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Research Highlight

Advanced Software Framework Expedites Quantum-classical Programming

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XACC enables the programming of quantum code alongside standard classical code and integrates quantum computers from multiple vendors. QPUs complete calculations and return results to the host CPU, a process that could drastically accelerate future scientific simulations. Credit: Michelle Lehman/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy Computer Science and Mathematics Division CSMD ORNL
XACC enables the programming of quantum code alongside standard classical code and integrates quantum computers from multiple vendors. QPUs complete calculations and return results to the host CPU, a process that could drastically accelerate future scientific simulations. Credit: Michelle Lehman/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

The Science

To help expedite the use of quantum processing units, ORNL researchers developed an advanced software framework that offloads portions of quantum-classical computing workloads from the host CPU to an attached quantum accelerator, which calculates results and sends them back to the original system. 

Known as XACC, it’s the first hardware-agnostic software framework compatible with any available quantum computer. Currently, XACC works with quantum computing platforms developed by IBM, Rigetti, D-Wave, and IonQ. 

The Impact

The framework could facilitate future CPU-GPU-QPU computing architectures capable of tackling complex workloads impossible to manage with current classical systems. Using XACC, ORNL scientists have not only developed and benchmarked quantum chemistry applications but also completed the first successful simulation of an atomic nucleus using a quantum computer. The team completed additional XACC demonstrations using resources from ORNL’s Compute and Data Environment for Science and is preparing to run large-scale quantum program simulations with XACC on Summit, the nation’s most powerful supercomputer.

PI/Facility Lead(s): Alex McCaskey
ASCR Facility: ORNL/OLCF
Funding: DOE Office of Science
Publication(s) for this work: Alexander J McCaskey, et al., “XACC: a system-level software infrastructure for heterogeneous quantum-classical computing.” Quantum Science and Technology 5, no. 2, 2020.