ARCHITECTURE
The Reference Architecture
From the stack layers to software components, blueprints and live demos.
The reference architecture is the overarching layer model that guides all integration decisions in FullStaQD.
The FullStaQD reference architecture serves as an overarching integration framework across all layers and interfaces to ensure compatibility and interoperability of various components.
The development of the reference architecture builds on the proto stack, developed in the preliminary project for a QCNext Innovation Concept.
Established by the KIT, the FullStaQD reference architecture is under development and will be launched in version 1.0 in September.
Protostack version 0.1
Architecture
The Stack Layers
The FullStaQD Reference Architecture is organized into three main layers plus cross-cutting concerns that span the entire stack.
Application Layer
Highest level of abstraction, defining problems and algorithms without the need for in-depth knowledge of the underlying quantum mechanics or hardware, but general knowlege about quantum computing software.
- ♦Applications: User-side software that uses QC for specific tasks.
- ♦Algorithms: Methods for solving computational problems using quantum principles.
- ♦High-level programming languages: Tools for expressing quantum algorithms in a human-readable format, such as Eclipse Qrisp, Quipper, Scaffold and Q#.
- ♦Quantum software development kits (SDKs): Frameworks such as Cirq and Qiskit that simplify the development and execution of quantum circuits.
System Layer
Intermediary between the application layer and the physical hardware, performing tasks such as compilation, optimization and resource management.
- ♦Compilers: Translate high-level code into low-level instructions for execution by quantum processors.
- ♦Runtimes: A runtime environment, possibly in the form of a virtual quantum machine, required to execute compiled quantum programs and integrate these into non-quantum systems.
- ♦Quantum instruction set architecture: Defines the basic operations that a quantum processor can execute and other figures of merit relevant for providing circuits.
Physical Layer
Physical implementation of quantum calculation including control electronics (devices and firmware). Quantum hardware development is not part of the project.
Cross-layer Concerns
Not exclusively limited to a single layer of the quantum computing software stack, or representing useful but not essential extensions of the stack.
- ♦Quantum/classic splitting
- ♦Hardware models and error models
- ♦Verification and benchmarking
components
From individual components to end-to-end implementations
Within FullStaQD we develop an overarching reference architecture, stand-alone components, blueprints and demos to ensure usablity of the Full Stack for practical use cases.