A survey of universal quantum von Neumann architecture

TL;DR

This paper surveys the quantum von Neumann architecture, emphasizing its potential for scalable, programmable quantum computers, and discusses practical design considerations and recent experimental demonstrations.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the quantum von Neumann architecture within a hierarchical system design framework, highlighting its structure and advantages.

Findings

Quantum CPU and control unit structures analyzed

Connections between architecture and computational benefits identified

Recent demonstration requires fewer than 20 qubits

Abstract

The existence of universal quantum computers has been theoretically well established. However, building up a real quantum computer system not only relies on the theory of universality, but also needs methods to satisfy requirements on other features, such as programmability, modularity, scalability, etc. To this end, we study the recently proposed model of quantum von Neumann architecture, by putting it in a practical and broader setting, namely, the hierarchical design of a computer system. We analyze the structures of quantum CPU and quantum control unit, and draw their connections with computational advantages. We also point out that a recent demonstration of our model would require less than 20 qubits.