The QPath Blog


QuantumPath® accelerates practical preparation of quantum software developers

Authors

José Luis Hevia
aQuantum CTO

As we know, quantum computing is based on exploiting the properties of quantum mechanics and is the field of physics that describes the behaviour of nature at subatomic levels, for which classical mechanics could not find a satisfactory solution. But although “quantum theory is the deepest explanation known to science…. It violates many of the assumptions of common sense and all previous science” [1].

As a result, the learning curve for this new technology is significantly higher than previous ones and requires
much more time for the organisation to have the necessary skills. The lack of talent in quantum technologies in general, and especially in quantum computing, is tremendous and one of the most serious problems facing companies [2]. Prof. Narang states that “If anything is holding back the Quantum Decade, it is unlikely to be technology. It will be talent. There is access to capital, a lot of interest, and we will have the technology. It’s the people we need” [3]. In the same vein in the Quantum Computing and Communications: Status and Prospects. Technology Assessment, Report to Congressional Addressees points to the size and capacity of the workforce as one of the main factors affecting the development and use of quantum technology, calling for expanding this workforce “by building on existing programmes and creating new ones, promoting job training, and facilitating the appropriate recruitment of an international workforce” [4].

As far as quantum software development is concerned, the Software Engineering Institute insists that “it is imperative that companies try quantum computing as early as possible. The world is moving fast, so it is important to see and embrace the benefits of quantum computing to stay ahead of the competition” [5]. In fact, although international curricula do not yet consider quantum computing in the necessary depth [6], there are already several proposals to include quantum computing as a subject in computer science education [7]. There have even been several successful experiments at primary and secondary school level as well as at university level [8].

QuantumPath®, in the quantum computing technology landscape, is not only a quantum computing environment in the cloud, a platform for the development and lifecycle of quantum software applications, and a quantum system that supports the execution of quantum processing units transparently from the environment in which they run [9]; but it is also very efficient for the training and preparation of the workforce required for quantum software development, drastically reducing the learning curve and thus contributing to a rapid practical adoption of quantum software in enterprises because, among other qualities, it is a platform that:

·    It is truly quantum hardware agnostic, freeing developers from the need to know and apply different programming languages in their developments, as well as the technical details of the quantum platforms on which the quantum processing units will run.

·   Supports quantum software development for different technological approaches: gate-based, quantum annealing, simulators, etc.

·   Supports BizDevOps, allowing developers to work with the “business” team and thus master the problem to be implemented in less time.

·    Assures the investment in training of the quantum workforce because:

o  It is designed for the reusability of algorithm development and software solutions because of its total software portability: write once, run everywhere.

o  Its architecture is designed for future-proof quantum software development, ready by design to accompany the evolution of quantum hardware with scalable quantum circuits and annealing formulations thanks to its dynamic management of gates, variables, etc. 

o  It is designed for the professional development of quantum algorithms and software for the widest possible range of applications: Chemistry, Economics, Finance, Health, Logistics, …

In fact, in addition to its characteristics as a quantum development platform [10] [11] and the advantages it brings [12], it not only allows solving the quality problems of quantum platforms [13], but also allows training and preparation to be carried out very quickly.

 When it comes to training, especially of short duration, which allows the characteristics and possibilities of quantum computing to be known, the problem is often that too much time is wasted preparing the execution environments (which is different for each manufacturer), understanding how to deploy the circuits or the annealing formulas, the way to retrieve and display the results, etc. For this reason, the agnosticism provided by QuantumPath® [14] makes it easy for the first-time user of a quantum platform to disregard most of the technical problems, as QuantumPath® manages them transparently. In this way, introductory courses can really concentrate on the conceptual issues and make it possible to practice with the circuits in a very simple way, executing them very quickly and without getting lost in implementation details. This is the case, for example, with the “Hands On Workshop” that serves as an introduction to Amazon Braket and QuantumPath®, focusing on the creation of quantum solutions, which is attended by almost 300 people from a large number of countries and universities.

Also in the more academic environment, these characteristics of QuantumPath® are very useful for the training in quantum computing of computer science students, who are used to working with high-level environments. An example of this is the “Curso Propio en Programación de Software Cuántico” organised by the UCLM for the Spanish-speaking quantum community, in which the training is essentially based on QuantumPath®

These characteristics of QuantumPath® have also been very important for universities in different countries, Academic Partners of aQNetwork, to have adopted QuantumPath® for Academic activities on Quantum Software Engineering and Programming. To facilitate these activities, the QuantumPath® Academic Agreements provide universities with access and use of an academic license to QuantumPath®, as well as the opportunity to collaborate to develop Quantum Software Engineering and Programming methodologies and tools.

