Hybrid variational quantum algorithms (VQAs) are promising for solving practical problems such as combinatorial optimization, quantum chemistry simulation, quantum machine learning, and quantum error correction on noisy quantum computers. However, with typical random ansatz or quantum alternating operator ansatz, derived variational quantum algorithms become a black box that cannot be trusted for model interpretation, not to mention deploying as applications in informing critical decisions: the results of these variational parameters are just rotational angles for the quantum gates and have nothing to do with interpretable values that a model can provide directly. In this paper, we construct the first interpretable quantum regression algorithm, in which the quantum state exactly encodes the classical data table and the variational parameters correspond directly to the regression coefficients, which are real numbers by construction, providing a high degree of model interpretability and minimal cost to optimize due to the right expressiveness. We also take advantage of the encoded data structure to reduce the time complexity of computing the regression map. To shorten the circuit depth for nonlinear regression, our algorithm can be extended by building nonlinear features by classical preprocessing as the independent encoded column vectors. Even though the realization of compressed encoding in superconducting qubits has been achieved by the less noisy compressed encoding recently by the authors, we envision potential quantum utilities with multi-qubit gates implemented in neutral cold atoms and ions.
Hybrid variational quantum algorithms (VQAs) are promising for solving practical problems such as combinatorial optimization, quantum chemistry simulation, quantum machine learning, and quantum error correction on noisy quantum computers. However, with typical random ansatz or quantum alternating operator ansatz, derived variational quantum algorithms become a black box that cannot be trusted for model interpretation, not to mention deploying as applications in informing critical decisions: the results of these variational parameters are just rotational angles for the quantum gates and have nothing to do with interpretable values that a model can provide directly. In this paper, we construct the first interpretable quantum regression algorithm, in which the quantum state exactly encodes the classical data table and the variational parameters correspond directly to the regression coefficients, which are real numbers by construction, providing a high degree of model interpretability and minimal cost to optimize due to the right expressiveness. We also take advantage of the encoded data structure to reduce the time complexity of computing the regression map. To shorten the circuit depth for nonlinear regression, our algorithm can be extended by building nonlinear features by classical preprocessing as the independent encoded column vectors. Even though the realization of compressed encoding in superconducting qubits has been achieved by the less noisy compressed encoding recently by the authors, we envision potential quantum utilities with multi-qubit gates implemented in neutral cold atoms and ions.
Hybrid variational quantum algorithms are promising for solving practical problems, such as combinatorial optimization, quantum chemistry simulation, quantum machine learning, and quantum error correction on noisy quantum computers. However, variational quantum algorithms (derived from randomized hardware-efficient ansatz or adaptive ansatz) become a black box, not trustworthy for model interpretation, and not to mention for application deployment in informing critical decisions. In this paper, we construct the first interpretable quantum regression algorithm, in which the quantum state exactly encodes the classical data table and the variational parameters correspond directly to the regression coefficients, which are real numbers by construction, providing a high degree of model interpretability and minimal cost to optimize due to the right expressiveness. We also exploit the encoded data structure to reduce the gate complexity of computing the regression map. To reduce circuit depth in nonlinear regression, our algorithm can be extended by directly constructing nonlinear features via classical preprocessing, such as independent encoded column vectors. By design, the model performance is determined by the cost function measurement results C synchronous to the mean squared errors (MSE) for the regression models. We derived the read-out errors induced by one-hot encoding and compact encoding; the required physical qubit resources are exponentially compressed for the compact encoding to be favorable for noisy quantum devices. We also derive the cost function dependent sample complexity $ \in \mathcal{O}\left(σ^{2}(\mathcal{C}) \ln (1/α)/ε^{2}\right)$ under the error budget ε and confidence tolerance α.
The development of quantum computers has been the stimulus that enables the realization of Quantum Machine Learning (QML), an area that integrates the calculational framework of quantum mechanics with the adaptive properties of classical machine learning. This article suggests a broad architecture that allows the connection between classical data pipelines and quantum algorithms, hybrid quantum-classical models emerge as a promising route to scalable and near-term quantum benefit. At the core of this paradigm lies the Classical-Quantum (CQ) paradigm, in which the qubit states of high-dimensional classical data are encoded using sophisticated classical encoding strategies which encode the data in terms of amplitude and angle of rotation, along with superposition mapping. These techniques allow compression of information exponentially into Hilbert space representations, which, together with reduced sample complexity, allows greater feature expressivity. We also examine variational quantum circuits, quantum gates expressed as trainable variables that run with classical optimizers to overcome decoherence, noise, and gate-depth constraints of the existing Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) devices. Experimental comparisons with a Quantum Naive Bayes classifier prove that even small quantum circuits can approximate probabilistic inference with competitive accuracy compared to classical benchmarks, and have much better robustness to noisy data distributionsThis model does not only explain the algorithmic and architectural design of QML, it also offers a roadmap to the implementation of quantum kernels, variational algorithms, and hybrid feedback loops into practice, including optimization, computer vision, and medical diagnostics. The results support the idea that hybrid architectures with strong data encoding and adaptive error protection are key to moving QML out of theory to practice.
