Quantum-HPC Software Stacks and the openQSE Reference Architecture: A Survey

2026-04-21

AI Summary

This work addresses the challenges hindering the integration of quantum and high-performance computing (QHPC), including fragmented software stack interfaces, proprietary implementations, and poor ecosystem interoperability. Through a systematic survey of nine prominent QHPC software stacks, the study identifies common design patterns and core requirements, leading to the first proposal of openQSE—an open reference architecture. By explicitly defining key inter-layer interfaces for runtime abstraction, resource management, interconnect semantics, and observability, openQSE ensures deployment flexibility and backward compatibility while enabling a smooth evolution from Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) to Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computing (FTQC). This architecture establishes a standardized foundation for building a unified and scalable QHPC software ecosystem.

Technology Category

• Machine Learning: Quantum Machine Learning
• Search and Optimization: Mixed Discrete/Continuous Search
• Knowledge Representation and Reasoning: Qualitative Reasoning

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Experiences and lessons learnt from Web-based algorithms and system deployments
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Incentives in network design for Web infrastructures and ecosystems
• Security and Privacy: Data transparency and provenance

Abstract

Quantum resources are increasingly integrated into high-performance computing (HPC) and cloud environments, but quantum high-performance computing (QHPC) software stacks remain isolated, often proprietary, full-stack solutions lacking common interfaces across runtime, resource management, orchestration, and execution layers. This paper analyzes nine production QHPC stacks and identifies common design patterns and emerging requirements, covering deployment models, application interaction patterns, SDK support, and readiness for fault-tolerant operation. The survey exposes consistent needs in runtime abstraction, resource management, interconnect semantics, and observability. Based on these findings, we propose the open quantum-HPC software ecosystem ( openQSE) reference architecture as a first step toward unifying the state-of-the-practice. openQSE defines a set of layer boundaries that allow different implementations to interoperate while preserving deployment flexibility, and is structured to support both current noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) workloads and future fault-tolerant quantum computing (FTQC) systems without changes to upper-layer application interfaces.

Problem

• Quantum-HPC
• software stacks
• interoperability
• reference architecture
• openQSE

Innovation

• openQSE
• quantum-HPC
• software stack
• reference architecture
• fault-tolerant quantum computing