efficient classical monitoring and feedback, and (3) Efficient quantum access to large amounts of relevant problem data. Indeed, facing similar problems in conventional computing, researchers in information and communication technology (ICT) have been working on 'distributed computing', including cloud computing and optimal processing of distributed data. With ICT and QC researchers working together, this multi-disciplinary team will tackle the timely challenge of the design and efficient use of networked clusters of quantum devices for distributed quantum information processing (DQIP). While complementing the on-going efforts on scalable quantum computing, this project aims to develop a clear and feasible roadmap to practical DQIP and to introduce lynchpin design principles to enable cohesive efforts across each of the complex and strongly inter-related aspects of DQIP development. This project will therefore also contribute to showing significant quantum advantages as quantum systems grow toward the industrial scale, increasing certainty in the timeline and practical industrial evaluation of QC, laying a foundation for increased investment and growth in this area for the UK economy moving forward.Specifically, this project will explore four key aspects of the design problem: (1) At the application layer, we set concrete structures and requirements for the algorithm and architecture; (2) At the algorithm layer, we define communication requirements in a hybrid environment of quantum and conventional processing nodes; (3) At the network layer, the required quantum processes will be optimised for the maximum connectivity; and (4) At the optical interconnect layer, the encoding and efficient transmission of quantum information in photonic systems will be studied. Our goal is to bridge the gap between QC and the established tools and methods in ICT, and to focus in on the strong network of inter-related constraints between these different aspects of the design problem to enable the development of practical DQIP. To achieve this goal, the project brings together an investigative team with strong track records for prior research in diverse and complementary fields, including computational finance and fluid dynamics, optimised networked systems and distributed computing, and quantum information and optics.