To ensure resilience against the unavoidable noise in quantum computers, quantum information needs to be encoded using an error-correcting code, and circuits must have a particular structure to be fault-tolerant. Compilation of fault-tolerant quantum circuits is thus inherently different from the non-fault-tolerant case. However, automated fault-tolerant compilation methods are widely underexplored, and most known constructions are obtained manually for specific codes only. In this work, we focus on the problem of automatically synthesizing fault-tolerant circuits for the deterministic initialization of an encoded state for a broad class of quantum codes that are realizable on current and near-term hardware. To this end, we utilize methods based on techniques from classical circuit design, such as satisfiability solving, resulting in tools for the synthesis of (optimal) fault-tolerant state preparation circuits for near-term quantum codes. We demonstrate the correct fault-tolerant behavior of the synthesized circuits using circuit-level noise simulations. We provide all routines as open-source software as part of the Munich Quantum Toolkit (MQT) at https://github.com/cdatum/mqt-qecc.
To ensure resilience against the unavoidable noise in quantum computers, quantum information needs to be encoded using an error-correcting code, and circuits must have a particular structure to be fault-tolerant. Compilation of fault-tolerant quantum circuits is thus inherently different from the non-fault-tolerant case. However, automated fault-tolerant compilation methods are widely underexplored, and most known constructions are obtained manually for specific codes only. In this work, we focus on the problem of automatically synthesizing fault-tolerant circuits for the deterministic initialization of an encoded state for a broad class of quantum codes that are realizable on current and near-term hardware. To this end, we utilize methods based on techniques from classical circuit design, such as satisfiability solving, resulting in tools for the synthesis of (optimal) fault-tolerant state preparation circuits for near-term quantum codes. We demonstrate the correct fault-tolerant behavior of the synthesized circuits using circuit-level noise simulations. We provide all routines as open-source software as part of the Munich Quantum Toolkit (MQT) at https://github.com/cdatum/mqt-qecc.
A central ingredient in fault-tolerant quantum algorithms is the initialization of a logical state for a given quantum error-correcting code from a set of noisy qubits. A scheme that has demonstrated promising results for small code instances that are realizable on currently available hardware composes a non-fault-tolerant state preparation step with a verification step that checks for spreading errors. Known circuit constructions of this scheme are mostly obtained manually, and no algorithmic techniques for constructing depth- or gate-optimal circuits exist. As a consequence, the current state of the art exploits this scheme only for specific code instances and mostly for the special case of distance 3 codes. In this work, we propose an automated approach for synthesizing fault-tolerant state preparation circuits for arbitrary CSS codes. We utilize methods based on satisfiability solving (SAT) techniques to construct fault-tolerant state preparation circuits consisting of depth- and gate-optimal preparation and verification circuits. We also provide heuristics that can synthesize fault-tolerant state preparation circuits for code instances where no optimal solution can be obtained in an adequate timeframe. Moreover, we give a general construction for non-deterministic state preparation circuits beyond distance 3. Numerical evaluations using d=3 and d=5 codes confirm that the generated circuits exhibit the desired scaling of the logical error rates. The resulting methods are publicly available as part of the Munich Quantum Toolkit (MQT) at https://github.com/cda-tum/mqt-qecc. Such methods are an important step in providing fault-tolerant circuit constructions that can aid in near-term demonstration of fault-tolerant quantum computing.
Fault-tolerant state preparation is essential for reliable quantum error correction, particularly in Steane-type error correction, which relies on robust ancilla states for syndrome readout. One method of fault-tolerant state preparation is to initialize multiple ancilla states and check them against each other to detect problematic errors. In the worst case, the number of states required for successful initialization grows polynomially with the code distance, but it has been shown that this can be reduced to constant ancilla overhead-in the best case, only four states are required. However, existing techniques for finding low-overhead initialization schemes are limited to codes with large symmetry groups, such as the Golay code. In this work, we propose a general, automated synthesis methodology for Steane-type fault-tolerant state preparation circuits that applies to arbitrary Calderbank-Shor-Steane (CSS) codes and does not rely on code symmetries. We apply the proposed methods to various CSS codes up to a distance of seven and simulate the successful fault-tolerant initialization of logical basis states under circuit-level depolarizing noise. The circuits synthesized using the proposed methodology provide an important step towards experimental realizations of high-fidelity ancilla states for near-term demonstration of fault-tolerant quantum computation.