With the emergence of the new quantum industry, a new skilled and knowledgeable workforce is needed [17]. But the supply of talent in quantum computing is very limited, with fierce competition for skilled resources. We are convinced that QuantumPath® provides an excellent basis to contribute to quantum computing education in a very efficient way (fulfilling the calls to action of the Talavera Manifesto [18]). Furthermore, a good background in quantum computing will allow us to understand the challenges and choose an appropriate approach to enter this field, thus decreasing the likelihood of failure or even of a “quantum winter” like the one experienced by Artificial Intelligence [19].

By simplifying the work of quantum software developers by abstracting its technical complications, QuantumPath® is an accelerator of practical quantum workforce readiness that improves developer productivity and company competitiveness in the emerging quantum software business.

References

[1] Deutsch, D. The Beginning of the Infinity. Allen Lane, 2011, U.K.

[2] Peterssen, G. Quantum technology impact: the necessary workforce for developing quantum software. http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2561/paper1.pdf. CEUR Workshop Proceedings. 2020

[3] The Quantum Decade. A playbook for achieving awareness, readiness, and advantage. IBM Institute for Business Value, 2021. Available: https://www.ibm.com/downloads/cas/J25G35OK

[4] Quantum Computing and Communications: Status and Prospects. Technology Assessment, Report to Congressional Addressees, United States Government Accountability Office, October 2021, GAO-22-104422.

[5] SEI (2021). Architecting the Future of Software Engineering. A National Agenda for Software Engineering Research & Development. Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute, November  2021. ttps://resources.sei.cmu.edu/library/asset-view.cfm?assetid=741193

[6] Piattini, M. Training Needs in Quantum Computing. http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2561/paper2.pdf

[7] Quantum Computing As a Topic in Computer Science Education https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3481312.3481348

[8] Web aQuantum, Apartado Formación.  https://aquantum.uclm.es/lang/en/FormacionEn.php

[9] Mario Piattini, Guido Peterssen, José Luis Hevia.QuantumPath® in the quantum computing technology landscape. https://www.quantumpath.es/2021/11/08/quantumpath-in-the-quantum-computing-technology-landscape/

[10] Quantum Computing. Jose Luis Hevia, Guido Peterssen, Christof Ebert, Mario Piattini. IEEE Softw. 38(5): 7-15
(2021).
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9520227

[11] Hevia, J. L. QPath Featureshttps://www.quantumpath.es/2020/12/10/qpath_features/ The QPath Blog. 2021

[12] QPath capabilities. https://www.quantumpath.es/qpath-capabilities/

[13] Piattini, M. QPath solves most of the quality problems of quantum computing platforms.  https://www.quantumpath.es/index.php/2021/02/11/qpath-solves-most-of-the-quality-problems-of-quantum-computing-platforms/. The QPath Blog. 2021

[14] Peterssen, G. Advantages of agnostic development of quantum algorithms and APPs for the real world with QPath. https://www.quantumpath.es/2021/02/25/advantages-of-agnostic-development-of-quantum-algorithms-and-apps-for-the-real-world-with-qpath/

[15] Hands On Workshop – Introduction to Amazon Braket and QuantumPath®: Creating Quantum Solutions. https://www.aquantum.es/hands-on-workshop-introduction-to-amazon-braket-and-quantumpath-creating-quantum-solutions/

[16] CURSO PROPIO DE PROGRAMACIÓN DE SOFTWARE CUÁNTICO. https://www.uclm.es/estudios/propios/curso-programacion-software-cuantico

[17] Assessing the Needs of the Quantum Industry. https://arxiv.org/pdf/2109.03601.pdf

[18] The Talavera Manifesto for Quantum Software Engineering and Programming. Mario Piattini, Guido Peterssen, Ricardo Pérez-Castillo, José L. Hevia, Manuel A. Serrano, Guillermo Hernández, Ignacio García Rodríguez de Guzmán, Claudo A.  Paradela, Macario Polo, Ezequiel Murina, Luis Jiménez, Juan C. Marqueño, Ramsés Gallego, Jordi Tura, Frank Phillipson, Juan M. Murillo, Alfonso Niño, and Moisés Rodríguez. 2020, https://www.aquantum.es/manifesto/

[19] Lenahan, B. Quantum Adoption: Lessons Learned from a Quantum Strategist. Quantum Strategy Institute (2021). https://quantumstrategyinstitute.com/2021/10/24/quantum-adoption-lessons-learned-from-a-quantum-strategist/