sQUlearn introduces a user-friendly, NISQ-ready Python library for quantum machine learning (QML), designed for seamless integration with classical machine learning tools like scikit-learn. The library's dual-layer architecture serves both QML researchers and practitioners, enabling efficient prototyping, experimentation, and pipelining. sQUlearn provides a comprehensive toolset that includes both quantum kernel methods and quantum neural networks, along with features like customizable data encoding strategies, automated execution handling, and specialized kernel regularization techniques. By focusing on NISQ-compatibility and end-to-end automation, sQUlearn aims to bridge the gap between current quantum computing capabilities and practical machine learning applications. The library provides substantial flexibility, enabling quick transitions between the underlying quantum frameworks Qiskit and PennyLane, as well as between simulation and running on actual hardware.
sQUlearn introduces a user-friendly, NISQ-ready Python library for quantum machine learning (QML), designed for seamless integration with classical machine learning tools like scikit-learn. The library's dual-layer architecture serves both QML researchers and practitioners, enabling efficient prototyping, experimentation, and pipelining. sQUlearn provides a comprehensive toolset that includes both quantum kernel methods and quantum neural networks, along with features like customizable data encoding strategies, automated execution handling, and specialized kernel regularization techniques. By focusing on NISQ-compatibility and end-to-end automation, sQUlearn aims to bridge the gap between current quantum computing capabilities and practical machine learning applications. The library provides substantial flexibility, enabling quick transitions between the underlying quantum frameworks Qiskit and PennyLane, as well as between simulation and running on actual hardware.
Automated Machine Learning (AutoML) has significantly advanced the efficiency of ML-focused software development by automating hyperparameter optimization and pipeline construction, reducing the need for manual intervention. Quantum Machine Learning (QML) offers the potential to surpass classical machine learning (ML) capabilities by utilizing quantum computing. However, the complexity of QML presents substantial entry barriers. We introduce AutoQML, a novel framework that adapts the AutoML approach to QML, providing a modular and unified programming interface to facilitate the development of QML pipelines. AutoQML leverages the QML library sQUlearn to support a variety of QML algorithms. The framework is capable of constructing end-to-end pipelines for supervised learning tasks, ensuring accessibility and efficacy. We evaluate AutoQML across four industrial use cases, demonstrating its ability to generate high-performing QML pipelines that are competitive with both classical ML models and manually crafted quantum solutions.
Hybrid quantum-classical machine learning represents a frontier in computational research, combining the potential advantages of quantum computing with established classical optimization techniques. PennyLane provides a Python framework that seamlessly bridges quantum circuits and classical machine learning, enabling researchers to build, optimize, and deploy variational quantum algorithms. This paper introduces PennyLane as a versatile tool for quantum machine learning, optimization, and quantum chemistry applications. We demonstrate use cases including quantum kernel methods, variational quantum eigensolvers, portfolio optimization, and integration with classical ML frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, and JAX. Through concrete Python examples with widely used libraries such as scikit-learn, pandas, and matplotlib, we show how PennyLane facilitates efficient quantum circuit construction, automatic differentiation, and hybrid optimization workflows. By situating PennyLane within the broader context of quantum computing and machine learning, we highlight its role as a methodological building block for quantum-enhanced data science. Our goal is to provide researchers and practitioners with a concise reference that bridges foundational quantum computing concepts and applied machine learning practice, making PennyLane a default citation for hybrid quantum-classical workflows in Python-based research.
Among notable applications, quantum machine learning (QML) is a promising task that combines quantum computing with machine learning, cited for various types of complex computational problems. This chapter briefly summarizes the frameworks, software platforms, and toolchains currently available for implementing, simulating, and executing hybrid quantum–classical learning algorithms. Major frameworks (e.g., Qiskit Machine Learning, PennyLane, TensorFlow Quantum, and the PyTorch-based toolsets) are analyzed in detail based on their architectural design, functionality, and integration capabilities. They have several key features, such as variational quantum circuits, parameterized quantum gates, automatic differentiation capabilities, and easy integration into a classical deep learning ecosystem. The chapter groups together ongoing research in different architectural paradigms, practical usability aspects, and empirical performance tests. Additionally, it explores aspects of scalability, adaptability to hardware, noise resistance, and reproducibility. The results bring to light elements of the design of trade-offs for creating robust and efficient toolchains for QML, a QML best practice, and guidance for future QML design.
Quantum machine learning (QML) is an emerging field that synergistically combines quantum computing principles with classical ML techniques. With quantum principles like superposition and entanglement, QML has the potential of offering speedups for real-time optimization, classification, and generative modeling. While still in its infancy, QML has seen progress especially in hybrid quantum-classical algorithms, variational quantum circuits, and quantum kernel methods. Leading tech companies (IBM, Google, Xanadu) and startups are actively developing QML tools like Qiskit, TensorFlow Quantum, and PennyLane, enabling experiments on both simulators and early-stage quantum hardware. Recent breakthroughs include quantum advantage demonstrations in specific tasks, such as quantum-enhanced feature spaces and optimization problems. However, challenges remain due to noise in near-term quantum devices (NISQ era), limited qubit coherence, and significant error rates. Some researchers are exploring error-mitigation techniques and hybrid models that leverage classical ML to compensate for quantum hardware limitations. Key applications of QML that have shown promise include drug discovery and materials science (e.g., quantum chemistry simulations), finance (e.g., portfolio optimization and decision support), AI acceleration (e.g., quantum neural networks). While fault-tolerant and error-resistant quantum computers are still under development, QML is advancing through classical-quantum hybrid algorithms, making it a promising but rapidly evolving field. Investment from academia, industry, and governments suggests QML could play a transformative role in AI's future when hardware matures. This paper provides a primer on quantum principles as they relate to QML and takes a snapshot of the current status of QML development with an emphasis on quantum neural networks (QNNs) and highlights recent advances in automated QML (AutoQML).
Quantum Machine Learning (QML) is a discipline of research at the intersection of quantum information and machine learning that leverages quantum mechanical properties to enhance computational capabilities. With its emergence, there is a need to integrate QML models into machine learning pipelines for real-life applications such as image processing. While standalone programs exist to demonstrate the performance of QML models, a well-defined model workflow is noticeably absent. This thesis thoroughly explores various existing QML models and their practical utility in image processing tasks, with the aim of constructing a robust QML library. Throughout this thesis, we develop piQture, an open-source Python and Qiskit-based library that streamlines the development, training, and evaluation of QML models. Its design and structure prioritize usability among users familiar with classical machine learning without prior QML experience. Further, piQture is augmented with automated building, testing, and packaging workflows that enhance software reliability and reproducibility. Finally, we provide strategies to facilitate model management and storage within piQture for practical adoption and future analysis of pre-trained QML models.