Advanced Quantum Testbed (AQT) at Berkeley Lab is a cutting-edge joint research center supported by the United States to enhance quantum computing. AQT has organized the IEEE International Conference on Quantum Computing and Engineering (QCE) workshop focusing on Classical Control Systems for Quantum Computing.
The one-day hybrid workshop titled “Classical Control Systems for Quantum Computing,” held last September 2022, was chaired by Kasra Nowrouzi, Anastasiia Butko, and Gang Huang, was joined by 12 more quantum researchers and industry professionals from prominent research and development programs throughout the world. The workshop has provided a once-in-a-lifetime chance for a rising number of stakeholders in a rapidly changing subject to present the most recent experimental control advancements across various technologies.
In numerous ways, quantum researchers are pushing the limits of Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) gear. They are creating unique qubits resistant to noise and decoherence, software and hardware-based noise mitigation techniques, and innovative quantum processors with growing size and complexity. Furthermore, experts in quantum and hybrid quantum-classical algorithms continue to exert ever-increasing demands on control systems.
As a result, more advanced control and readout characteristics are required for conventional control electronic systems that can harness and optimize the performance of quantum computers. However, handling an increasing number of qubits with accuracy while limiting noise and crosstalk faults is frequently dependent on the type of architecture, making system-wide affordability, flexibility, and efficiency difficult for research organizations to reconcile.
“There are different paths to developing classical controls for quantum information systems, including commercially available solutions, proprietary integrated controls, and open source systems. While these solutions have enabled experimental breakthroughs worldwide, including at AQT, there are no perfect comprehensive control solutions to meet all experimental needs. After many years of parallel or divergent developments, we felt it was time for the community to come together and jointly plan the path forward”
Kasra Nowrouzi, AQT’s head of hardware
Several presenters from industry, academia, and national labs explained why it is critical better to understand the real-time control requirements for new quantum circuits as system needs and size expand. The gap between existing electronic controls, including cryocontrols for superconducting quantum hardware, and those required for future fault-tolerant, universal error-corrected quantum processors, for example, remains large.
“Quantum control requires the careful orchestration of classical computing and electronics, across multiple temperature domains. IEEE Quantum Week is an ideal venue for workshops and tutorials on this cross-cutting area that spans several disciplines in engineering and physics. We are pleased to bring together industry, academia, and government labs to foster collaboration and new directions in research and development in this critical part of the quantum infrastructure,”
Greg Byrd, North Carolina State University professor and IEEE Quantum Week 2022 general chair
Several issues were addressed by the live and virtual audiences during the Q&As concerning how to best handle the overlap of activities. The workshop was joined by private industries and public research programs working together to make the control solution flexible. Many presenters also pointed out that open source initiatives are among the best ways to test control solutions while educating following scholars in the physics and technology of quantum information.
“We are delighted that the workshop at IEEE Quantum Week 2022 organized by Berkeley Lab had an impressive lineup and was one of the most well-attended. It was a great success in bringing together developers and scientific users of controls from many companies and research labs to discuss the scientific needs, technological challenges, and opportunities going forward. We hope to see this line of conversation expand in the coming years,”
Hausi Müller, co-chair IEEE Future Directions Quantum Initiative and IEEE Quantum Week steering committee chair.
A multidisciplinary team focused on developing, producing, and applying superconducting quantum processors has been assembled by AQT. For superconducting quantum processors, AQT has created the QubiC modular electronics control and measurement system, which is both internal to the company and open source. QubiC has been nominated as a finalist for the 2022 R&D 100 Awards and has been noted as significant numerous times in the scientific literature.
“At AQT, we recognize that architecture modularity paves the way to exploration and extensibility, so keeping electronic controls agile and adaptable is vital. There is no clear choice for the perfect controls solution for the near future; such discussions among stakeholders will smoothen the path to convergence in the longer term.”
Kasra Nowrouzi, AQT’s head of hardware
The testbed has already aided several research initiatives from academia, government laboratories, and business that involved benchmarking the most recent iteration of noisy intermediate-scale quantum hardware, co-designing the next-generation of architectures and algorithms, and executing algorithms for scientific computation.