A central ingredient in fault-tolerant quantum algorithms is the initialization of a logical state for a given quantum error-correcting code from a set of noisy qubits. A scheme that has demonstrated promising results for small code instances that are realizable on currently available hardware composes a non-fault-tolerant state preparation circuit with a verification circuit that checks for spreading errors. Known circuit constructions of this scheme are mostly obtained manually, and no algorithmic techniques for constructing depth- or gate-optimal circuits exist. As a consequence, the current state-of-the-art exploits this scheme only for specific code instances and mostly for the special case of distance d = 3 codes only. In this work, we propose an automated approach for synthesizing fault-tolerant state preparation circuits for arbitrary CSS codes. We utilize methods based on satisfiability solving (SAT) to construct fault-tolerant state preparation circuits consisting of depth- and gate-optimal preparation and verification circuits. We also provide heuristics that can synthesize fault-tolerant state preparation circuits for code instances where no optimal solution can be obtained in an adequate time. Moreover, we give a general construction for nondeterministic state preparation circuits for codes beyond distance 3. Numerical evaluations using d = 3 , d = 5 , and d = 7 codes confirm that the generated circuits exhibit the desired scaling of the logical error rates. The resulting methods are publicly available as part of the (MQT) at . Such methods are an important step in providing fault-tolerant circuit constructions that can aid in near-term demonstrations of fault-tolerant quantum computing.
Preparing arbitrary logical states is a central primitive for universal fault-tolerant quantum computation and the cost of encoded-state preparation contributes directly to the overall resource overhead. This makes the synthesis of efficient general-state encoding circuits an important problem, particularly with respect to two-qubit gate count and circuit depth. Yet the synthesis of such encoders has been studied less extensively than general Clifford circuit synthesis or the preparation of specific logical Pauli-eigenstates. In this work, we develop methods for synthesizing efficient encoders for arbitrary stabilizer codes. We formulate encoder synthesis as a search over stabilizer tableaus and introduce greedy and rollout-based algorithms that exploit the freedom among stabilizer-equivalent realizations of the same encoding isometry. For code families with a modular structure, such as generalized concatenated and holographic codes, we show how large encoders can be assembled from optimized local constituent encoders, and we use SMT-based exact synthesis to obtain optimal local circuits for small instances. We further evaluate the proposed methods on a broad set of stabilizer codes, including holographic and quantum low-density parity-check (qLDPC) codes, and compare them against recent encoder-synthesis methods and existing constructions from the literature, obtaining improvements of up to 43% in two-qubit gate count and up to 70% in depth. Our results support the optimization of encoded-state preparation in several fault-tolerant quantum-computing schemes, and all methods are openly available as part of the Munich Quantum Toolkit.
Scalable quantum computation is expected to rely on fault-tolerant quantum computation (FTQC), in which quantum error correction (QEC) suppresses physical errors sufficiently to support reliable logical operations. This requires quantum compilation to move beyond general-purpose circuit optimization toward encoding-aware and protocol-structured compilation across the full stack of fault-tolerant quantum computers. Beyond circuit synthesis and hardware mapping, an FTQC compiler must lower algorithm-level operations into the logical gate set supported by the chosen code, coordinate encoded data and ancilla resources, realize logical operations together with repeated syndrome extraction under hardware constraints, and provide the resulting measurement stream to real-time decoding.
This survey presents a full-stack view of compiler design for QEC-protected quantum computation. We organize existing work into three interacting layers: logical-level QEC compilation, physical-level QEC realization, and decoder runtime integration. At the logical level, we review surface-code lattice-surgery compilers, beyond-surface-code code-surgery frameworks including emerging qLDPC approaches, and compilation support for non-Clifford operations such as magic-state distillation and code switching. At the physical level, we survey hardware-aware QEC realization on superconducting, trapped-ion, and neutral-atom platforms. We further examine decoder models, real-time decoding systems, and frame-management mechanisms that close the feedback loop during fault-tolerant execution. Finally, we identify open challenges in cross-layer optimization, qLDPC compilation, compiler-decoder co-design, runtime adaptivity, and the development of integrated and benchmarkable FTQC compilation stacks. An actively maintained paper list is available at: github.com/chenghongz/QEC-compiler-design.
Quantum computing promises to solve problems previously deemed infeasible. However, high error rates necessitate quantum error correction for practical applications. Seminal experiments with zoned neutral atom architectures have shown remarkable potential for fault-tolerant quantum computing. To fully harness their potential, efficient software solutions are vital. A key aspect of quantum error correction is the initialization of physical qubits representing a logical qubit in a highly entangled state. This process, known as state preparation, is the foundation of most quantum error correction codes and, hence, a crucial step towards fault-tolerant quantum computing. Generating a schedule of target-specific instructions to perform the state preparation is highly complex. First software tools exist but are not suitable for the zoned neutral atom architectures. This work addresses this gap by leveraging the computational power of SMT solvers and generating minimal schedules for the state preparation of logical arrays. Experimental evaluations demonstrate that actively utilizing zones to shield idling qubits consistently results in higher fidelities than solutions disregarding these zones. The complete code is publicly available in open-source as part of the Munich Quantum Toolkit (MQT) at https://github.com/cdatum/mqt-qmap.