Quantum Computing (QC) systems are increasingly being explored as the next high-impact extension to the computing spectrum, particularly with potential integration into supercomputers and cloud environments. The successful interoperability between classical and quantum systems will depend on middleware interacting with heterogeneous hardware technologies and their associated software stacks and data management methods.
The most realistically feasible approach towards leveraging QC in the near term involves loosely-coupled integration of the classical and quantum devices through classical computing networks. Although these solutions can offload computation to quantum systems, approaches toward high-level hybrid programming are still lacking. Current work on integrating QC into classical computing ecosystems focuses on the algorithms’ interoperability and performance without considering workflow-specific challenges like task-resource mapping, orchestration, workload balancing, and integration with existing workflow management environments. In this context, we find complex open challenges in combining multiple programming models in a single application with workflow steps that combine quantum and classical processing in a domain-agnostic manner.
This working group aims to explore pathways towards developing hybrid quantum-classical workflows that reconcile quantum and classical systems and software stacks. By bringing together academia, government, and industry representatives of the QC and computational workflows communities, we aim to monitor the opportunities and directions in this emerging space, enable new collaborations, and identify immediate next steps to address pressing challenges in developing hybrid quantum-classical workflows. Specifically, we pursue the following objectives:
- Identify and implement target applications and use cases
- Develop benchmark and representative mini-apps
- Define experimental methodologies for evaluating hybrid workflows
- Adapt and maintain workflow management systems for hybrid environments
- Promote interaction and collaboration with the wider quantum computing community