Goal of the Project
In FoQaCiA, the theoretical basis for the design of quantum algorithms will be expanded. Future success of quantum computing critically depends on advances at the most fundamental level, and that large-scale investments in quantum implementations will only pay off if they can draw on additional foundational insights and ideas. While several powerful quantum algorithms are known, the basic techniques they employ are few and far between. Largely, it still remains to be discovered how to systematically harness the quantum for computation. Four areas of quantum phenomenology will be studied in this project: (i) Quantum contextuality, non-classicality, and quantum advantage, (ii) Complexity of classical simulation of quantum computation, (iii) Arithmetic of quantum circuits, and (iv) Efficiency of fault-tolerant quantum computation. These fields are chosen for two reasons. First, their progress is of great importance for the physical realisation and the broad applicability of quantum computation. Regarding (i), one of the simplest proofs of quantum contextuality, Mermin’s star, has recently been employed to prove (Bravyi, Gosset, König) that bounded-depth quantum circuits are more powerful than their classical analogues. Project will be seeking to expand this result beyond bounded depth. In (ii), the quantum speedup by shaving off the redundant part will be studied – the efficiently classically simulable. In (iii), providing more efficient techniques for gate and circuit synthesis will be aimed by utilising the number-theoretic underpinnings of the problem. Regarding (iv), given the celebrated threshold theorem, and the fact that the error threshold is now known to be within reach of experiment, project will tackle the remaining challenge of reducing the cost of fault tolerance. The second reason for selecting these work areas is to mine them for foundational quantum mechanical structures and find related quantum algorithmic uses.
Scientific Output / Product / Achievements
The scientific output of FoQaCiA will consist of theoretical results together with software packages for quantum algorithms and cryptographic protocols.
Responding to the Global Challenges
Project results could shorten the arrival of fault-tolerant computers for end-users, as necessary to bring to bear all the promises of the quantum revolution and generate a new hightech market (new jobs) while accelerating the adoption of quantum computing for application in virtually all areas of importance to society today: from medicine and health, to cybersecurity, financial modelling, artificial intelligence, climate change, and complex manufacturing, to name a few.
Industrial Innovation
Project results will serve to provide new venues that companies can pursue to achieve fault-tolerant machines and attempt new architectural paradigms for quantum computing. Project beneficiaries expect that their results on classical simulation will result in new and more efficient simulators, crucial for testing quantum codes on simulated hardware implementations prior to costly real-world testing, as well as in the benchmarking of quantum software.
National Agenda ve Changes on Strategy by Research
The architectural developments mentioned above could lead to new insights in nanoscale quantum information processing, highlighted in TÜBİTAK’s 2003-2023 Strateji Belgesi.
Benefits to Work Skills and Needs of the Industry
Students working on the project will learn about the fundamentals of quantum algorithms and develop new approaches to analyze their complexity. They will be a potential workforce for the quantum companies soon emerging in Türkiye.
Benefits to the Emerging Workforce
Türkiye may contribute to the quantum computing race on two sides: (1) by Building quantum computers, an experimental effort, and (2) by developing new quantum algorithms, a theoretical software-based contribution. Contributions in (1) requires high-cost investments and depends closely on developments in (2). The current project will support Türkiye’s theoretical contributions to quantum computing.
