CAREER: FET: A Top-down Compilation Infrastructure for Optimization and Debugging in the Noisy Intermediate Scale Quantum (NISQ) era

This project sets a comprehensive research agenda focusing on the construction of a top-down compilation infrastructure for quantum computing. It will develop theoretical and practical methodologies for enabling high-level algorithmic optimization, low-level pulse optimizations, as well as whole-system debugging and analysis. The compilation stack would facilitate automatic resource-efficient quantum algorithm designs and high-fidelity program executions on near-term quantum devices. It will benefit major quantum computing applications such as quantum chemistry and combinatorial optimization and contribute to the leadership of the United States in quantum information science and technology. The research findings will be widely disseminated through open-source software packages, publications in premier conferences and journals, tutorials at teaching workshops, as well as specialized K-12 programs for exposing the young generation to the frontiers of quantum information research. The project will integrate methods from the classical computing fields such as code generation and optimization, programming language design and implementation, and compilation techniques, to address the unique research challenges in quantum programming, optimization, and debugging. Specific targets include 1) A language and an autotuning compiler to automate resource-efficient algorithm development in the quantum computing domain; 2) A pulse-level compilation infrastructure to exploit the abundant freedom in pulse variation and scheduling towards more effective optimization and error mitigation; 3) Advanced testing and debugging support via systematic projection-based runtime assertion and invariant generation for quantum programming. The success of this research agenda will enable a more complete and efficient software stack for improving the feasibility of supporting end-to-end quantum applications on near-term devices. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.