QAOA with $N\cdot p\geq 200$

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the execution of the Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) on quantum hardware with a product of qubits and layers reaching 320, showcasing rapid hardware progress in solving MaxCut problems.

Contribution

It presents the highest N·p value achieved on hardware for QAOA, advancing the practical implementation of hybrid quantum algorithms.

Findings

Achieved N·p of up to 320 on trapped-ion quantum processors.

Demonstrated practical execution of QAOA on non-planar 3-regular graphs.

Highlights rapid progress in quantum hardware capabilities.

Abstract

One of the central goals of the DARPA Optimization with Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (ONISQ) program is to implement a hybrid quantum/classical optimization algorithm with high $N\cdot p$, where $N$ is the number of qubits and $p$ is the number of alternating applications of parameterized quantum operators in the protocol. In this note, we demonstrate the execution of the Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) applied to the MaxCut problem on non-planar 3-regular graphs with $N\cdot p$ of up to $320$ on the Quantinuum H1-1 and H2 trapped-ion quantum processors. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest $N\cdot p$ demonstrated on hardware to date. Our demonstration highlights the rapid progress of quantum hardware.