Architectural Foundations for Checkpointing and Restoration in Quantum HPC Systems

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel checkpointing method for quantum HPC systems that uses dynamic circuit technology and classical control to enable restartable quantum computations, improving resilience without checkpointing quantum states.

Contribution

It introduces a new approach to checkpointing in quantum HPC by focusing on control flow and algorithmic state, leveraging mid-circuit measurements and classical feedback.

Findings

Enables restartable quantum workflows after interruption.

Aligns with iterative quantum algorithms like VQE and QAOA.

Supports resilient quantum execution in HPC environments.

Abstract

In this work, we explore the design of the checkpointing and restoration for quantum HPC that leverages dynamic circuit technology to enable restartable and resilient quantum execution. Rather than attempting to checkpoint quantum states, our approach redefines checkpointing as a control flow and algorithmic state problem. By exploiting mid-circuit measurements, classical feed forward, and conditional execution supported by dynamic circuits, we capture sufficient program state to allow correct restoration of quantum workflows after interruption or failure. This design aligns naturally with iterative and staged quantum algorithms such as variational eigensolvers, quantum approximate optimization, and time-stepping methods commonly used in quantum simulation and scientific computing.