Quantum Software Engineering (QSE) is an emerging discipline devoted to specifying, designing, implementing, and deploying software for quantum computers. As quantum mechanics and hybrid architecture are evolving at a rapid pace, security challenges are also emerging. This paper investigates the key QSE security concerns, classifying them into four major families: crosstalk, side-channel, fault injection, and pulse-level attacks. For each of these threats, we explore their place of origin, consequences, and available specimens. In response, we map mitigation approaches such as dynamical decoupling, randomized compiling, transpilation masking, secure lifecycle models, frameworks, and associated tools.
Quantum Software Engineering (QSE) is an emerging discipline devoted to specifying, designing, implementing, and deploying software for quantum computers. As quantum mechanics and hybrid architecture are evolving at a rapid pace, security challenges are also emerging. This paper investigates the key QSE security concerns, classifying them into four major families: crosstalk, side-channel, fault injection, and pulse-level attacks. For each of these threats, we explore their place of origin, consequences, and available specimens. In response, we map mitigation approaches such as dynamical decoupling, randomized compiling, transpilation masking, secure lifecycle models, frameworks, and associated tools.
Quantum software engineering (QSE) has emerged as a discipline to address the challenges associated with developing software systems in the context of advancing quantum computing technology. This paper explores architectural design patterns specific to QSE. Building on previous work highlighting the need for high-level patterns, we analyze emerging architectural approaches in quantum computing. We identify key challenges unique to hybrid quantum-classical systems and propose a preliminary taxonomy of QSE architectural patterns. These patterns address recurring design problems in areas such as quantum resource management and classical-quantum integration. We describe several potential patterns and discuss their theoretical applications in hybrid software systems. This work aims to provide a foundation for further research into standardizing QSE architectural practices, with the goal of enhancing various quality characteristics of hybrid software (e.g., modularity or maintainability) in the NISQ era and beyond.
Quantum computing is poised to revolutionize computational paradigms by leveraging quantum mechanics principles such as superposition and entanglement.However, the full-scale deployment of quantum applications remains constrained by hardware limitations, including high error rates and quantum decoherence.Quantum Software Engineering (QSE) emerges as a critical field addressing these challenges by optimizing algorithm design, error mitigation, and compiler strategies to enhance fault tolerance.Algorithm design in QSE focuses on developing quantum algorithms that efficiently exploit quantum parallelism while minimizing resource overhead.Key advancements include quantum variational algorithms, hybrid quantum-classical frameworks, and novel quantum heuristics tailored for optimization and cryptographic problems.Error mitigation techniques play a pivotal role in extending quantum circuit reliability without requiring full quantum error correction.Methods such as zero-noise extrapolation, probabilistic error cancellation, and quantum embedding techniques help reduce computational inaccuracies.Additionally, compiler optimization ensures efficient quantum program execution by minimizing gate depth, optimizing qubit mapping, and leveraging noise-adaptive scheduling to enhance quantum hardware performance.This paper explores the synergy between these three pillars of QSE, analyzing their impact on improving the feasibility of fault-tolerant quantum computing.It also examines emerging trends, including AI-driven quantum compilers, adaptive error mitigation techniques, and hardware-aware quantum software development.By bridging the gap between theoretical advancements and practical implementations, QSE provides a structured approach to accelerating quantum computing adoption across domains such as cryptography, materials science, and artificial intelligence.The findings underscore the necessity of interdisciplinary collaboration in developing robust quantum software solutions that maximize computational efficiency while mitigating inherent quantum hardware limitations.
As quantum computing continues to advance, the development of reliable and scalable quantum software systems becomes increasingly crucial. However, designing and implementing hybrid (quantum-classical) software systems poses unique challenges that require novel approaches and best practices. This position paper argues for the importance of developing architectural and design patterns specific to Quantum Software Engineering (QSE). We provide an overview of existing quantum software design patterns (more focused on low-level, programming details) and highlight the lack of patterns addressing hybrid software systems and architectural patterns. We discuss the key challenges that architectural patterns should address, including quantum-classical integration, maintainability, efficiency, and security. We also discuss the implications for practitioners, providing guidance on how to think high-level about hybrid software development process. Finally, we outline future research directions and emphasize the need for collaboration between the quantum computing and software engineering communities to establish a comprehensive high-level patterns framework for QSE.
Quantum computing is becoming a reality, and quantum software engineering (QSE) is emerging as a new discipline to enable developers to design and develop quantum programs. This paper presents a systematic mapping study of the current state of QSE research, aiming to identify the most investigated topics, the types and number of studies, the main reported results, and the most studied quantum computing tools/frameworks. Additionally, the study aims to explore the research community’s interest in QSE, how it has evolved, and any prior contributions to the discipline before its formal introduction through the Talavera Manifesto. We searched for relevant articles in several databases and applied inclusion and exclusion criteria to select the most relevant studies. After evaluating the quality of the selected resources, we extracted relevant data from the primary studies and analyzed them. We found that QSE research has primarily focused on software testing, with little attention given to other topics, such as software engineering management. The most commonly studied technology for techniques and tools is Qiskit, although, in most studies, either multiple or none specific technologies were employed. The researchers most interested in QSE are interconnected through direct collaborations, and several strong collaboration clusters have been identified. Most articles in QSE have been published in non-thematic venues, with a preference for conferences. The study’s implications are providing a centralized source of information for researchers and practitioners in the field, facilitating knowledge transfer, and contributing to the advancement and growth of QSE.
Recent progress in quantum computing has under-scored the need for specialized software to effectively address the unique challenges posed by quantum systems. While early research emphasized hardware and algorithmic breakthroughs, recent progress underscores the necessity of Quantum Soft-ware Engineering (QSE), an emerging discipline that combines software lifecycle processes, tooling, hybrid orchestration, and human-centered design. This paper integrates insights from QSE and quantum software architecture (QSA) to propose a hybrid execution architecture explicitly shaped by Quantum HCI principles, emphasizing developer experience, trust, and the quality of interaction with quantum systems. While quantum software represents a new genre of software-intensive systems, existing processes and notations can be adapted to derive architecting activities and develop modeling languages for quantum software. Additionally, tool chains can incorporate reusable knowledge and roles to automate and customize the architectural process. By analyzing current research and iden-tifying existing gaps, this paper aims to guide the systematic development of robust and scalable quantum software systems. Central to this vision is meaningful human interaction, ensuring that developers can interpret, act on, and trust system outputs from design to post-execution analysis.
Quantum computing promises transformative computational capabilities; however, the absence of structured and standardized software engineering significantly limits its practical scalability. Quantum Software Engineering (QSE) remains fragmented, tool-centric, and largely experimental. This paper proposes a structured Quantum Software Engineering Lifecycle Framework that systematically integrates requirements engineering, hybrid design, quantum development, verification, deployment, and governance. To validate the proposed lifecycle, a two-stage evaluation was conducted. First, a Delphi-based expert validation involving 15 domain experts assessed clarity, feasibility, scalability, and hybrid applicability. Second, a simulation-based comparative analysis using Qiskit and PennyLane evaluated the lifecycle against ad-hoc development workflows across variational and search-based quantum algorithms. Results demonstrate a 24% reduction in development time, 15–18% improvement in execution fidelity, and significant gains in modularity, reusability, and tool interoperability. These findings confirm that adopting a structured lifecycle enables more reliable, scalable, and sustainable quantum software development, positioning QSE as a mature engineering discipline rather than purely experimental practice.