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arXiv:2007.14288 · Machine Learning Science and Technology

Quantum computing model of an artificial neuron with continuously valued input data

Stefano Mangini, Francesco Tacchino, Dario Gerace, Chiara Macchiavello, Daniele Bajoni

Published Aug 14, 2020• 35 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract Artificial neural networks have been proposed as potential algorithms that could benefit from being implemented and run on quantum computers. In particular, they hold promise to greatly enhance Artificial Intelligence tasks, such as image elaboration or pattern recognition. The elementary building block of a neural network is an artificial neuron, i.e. a computational unit performing simple mathematical operations on a set of data in the form of an input vector. Here we show how the design for the implementation of a previously introduced quantum artificial neuron [npj Quant. Inf. 5, 26], which fully exploits the use of superposition states to encode binary valued input data, can be further generalized to accept continuous- instead of discrete-valued input vectors, without increasing the number of qubits. This further step is crucial to allow for a direct application of gradient descent based learning procedures, which would not be compatible with binary-valued data encoding.

DOI
10.1088/2632-2153/abaf98

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The first artificial quantum neuron models followed a similar path to classic models and they work only with discrete values. Here we introduce an algorithm that generalizes the binary model manipulating the phase of complex numbers. We propose, test, and implement a neuron model that works with continuous values in a quantum computer. Through simulations, we also demonstrated that our model may work in a hybrid training scheme utilizing gradient descent as a learning algorithm. This work represents another step in the direction of the practical use of artificial neural networks efficiently implemented in near-term quantum devices.
Abstract Artificial neural networks are the heart of machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence. Historically, the simplest implementation of an artificial neuron traces back to the classical Rosenblatt’s “perceptron”, but its long term practical applications may be hindered by the fast scaling up of computational complexity, especially relevant for the training of multilayered perceptron networks. Here we introduce a quantum information-based algorithm implementing the quantum computer version of a binary-valued perceptron, which shows exponential advantage in storage resources over alternative realizations. We experimentally test a few qubits version of this model on an actual small-scale quantum processor, which gives answers consistent with the expected results. We show that this quantum model of a perceptron can be trained in a hybrid quantum-classical scheme employing a modified version of the perceptron update rule and used as an elementary nonlinear classifier of simple patterns, as a first step towards practical quantum neural networks efficiently implemented on near-term quantum processing hardware.
Artificial neural networks (ANN) proved to be efficient in solving many problems for big data analytics using machine learning. The complex and non-linear features of the input data can be learned and generalized by ANN. In the big data era, enormous amounts of data arrive from multiple sources. A stage is expected to be reached where even supercomputers are likely inundated with the big data. Training an ANN in such a situation is a challenging task due to the size and dimension of the big data. Also, a large number of parameters are to be used and optimized in the network to learn the patterns and analyze such data. Quantum computing is emerging as a field that provides a solution to this problem as a quantum computer can represent data differently using qubits. Qubits on quantum computers can be used to detect the hidden patterns in data that are difficult for a classical computer to find. Hence, there exists a huge scope for application in the area of artificial neural networks. In this work, we primarily focused on training an artificial neural network using qubits as artificial neurons. The simulation results show that our quantum computing approach for ANN (QC ANN) is efficient when compared to classical ANN. The model with qubits as artificial neurons can learn the features of data using fewer parameters for a binary classification task. We demonstrate our experiment using a quantum simulator and optimization of the quantum parameters used in QC ANN is carried out on a classical computer.
Quantum computing and neural networks have revolutionized computational intelligence and have the potential to bring revolution in a wide range of scientific, industrial, and technological fields. In some computational activities, quantum computing utilizes the concepts of superposition, entanglement, and quantum parallelism and performs better than classical computers by processing complicated data with high speed and efficiency. Neural networks have transformed decision-making, natural language processing, and pattern recognition especially deep learning models. By incorporating quantum computing into neural network architectures, Quantum Neural Networks (QNNs) open new paradigms in data encoding, feature representation, and learning dynamics by overcoming the computational constraints and scaling related problems of classical models. In this chapter, the theoretical basis, latest developments and possible applications of a quantum neural network have been discussed. This chapter covers the constraints of near-term quantum devices, quantum noise, data encoding techniques, and practical difficulties in hardware implementation. Real-world applications in quantum chemistry, financial modeling, cryptography, and biological imaging have been studied. To fully realize the promise of quantum neural processing, this chapter concludes by describing current research shortcomings and providing opportunities for multi-disciplinary collaboration among computer scientists, physicists, and AI researchers.
Abstract Artificial intelligence algorithms largely build on multi-layered neural networks. Coping with their increasing complexity and memory requirements calls for a paradigmatic change in the way these powerful algorithms are run. Quantum computing promises to solve certain tasks much more efficiently than any classical computing machine, and actual quantum processors are now becoming available through cloud access to perform experiments and testing also outside of research labs. Here we show in practice an experimental realization of an artificial feed-forward neural network implemented on a state-of-art superconducting quantum processor using up to 7 active qubits. The network is made of quantum artificial neurons, which individually display a potential advantage in storage capacity with respect to their classical counterpart, and it is able to carry out an elementary classification task which would be impossible to achieve with a single node. We demonstrate that this network can be equivalently operated either via classical control or in a completely coherent fashion, thus opening the way to hybrid as well as fully quantum solutions for artificial intelligence to be run on near-term intermediate-scale quantum hardware.