91原创

91原创 team's precocious paper takes first prize
in premier computer engineering competition

Quantum computing is a field that鈥檚 full of puzzling problems 鈥� challenges so big and so rich with potential that labs around the planet are scrambling to find workable solutions.

Thanks to 91原创 scholars, more of those world-changing solutions are coming into focus.

For the third time in five years, Blue Hens have won a top prize publishing and presenting their quantum computing work in conferences, boosting 91原创鈥檚 quest to stay on the cutting edge of high-tech progress.

The latest accomplishment came at IEEE Quantum Week, one of the premier gatherings of quantum computing scholars, hosted each year by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Challenged to solve a problem that remains elusive to computer engineers worldwide, the 91原创 team turned in a paper that was judged best in category, thanks to its novel approach and its potential for optimizing precious computer resources.

The first-place paper in the 鈥渜uantum applications鈥� track of the competition took more than a year and a half of work by its authors: Bao Bach, a doctoral student in quantum science and engineering, who was lead author; Jose Falla, doctoral student in physics; and Ilya Safro, associate professor and associate chair in graduate studies in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences.

Together, they presented their research at the fall conference in Montreal, Quebec, showing a new way to combine 鈥渃lassical鈥� supercomputers with quantum machines to solve 鈥渙ptimization鈥� problems more quickly and potentially with less energy. Bach came up with a framework that made it possible to break the problem down into smaller components, and Falla used quantum computers enhanced by machine learning to accelerate the solutions to these bite-sized problems.

Their collaborative approach impressed the judges, who saw the 91原创 paper as an effective way to 鈥渟cale up鈥� solutions performed by a hybrid quantum-classical computer.

鈥淲hat we demonstrate in our paper is that our framework is scalable enough to consider even larger problems, now and in the future,鈥� Safro said. 鈥淭his is very important. One of the greatest challenges in computer science is developing robust, scalable solutions that address complex, real-world applications across diverse fields, from AI to bioinformatics and finance, reminding us that impactful innovation requires both depth of thought and breadth of applicability.鈥澛�

For Bach, the award adds to an already impressive 91原创 resume, especially for a student barely out of his first year of doctoral studies 鈥� he also was on the first-place team that cracked a quantum computing puzzle last year at the Big Q Quantum hackathon in Chicago. Graduate students from Safro鈥檚 lab have previously won best-paper awards at high-performance computing gatherings, in 2019 and 2022.

鈥淭his challenge was very interesting, because of the scalability problem,鈥� said Bach, who moved to Newark from Vietnam to take part in 91原创鈥檚 quantum science and engineering graduate program, one of just a handful in the nation offering both a master鈥檚 and a Ph.D. degree.聽

鈥淚nstead of just changing the hardware, we tried to develop the algorithm such that it鈥檚 scalable with current hardware, and scalable in the future as the size of the hardware grows bigger,鈥� Bach added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not an easy task, because we have to take into account many constraints and difficulties about how to break down the problem so that we can solve it.鈥�

Ultimately, the team鈥檚 solution shows a pathway to solving bigger problems in a time frame typically associated with smaller problems, while also giving a better answer than classical computers.聽

Integrating machine learning with quantum computing, the work done by Falla, offers a promising approach to enhance quantum algorithm efficiency and optimize resource management. This integration accelerates quantum advancements by refining processes that are crucial to scaling and stabilizing quantum systems.

鈥淚t鈥檚 all done with a vision that down the road the quantum computers that are able to solve these small problems will be better for certain types of problems than the classical computers in several aspects, including energy efficiency,鈥� Safro said. "If today we can successfully compete with the classical computers, then in the next stage of development of more robust quantum technologies, we will be essentially better.鈥�

For Bach, the award is also an affirmation that he is on the right track with his graduate research, which also focuses on these puzzling optimization problems.

鈥淚 think this award is even bigger than the one I won in Chicago because there were a lot of great people and a lot of good Ph.D. students who also submitted papers,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t also acknowledged the work our team has been doing, and that the path that we are choosing is correct. It鈥檚 a good sign we should continue following this path.鈥澛�

The award also gives Bach another crucial credential needed to excel in quantum computing鈥檚 fast-growing job market. 鈥淐ompanies, national labs and universities are looking for graduates with awards like this. It鈥檚 a big deal,鈥� Safro said.