QSteed: A Resource-Virtualized and Hardware-Aware Quantum Compilation Framework for Real Quantum Computing Processors

TL;DR

QSteed is a novel quantum compilation framework that virtualizes hardware resources and adapts compilation to specific hardware characteristics, improving efficiency and fidelity on real superconducting quantum processors.

Contribution

It introduces a resource virtualization architecture and a hardware-aware compilation process tailored for real quantum hardware, enhancing performance without modifying user programs.

Findings

Successfully deployed on Quafu superconducting cluster

Confirmed correctness of virtualization model

Demonstrated improved compilation efficiency and fidelity

Abstract

As quantum computing systems continue to scale up and become more clustered, efficiently compiling user quantum programs into high fidelity executable sequences on real hardware remains a key challenge for current quantum compilation systems. In this study, we introduce a system software framework that integrates resource virtualization and hardware aware compilation for real quantum computing processors, termed QSteed. QSteed virtualizes quantum processors through a four layer abstraction hierarchy comprising the Real Quantum Processing Unit (QPU), Standard QPU (StdQPU), Substructure of the QPU (SubQPU), and Virtual QPU (VQPU). These abstractions, together with calibration data, device topology, and noise descriptors, are maintained in a dedicated database to enable unified and fine grained management across superconducting quantum platforms. At run time, the modular compiler queries the database to match each incoming circuit with the most suitable VQPU, after which it confines layout, routing, gate resynthesis, and noise adaptive optimizations to that virtual subregion. The complete stack has been deployed on the Quafu superconducting cluster, where experimental runs confirm the correctness of the virtualization model and the efficacy of the compiler without requiring modifications to user code. By integrating resource virtualization with a select-then-compile workflow, QSteed demonstrates a robust architecture for compiling programs on noisy superconducting processors. This architectural approach offers a promising path towards efficient compilation needs across various superconducting quantum computing platforms in the noisy intermediate scale quantum (NISQ) era.