Challenge
Quantum systems for quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum communication are poised to revolutionize discovery science by enabling unprecedented capabilities in modeling, simulation, and measurement. The use of current quantum systems is severely limited by their fragility, scalability, and integration into existing infrastructure. The inherent challenge is the lack of understanding and control of the complex cause-and-effect relationships within a quantum system. Quantum systems, both for computing and for sensing, rely on complex cause-and-effect relationships that are currently poorly understood. Sensors allow the ability to detect fundamental underlying features on the atomic scale, while computing allows numerous advancements in optimization and simulation.
AI Solution
AI has shown its ability to process vast amounts of multimodal data, to recognize complex patterns and relationships, and to learn adaptively how to handle dynamic and unpredictable environments. This ability makes AI uniquely suited to help understand and control the delicate nature of complex quantum systems. In quantum computing, AI will assist in real-time noise mitigation, adaptive error detection and correction, and system optimization and design. In quantum sensing, AI will optimize quantum entanglement, increase sensitivity, and control multi-sensor quantum networks. In quantum communication, AI will dynamically optimize multi-node quantum network design and control. New AI approaches are needed for making real-time decisions under quantum uncertainty, learning control policies when observation is costly and destructive, predicting behavior from incomplete information, and adapting to drift in real-time.
Justification
DOE is home to five National Quantum Information Research Centers in the U.S. working on overcoming limitations in quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum communication. The existing ecosystem is ideally suited to develop AI solutions to enable full quantum control. The Department of War, through its Quantum Science office, brings expertise in maturation and translation of quantum sensing and other applications of quantum materials and quantum information science.
National Impact
The AI enabled understanding and control of complex quantum systems will accelerate the deployment of quantum technologies and accelerate their utilization for currently intractable challenges in scientific discovery and technology development, while improved understanding of the cause-and-effect relationships that shape quantum system behavior will accelerate transition of sensors from the lab to more applied use cases, such as positioning, navigation, and timing.
This was last updated .