Virtual Workshop on Dependable Classical-Quantum Computing Systems Engineering (DCQCS)

As quantum computing systems mature, we are forced to reason about their operational properties close to or in production environments alongside classical HPC resources. Quantum Processing Units (QPUs) of various sorts have evolved to the point of allowing some degree of fault tolerance at lower levels of the stack, yet these remain far from being dependable on their own; we are still at the border of NISQ systems. Simultaneously, QPUs and HPCs have a dual interplay: QPUs can serve as an accelerator, and HPC resources can help improve quantum control and increase their dependability. Growing complexity of quantum hardware platforms and their integration implies higher probability of unintentional failures, malicious exploits, and systematic artifacts. Taming this complexity toward resiliency, security and reproducibility –i.e., dependability writ large- requires building a new kind of engineering discipline, borrowing principles from existing ones, and at the same time discovering new ones pertaining to the classical-quantum interface. 

This virtual workshop addresses the central question of how to establish a roadmap for dependable classical-quantum computer systems engineering and a community to support it. In particular, we would like to be able to answer questions such as:

• What are specific gaps in quantum computing stacks that limit resiliency, security and reproducibility?
• How do we define and measure reliability in a classical-quantum system?
• What does reproducibility mean when QPUs are present?
• What challenges does each quantum technology platform bring to dependability?
• What qualitative and quantitative methods can we borrow from other disciplines to better define dependability?
• Which kinds of security vulnerabilities do QPUs and their control infrastructure introduce?
• What is the role of classical and quantum networks in the dependability landscape?
• Can classical-quantum computer systems design become more prescriptive rather than experimental through the introduction of theory?
• How do we as a community organize around these topics into a coherent and actionable body of knowledge?

In short, we seek to define the boundaries of what classical-quantum systems engineering means, the obstacles these systems to overcome to achieve dependability, as well as the research and technology development opportunities that result from analysis of current work at the intersection of relevant disciplines.

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