Compiler and language design for quantum computing (keynote)

Abstract

Quantum computing, once merely a curious concept discussed within the field of theoretical physics, has long-since become of practical interest in numerous fields and caught the attention of mainstream media. The reason for the widespread interest stems from the tremendous impact it could have on today’s technology. Quantum computing could revolutionize how we develop new materials, how we approach machine learning and optimization tasks, and provide answers to some of the most intriguing questions in physics, chemistry and biology. Despite having been conceived as early as 1981, quantum computers remained beyond the realms of possibility until recently. Building a scalable programmable universal device to this day is one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century. Such an endeavor entails a set of unique requirements for the design of classical software. In my talk I will discuss the particularities of compiling for quantum hardware compared to classical machines, and what advantages a well designed quantum computing language can provide. I will outline the architecture of the software stack involved in translating high level mathematical concepts into machine instructions, and elaborate on the role of classical computing in this new age of quantum.