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    Rigorous compilation for near-term quantum computers
    (2024) Brandhofer, Sebastian; Polian, Ilia (Prof.)
    Quantum computing promises an exponential speedup for computational problems in material sciences, cryptography and drug design that are infeasible to resolve by traditional classical systems. As quantum computing technology matures, larger and more complex quantum states can be prepared on a quantum computer, enabling the resolution of larger problem instances, e.g. breaking larger cryptographic keys or modelling larger molecules accurately for the exploration of novel drugs. Near-term quantum computers, however, are characterized by large error rates, a relatively low number of qubits and a low connectivity between qubits. These characteristics impose strict requirements on the structure of quantum computations that must be incorporated by compilation methods targeting near-term quantum computers in order to ensure compatibility and yield highly accurate results. Rigorous compilation methods have been explored for addressing these requirements as they exactly explore the solution space and thus yield a quantum computation that is optimal with respect to the incorporated requirements. However, previous rigorous compilation methods demonstrate limited applicability and typically focus on one aspect of the imposed requirements, i.e. reducing the duration or the number of swap gates in a quantum computation. In this work, opportunities for improving near-term quantum computations through compilation are explored first. These compilation opportunities are included in rigorous compilation methods to investigate each aspect of the imposed requirements, i.e. the number of qubits, connectivity of qubits, duration and incurred errors. The developed rigorous compilation methods are then evaluated with respect to their ability to enable quantum computations that are otherwise not accessible with near-term quantum technology. Experimental results demonstrate the ability of the developed rigorous compilation methods to extend the computational reach of near-term quantum computers by generating quantum computations with a reduced requirement on the number and connectivity of qubits as well as reducing the duration and incurred errors of performed quantum computations. Furthermore, the developed rigorous compilation methods extend their applicability to quantum circuit partitioning, qubit reuse and the translation between quantum computations generated for distinct quantum technologies. Specifically, a developed rigorous compilation method exploiting the structure of a quantum computation to reuse qubits at runtime yielded a reduction in the required number of qubits of up to 5x and result error by up to 33%. The developed quantum circuit partitioning method optimally distributes a quantum computation to distinct separate partitions, reducing the required number of qubits by 40% and the cost of partitioning by 41% on average. Furthermore, a rigorous compilation method was developed for quantum computers based on neutral atoms that combines swap gate insertions and topology changes to reduce the impact of limited qubit connectivity on the quantum computation duration by up to 58% and on the result fidelity by up to 29%. Finally, the developed quantum circuit adaptation method enables to translate between distinct quantum technologies while considering heterogeneous computational primitives with distinct characteristics to reduce the idle time of qubits by up to 87% and the result fidelity by up to 40%.
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    ItemOpen Access
    Test planning for low-power built-in self test
    (2014) Zoellin, Christian G.; Wunderlich, Hans-Joachim (Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil.)
    Power consumption has become the most important issue in the design of integrated circuits. The power consumption during manufacturing or in-system test of a circuit can significantly exceed the power consumption during functional operation. The excessive power can lead to false test fails or can result in the permanent degradation or destruction of the device under test. Both effects can significantly impact the cost of manufacturing integrated circuits. This work targets power consumption during Built-In Self-Test (BIST). BIST is a Design-for-Test (DfT) technique that adds additional circuitry to a design such that it can be tested at-speed with very little external stimulus. Test planning is the process of computing configurations of the BIST-based tests that optimize the power consumption within the constraints of test time and fault coverage. In this work, a test planning approach is presented that targets the Self-Test Using Multiple-input signature register and Parallel Shift-register sequence generator (STUMPS) DfT architecture. For this purpose, the STUMPS architecture is extended by clock gating in order to leverage the benefits of test planning. The clock of every chain of scan flip-flops can be independently disabled, reducing the switching activity of the flip-flops and their clock distribution to zero as well as reducing the switching activity of the down-stream logic. Further improvements are obtained by clustering the flip-flops of the circuit appropriately. The test planning problem is mapped to a set covering problem. The constraints for the set covering are extracted from fault simulation and the circuit structure such that any valid cover will test every targeted fault at least once. Divide-and-conquer is employed to reduce the computational complexity of optimization against a power consumption metric. The approach can be combined with any fault model and in this work, stuck-at and transition faults are considered. The approach effectively reduces the test power without increasing the test time or reducing the fault coverage. It has proven effective with academic benchmark circuits, several industrial benchmarks and the Synergistic Processing Element (SPE) of the Cell/B.E.™ Processor (Riley et al., 2005). Hardware experiments have been conducted based on the manufacturing BIST of the Cell/B.E.™ Processor and shown the viability of the approach for industrial, high-volume, high-end designs. In order to improve the fault coverage for delay faults, high-frequency circuits are sometimes tested with complex clock sequences that generate test with three or more at-speed cycles (rather than just two of traditional at-speed testing). In order to allow such complex clock sequences to be supported, the test planning presented here has been extended by a circuit graph based approach for determining equivalent combinational circuits for the sequential logic. In addition, this work proposes a method based on dynamic frequency scaling of the shift clock that utilizes a given power envelope to it full extent. This way, the test time can be reduced significantly, in particular if high test coverage is targeted.
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    ItemOpen Access
    Resilience of quantum optimization algorithms
    (2024) Ji, Yanjun; Polian, Ilia (Prof. Dr.)
    Quantum optimization algorithms (QOAs) show promise in surpassing classical methods for solving complex problems. However, their practical application is limited by the sensitivity of quantum systems to noise. This study addresses this challenge by investigating the resilience of QOAs and developing strategies to enhance their performance and robustness on noisy quantum computers. We begin by establishing an evaluation framework to assess the performance of QOAs under various conditions, including simulated noise-free and error-modeled environments, as well as real noisy hardware, providing a foundation for guiding the development of enhancement strategies. We then propose innovative techniques to improve the performance of algorithms on near-term quantum devices characterized by limited qubit connectivity and noisy operations. Our study introduces an effective compilation process that maximizes the utilization of classical and quantum resources. To overcome the restricted connectivity of hardware, we develop an algorithm-oriented qubit mapping approach that bridges the gap between heuristic and exact methods, providing scalable and optimal solutions. Additionally, we demonstrate, for the first time, selective optimization of quantum circuits on real hardware by optimizing only gates implemented with low-quality native gates, providing significant insights for large-scale quantum computing. We also investigate error mitigation strategies and their dependence on hardware features and algorithm implementation details, emphasizing the synergistic effects of error mitigation and circuit design. While error mitigation can suppress the effects of noise, hardware quality and circuit design are ultimately more critical for achieving high performance. Building upon these insights, we explore the cooptimization of algorithm design and hardware implementation to achieve optimal performance and resilience. By optimizing gate sequences and parameters at the algorithmic level and minimizing error-prone two-qubit gates during compilation, we demonstrate significant improvements in QOA performance. Finally, we explore the practical application of QOAs in real-world problems, emphasizing the importance of optimizing parameters in problem instances to identify optimal solutions. With extensive experiments conducted on real devices, this dissertation makes a substantial contribution to the field of quantum optimization, providing both theoretical foundations and practical strategies for addressing the challenges posed by near-term quantum hardware. Our findings pave the way for the realization of practical quantum computing applications and unlock the full potential of QOAs.