A Survey of Important Issues in Quantum Computing and Communications

TLDR

Rapid advances in quantum hardware have driven a race for quantum technologies, with universal quantum computers reaching hundreds of qubits and quantum annealers scaling to thousands, leading to a surge in research output. The article guides readers through key aspects of quantum computing and communications, categorizing the quantum Internet into four issues—computers, networks, cryptography, and machine learning—and outlining barriers, research directions, and trends. It adopts a pedagogical approach, reviewing milestones and recent advances in quantum computing to frame the discussion of these four key issues. The survey identifies main barriers, outlines major research directions, and highlights emerging trends in quantum computing and communications.

Abstract

Driven by the rapid progress in quantum hardware, recent years have witnessed a furious race for quantum technologies in both academia and industry. Universal quantum computers have supported up to hundreds of qubits, while the scale of quantum annealers has reached three orders of magnitude (i.e., thousands of qubits). Quantum computing power keeps climbing. Race has consequently generated an overwhelming number of research papers and documents. This article provides an entry point for interested readers to learn the key aspects of quantum computing and communications from a computer science perspective. It begins with a pedagogical introduction and then reviews the key milestones and recent advances in quantum computing. In this article, the key elements of a quantum Internet are categorized into four important issues, which are investigated in detail: a) quantum computers, b) quantum networks, c) quantum cryptography, and d) quantum machine learning. Finally, the article identifies and discusses the main barriers, the major research directions, and trends.