Variational quantum algorithms (VQAs) have emerged as the leading strategy for using these noisy devices to achieve an advantage over their classical counterparts.VQAs use a hybrid quantum-classical framework, in which one employs the quantum computer to prepare a parameterized quantum state and outsource the optimization to a classical subroutine. VQAs have been proposed for applications in various fields, including physics, quantum chemistry, machine learning, and optimization. Nevertheless, many challenges must be addressed before we can use them for practical tasks. In this dissertation, we propose strategies to overcome some challenges in implementing VQAs. We first look at the issue of trainability for VQAs and propose three methods for optimizing them.The first method is based on natural evolutionary strategies (NES) and can alleviate the issue of vanishing gradients for randomly initialized parameterized quantum circuits (PQCs). The second method is based on the notion of information flow in PQCs and uses a mutual information-based distance metric to define paths for stochastic optimization of VQAs. Finally, we develop gradient evaluation procedures for optimizing objectives with the unitary coupled-cluster ansatz. Next, we study the issue of expressibility of PQCs used in variational algorithms.First, using the theory of quantum optimal control we define a notion of reachability of general ans\"atze used in VQAs. Next, using a variational autoencoder (VAE) coupled with a regression model, we try to gain a better understanding of the parameterization of PQCs. Finally, we attempt to remedy the inefficient usage of quantum resources for storing quantum data using evolutionary strategies to design quantum circuits for compressing quantum data. We present numerical evidence that the work presented here can increase trainability, efficiency, and understanding of VQAs.We believe our work is of interest to the quantum computing community as we continue to push the limits of NISQ devices for solving practical problems.
Variational Quantum Algorithms are a major method of harnessing Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum devices to solve classically intractable problems in physics, chemistry, optimization, and machine learning. The current review offers a critical overview of VQAs, with special emphasis on their theoretical backgrounds, algorithmic structures, and application performance within realistic models of noise. Several key variants, such as the Variational Quantum Eigensolver, Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm, and Quantum Neural Networks, are compared in terms of noise robustness, ansatz archi- tecture, and hybrid quantum-classical methods of optimization. Benchmarks in fields such as quantum chemistry, finance modeling, and particles and nuclei physics reveal the poten- tial of VQAs in achieving practical quantum advantage. Fundamentally limiting factors 1such as barren plateaus, optimization overhead, and hardware constraints are considered in addition to mitigation strategies, including adaptive construction of ansatz, informed training in the presence of noise, and quantum error correction using QVECTOR. The paper is concluded with an overview of the scalability and future of VQAs in the direction of transitioning toward fault-tolerant quantum computing.
ABSTRACT We propose a variational quantum regression (VQR) algorithm using a hardware‐efficient ansatz (HEA) structure. This approach enables the quantum state to directly encode classical tabular data with variational parameters corresponding to real‐valued regression coefficients, ensuring high interpretability and efficient optimization without sacrificing expressiveness. By combining a variational quantum circuit with a classical optimizer, our method predicts the ground‐state energy of a hydrogen molecule using full configuration interaction (FCI) data. We quantify the expressibility of the VQR HEA circuit via the Kullback–Leibler (KL) divergence D KL and show the advantages of our R y − R x gate sequence in balancing expressibility. Performed for pennylane using an idealized quantum simulator, our 4‐qubit, 5‐layer HEA‐based VQR model achieves an accuracy of ∼0.99, mean squared error (MSE) < 10 −6 Hartree 2 , and mean absolute error (MAE) around 0.1 × 10 −2 Hartree compared to FCI benchmarks. We further demonstrate how qubit number and layer depth influence model accuracy, providing insights for task‐specific quantum circuit design. Our results advance practical applications of quantum computing for electronic structure problems by introducing an expressive, interpretable ansatz tailored for high‐precision simulations.
In recent years, as datasets have grown larger, quantum computing has shown potential in addressing the rapidly increasing costs of data processing due to its superposition and entanglement capabilities. Limited by quantum hardware and the number of controllable qubits, variational quantum algorithms (VQAs) are algorithms suitable for NISQ devices, capable of computation on medium-scale noisy devices. VQAs are hybrid classical-quantum algorithms that use parameterized quantum circuits to prepare parameterized quantum states and employ classical optimizers to minimize objective functions, enabling efficient solutions for complex problems. Classical optimizers reduce the stringent requirements on quantum hardware and can achieve quantum advantage on current devices. This paper systematically elaborates on the core foundational theories of quantum computing and neural networks, with a focus on reviewing the research and application status of VQAs in three main scenarios: machine learning (supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning), solving systems of equations (linear and nonlinear), and network attack detection. It analyzes the current technical bottlenecks in this field and provides prospects for future development, offering a reference for further research on variational quantum algorithms.