Quantum computing is no longer only a scientific interest but is rapidly becoming an industrially available technology that can potentially overcome the limits of classical computation. Over the last years, all major companies have provided frameworks and programming languages that allow developers to create their quantum applications. This shift has led to the definition of a new discipline called quantum software engineering, which is demanded to define novel methods for engineering large-scale quantum applications. While the research community is successfully embracing this call, we notice a lack of systematic investigations into the state of the practice of quantum programming. Understanding the challenges that quantum developers face is vital to precisely define the aims of quantum software engineering. Hence, in this paper, we first mine all the GitHub repositories that make use of the most used quantum programming frameworks currently on the market and then conduct coding analysis sessions to produce a taxonomy of the purposes for which quantum technologies are used. In the second place, we conduct a survey study that involves the contributors of the considered repositories, which aims to elicit the developers' opinions on the current adoption and challenges of quantum programming. On the one hand, the results highlight that the current adoption of quantum programming is still limited. On the other hand, there are many challenges that the software engineering community should carefully consider: these do not strictly pertain to technical concerns but also socio-technical matters.
Quantum computing is no longer only a scientific interest but is rapidly becoming an industrially available technology that can potentially overcome the limits of classical computation. Over the last years, all major companies have provided frameworks and programming languages that allow developers to create their quantum applications. This shift has led to the definition of a new discipline called quantum software engineering, which is demanded to define novel methods for engineering large-scale quantum applications. While the research community is successfully embracing this call, we notice a lack of systematic investigations into the state of the practice of quantum programming. Understanding the challenges that quantum developers face is vital to precisely define the aims of quantum software engineering. Hence, in this paper, we first mine all the GitHub repositories that make use of the most used quantum programming frameworks currently on the market and then conduct coding analysis sessions to produce a taxonomy of the purposes for which quantum technologies are used. In the second place, we conduct a survey study that involves the contributors of the considered repositories, which aims to elicit the developers' opinions on the current adoption and challenges of quantum programming. On the one hand, the results highlight that the current adoption of quantum programming is still limited. On the other hand, there are many challenges that the software engineering community should carefully consider: these do not strictly pertain to technical concerns but also socio-technical matters.
Quantum computing is no longer just a scientific curiosity; it is rapidly evolving into a commercially viable technology that has the potential to surpass the limitations of classical computation. As a result of this transition, a new discipline known as quantum software engineering has emerged, which is needed to describe unique methodologies for developing large-scale quantum applications. In the pursue of building this new body of knowledge, we undertake a mining study to elicit the purposes quantum programming is being used for, and steer further research.
Quantum computing is no longer just a scientific curiosity; it is rapidly evolving into a commercially viable technology that has the potential to surpass the limitations of classical computation. As a result of this transition, a new discipline known as quantum software engineering has emerged, which is needed to describe unique methodologies for developing large-scale quantum applications. In the pursue of building this new body of knowledge, we undertake a mining study to elicit the purposes quantum programming is being used for, and steer further research.
Over the last few years, quantum computing has been growing at an exponential pace. Every day, new techniques, frameworks, modeling, and programming languages are emerging that aim to facilitate the development of quantum software, which is key to achieving the promising applications of quantum computing. However, which of these are actively used and the degree of satisfaction of researchers and developers regarding these quantum software frameworks and languages is not known. To address this, we conducted a survey to characterize which modeling tools and which quantum programming languages are used during the quantum software lifecycle. Researchers in academia and industry developers were surveyed, and a total of 57 responses were collected. The results indicate that during quantum software development, some models and diagrams are used to guide development. In addition, the survey results show what quantum programming languages are the most used alongside the classical programming languages employed to build hybrid programs, among other important insights. The implications of this survey are: (i) to find out what the current trends are within quantum software development and (ii) to find out what the needs are of quantum software developers with respect to current modeling and programming languages and tools.
Abstract Quantum computing is an emerging field in which theoretical principles are being transformed into practical applications, largely due to the efforts of the developer community. In order to ensure that quantum software engineering continues to advance, it is vital to understand the experiences, challenges, and aspirations of developers. This chapter is a continuation of our previous work, which provided a comprehensive survey exploring the adoption patterns and common challenges in quantum software engineering. In addition to the survey, we conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with practitioners in the field to gain a deeper and more detailed understanding of their perspectives. Through the interviews and survey findings, we have gained nuanced insights into the motivations, hurdles, and outlook of developers toward the rapidly evolving quantum computing landscape. We describe the research methodology in detail, including the tools and techniques used, in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of the research process. Furthermore, we present critical insights from both the survey and interviews, enriching the narrative with fresh perspectives obtained from the post-publication interviews. This chapter is a blend of academic investigation and real-world practitioner insights, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current state of quantum software engineering. By illuminating the path for future research and development in this dynamic field, we hope to guide the way toward continued progress and innovation.
With the advance of quantum computing, quantum software becomes critical for exploring the full potential of quantum computing systems. Recently, quantum software engineering (QSE) becomes an emerging area attracting more and more attention. However, it is not clear what are the challenges and opportunities of quantum computing facing the software engineering community. This work aims to understand the QSE-related challenges perceived by developers. We perform an empirical study on Stack Exchange forums where developers post-QSE-related questions & answers and Github issue reports where developers raise QSE-related issues in practical quantum computing projects. Based on an existing taxonomy of question types on Stack Overflow, we first perform a qualitative analysis of the types of QSE-related questions asked on Stack Exchange forums. We then use automated topic modeling to uncover the topics in QSE-related Stack Exchange posts and GitHub issue reports. Our study highlights some particularly challenging areas of QSE that are different from that of traditional software engineering, such as explaining the theory behind quantum computing code, interpreting quantum program outputs, and bridging the knowledge gap between quantum computing and classical computing, as well as their associated opportunities.
The quantum computing (QC) field is rapidly moving beyond the realm of pure science to become a commercially viable technology that may be able to overcome the drawbacks of traditional computing. Major technology tycoons have spent in building coding frameworks and hardware to create applications specifically designed for quantum computing over the last few years. The development of QC hardware is accelerating, however, the requirement for software-intensive methodology, approaches, procedures, instruments, roles and responsibilities for creating industrial-focused quantum software applications arises from operationalizing the QC. This paper outlines the concept of quantum software engineering (QSE) life cycle, which entails the engineering of quantum requirements, design, implementation, testing and maintenance of quantum software. This paper notably advocates for collaborative efforts between the industrial community and software engineering research to propose practical solutions to support the complete activities for the development of quantum software. The proposed vision makes it easier for researchers and practitioners to suggest new procedures, reference designs, cutting-edge equipment, and methods for utilizing quantum computers and creating the newest and most advanced quantum software.