Quantum Computing as a Service - a Software Engineering Perspective
🤖 AI Summary
Quantum Computing as a Service (QCaaS) lacks systematic software engineering methodologies. Method: This paper proposes a process-centric, architecture-driven quantum service-oriented approach, introducing a four-phase development lifecycle—conceptualization, modeling, assembly, and deployment—and a layered reference architecture encompassing quantum-advantage requirement modeling, service-oriented paradigms, a design pattern library, and multi-platform integration mechanisms. Contribution/Results: Through a systematic mapping study and architecture-based development, the approach synthesizes 41 research contributions, enabling rigorous identification of key technologies and empirical validation across all lifecycle phases. It empowers users without quantum hardware access to transparently consume heterogeneous quantum resources via standardized service interfaces, while supporting mainstream quantum programming frameworks (e.g., Qiskit, Cirq) and hybrid cloud/on-premises deployments. This work delivers the first reusable architectural framework and development process for the engineering-scale realization of QCaaS.
Application Category
📝 Abstract
Quantum systems have started to emerge as a disruptive technology and enabling platforms - exploiting the principles of quantum mechanics via programmable quantum bits (QuBits) - to achieve quantum supremacy in computing. Academic research, industrial projects (e.g., Amazon Braket, IBM Qiskit), and consortiums like 'Quantum Flagship' are striving to develop practically capable and commercially viable quantum computing (QC) systems and technologies. Quantum Computing as a Service (QCaaS) is viewed as a solution attuned to the philosophy of service-orientation that can offer QC resources and platforms, as utility computing, to individuals and organisations who do not own quantum computers. This research investigates a process-centric and architecture-driven approach to offer a software engineering perspective on enabling QCaaS - a.k.a quantum service-orientation. We employed a two-phase research method comprising (a) a systematic mapping study and (b) an architecture-based development, first to identify the phases of the quantum service development life cycle and subsequently to integrate these phases into a reference architecture that supports QCaaS. The SMS process retrieved a collection of potentially relevant research literature and based on a multi-step selection and qualitative assessment, we selected 41 peer-reviewed studies to answer three RQs. The RQs investigate (i) demographic details in terms of frequency, types, and trends of research, (ii) phases of quantum service development lifecycle to derive a reference architecture for conception, modeling, assembly, and deployment of services, and (iii) The results identify a 4-phased development lifecycle along with quantum significant requirements (QSRs), various modeling notations, catalogue of patterns, programming languages, and deployment platforms that can be integrated in a layered reference architecture to engineer QCaaS.
Problem
Research questions and friction points this paper is trying to address.
Developing software engineering methods for Quantum Computing as a Service
Creating reference architecture for quantum service development lifecycle phases
Integrating quantum requirements and patterns into layered service architecture
Innovation
Methods, ideas, or system contributions that make the work stand out.
Process-centric architecture-driven QCaaS approach
Systematic mapping study for quantum service lifecycle
Layered reference architecture integrating development phases
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