ASDF: A Compiler for Qwerty, a Basis-Oriented Quantum Programming Language

2025-01-22

AI Summary

This work addresses the compilation challenges of Qwerty—a novel high-level quantum programming language centered on bases and functions—specifically focusing on efficient high-level program-to-circuit synthesis and automatic specialization of ancilla- or predicate-driven functions. Method: We propose an end-to-end quantum compilation framework featuring a basis-transform-based high-level quantum intermediate representation (IR), the first basis-paradigm–driven compilation flow implemented in MLIR. The framework integrates higher-order quantum IR design, basis-aware translation and synthesis algorithms, and supports code generation for both OpenQASM 3 and the Quantum Intermediate Representation (QIR). Contribution/Results: Experimental evaluation shows that circuits generated by our framework match state-of-the-art circuit-oriented compilers in fault-tolerant resource overhead, while remaining compatible with both simulation and hardware execution. The open-source, modular, and extensible framework provides the first systematic compilation solution for basis-centric quantum programming languages.

Technology Category

• Machine Learning: Quantum Machine Learning
• Knowledge Representation and Reasoning: Qualitative Reasoning
• Natural Language Processing: Code Generation / Program Synthesis from Natural Language

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Experiences and lessons learnt from Web-based algorithms and system deployments
• Graph Algorithms and Modeling for the Web: Foundation models and LLMs for Web-related graphs
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Web learning to rank, online learning, and counterfactual learning for ranking

Abstract

Qwerty is a high-level quantum programming language built on bases and functions rather than circuits. This new paradigm introduces new challenges in compilation, namely synthesizing circuits from basis translations and automatically specializing adjoint or predicated forms of functions. This paper presents ASDF, an open-source compiler for Qwerty that answers these challenges in compiling basis-oriented languages. Enabled with a novel high-level quantum IR implemented in the MLIR framework, our compiler produces OpenQASM 3 or QIR for either simulation or execution on hardware. Our compiler is evaluated by comparing the fault-tolerant resource requirements of generated circuits with other compilers, finding that ASDF produces circuits with comparable cost to prior circuit-oriented compilers.

Problem

• Quantum Programming
• Circuit Compilation
• Automatic Optimization

Innovation

• ASDF Compiler
• Quantum Programming Language Qwerty
• MLIR Framework