Quantum-inspired feature engineering is a proposed route to practical gains in machine learning without requiring quantum hardware. We conduct a controlled and matched evaluation of a quantum-inspired implementation of Quantum Kitchen Sinks (QKS)—originally proposed as a quantum algorithm—for network traffic classification across tasks of differing complexity using two real datasets—ISCXVPN2016 (14 classes) and MIT VNAT (5 classes)—and a binary VPN detection task. Holding LightGBM hyperparameters, training regimen, and cross-validation fixed, we compare classical baselines to models augmented with two QKS-inspired features selected in a supervised manner from 3,990 simulated circuits. On the complex 14-class ISCXVPN2016 task, this quantum-inspired implementation yields a statistically significant but modest gain; on simpler problems (MIT VNAT and binary VPN detection) it provides no measurable benefit. These findings suggest task-dependent boundary conditions: quantum-inspired features are helpful when classical performance retains headroom and are redundant near the performance ceiling. Our evaluation specifies datasets, feature engineering, model settings, fixed CV splits, and significance testing to support reproducibility, and offers actionable guidance for when QKS-inspired augmentation is likely to add value in networking applications.
Quantum-inspired feature engineering is a proposed route to practical gains in machine learning without requiring quantum hardware. We conduct a controlled and matched evaluation of a quantum-inspired implementation of Quantum Kitchen Sinks (QKS)—originally proposed as a quantum algorithm—for network traffic classification across tasks of differing complexity using two real datasets—ISCXVPN2016 (14 classes) and MIT VNAT (5 classes)—and a binary VPN detection task. Holding LightGBM hyperparameters, training regimen, and cross-validation fixed, we compare classical baselines to models augmented with two QKS-inspired features selected in a supervised manner from 3,990 simulated circuits. On the complex 14-class ISCXVPN2016 task, this quantum-inspired implementation yields a statistically significant but modest gain; on simpler problems (MIT VNAT and binary VPN detection) it provides no measurable benefit. These findings suggest task-dependent boundary conditions: quantum-inspired features are helpful when classical performance retains headroom and are redundant near the performance ceiling. Our evaluation specifies datasets, feature engineering, model settings, fixed CV splits, and significance testing to support reproducibility, and offers actionable guidance for when QKS-inspired augmentation is likely to add value in networking applications.
Noisy intermediate-scale quantum computing devices are an exciting platform for the exploration of the power of near-term quantum applications. Performing nontrivial tasks in such devices requires a fundamentally different approach than what would be used on an error-corrected quantum computer. One such approach is to use hybrid algorithms, where problems are reduced to a parameterized quantum circuit that is often optimized in a classical feedback loop. Here we describe one such hybrid algorithm for machine learning tasks by building upon the classical algorithm known as random kitchen sinks. Our technique, called quantum kitchen sinks, uses quantum circuits to nonlinearly transform classical inputs into features that can then be used in a number of machine learning algorithms. We demonstrate the power and flexibility of this proposal by using it to solve binary classification problems for synthetic datasets as well as handwritten digits from the MNIST database. Using the Rigetti quantum virtual machine, we show that small quantum circuits provide significant performance lift over standard linear classical algorithms, reducing classification error rates from 50% to <0.1%, and from 4.1% to 1.4% in these two examples, respectively. Further, we are able to run the MNIST classification problem, using full-sized MNIST images, on a Rigetti quantum processing unit, finding a modest performance lift over the linear baseline.
Quantum information processing is likely to have a far-reaching impact in the field of artificial intelligence. Noisy, intermediate-scale quantum devices provide a platform for exploring the possibility of attaining a quantum advantage through hybrid quantum-classical machine-learning algorithms. One example of such a hybrid algorithm is ``quantum kitchen sinks,'' which builds upon a classical algorithm known as ``random kitchen sinks'' to leverage a gate model quantum computer for machine-learning applications. We propose an alternative algorithm called ``analog-quantum kitchen sinks'' (AQKSs), which employs an analog-quantum computer for mapping data features into new features in a nonlinear manner. The new features can then be used by a classical algorithm to perform machine-learning tasks. We show the effectiveness of our algorithm for performing binary classification on both a synthetic dataset and a real-world dataset by simulating the operations of a quantum annealer. We demonstrate that the AQKS algorithm reduces the classification error of a linear classifier from $50\mathrm{%}$ to $0.6\mathrm{%}$ for the synthetic dataset and from $4.4\mathrm{%}$ to $1.6\mathrm{%}$ for the other dataset. Our proposed AQKS algorithm presents the possibility to use current quantum annealers for solving practical machine-learning problems.
The increasingly complex cybersecurity landscape requires more advanced network anomaly detection systems. Although, classical machine learning models are known to be effective, they reach computational bottlenecks when processing high-dimensional data. This study investigates the potential of Quantum Machine Learning (QML) for network traffic anomaly detection by evaluating four distinct Variational Quantum Classifier (VQC) architectures. A synthetic network traffic dataset is generated for the evaluations. The VQC models systematically varied feature encoding methods, parameterized ansatz circuits, quantum neural network types, and classical optimizers. Experimental results show that a trade-off exists between circuit expressivity and optimization stability. Deeper circuits (VQC-4) achieved higher accuracy of upto 89.0\%, while simultaneously being sensitive to training conditions. A shallower variant (VQC-1) under performed, although it had consistent and stable optimization curves. Class-dependent biases were also observed such as in VQC-2, where the model struggled to find an effective decision boundary, and produced a large number of false negatives. The best performing model in this study (VQC-3) combined ZFeatureMap with RealAmplitudes ansatz, optimized using ADAM. Comparative analysis against classical machine learning models such as Support Vector Machine and Random Forest reveal a performance gap, where classical models are able to achieve perfect classification performance on the synthetic data. It is concluded that classical algorithms remain dominant in their ability to classify structured data with relatively simple class separations. However, due to the observed potential of certain VQC configurations to learn decision boundaries to classify data, their utility for future applications in noisier, higher-dimensional problems is highlighted.
Abstract The practical application of quantum machine learning algorithms, such as Quantum Neural Networks (QNNs), is currently constrained by their dependence on nascent, error-prone, and resource-intensive quantum hardware. This research introduces and validates a novel hybrid quantum- classical (HQC) algorithm engineered to deliver robust classification performance on modest, commodity classical hardware, thereby circumventing the quantum hardware bottleneck. Our multi-stage architecture strategically integrates advanced classical statistical analysis (Mahalanobis distance), a quantum-inspired kernel method (a hardened Quantum Support Vector Machine), and a quantum-inspired anomaly detection model (a Quantum Autoencoder). This ensemble was rigorously benchmarked on a synthetic dataset specifically engineered for extreme classification dinjculty (85-90%), characterized by high dimensionality, low informative features, and complex, multi- cluster class structures. The HQC algorithm achieved a notable weighted average accuracy of 42.66% across multiple experimental runs. This result is particularly significant when contextualized: it was achieved on a legacy classical server (Dell PowerEdge T110 II), yet it competitively approaches the performance envelope of state-of-the-art QNNs (55-70%) that require genuine quantum processors to exploit phenomena like superposition and entanglement. This work presents a compelling case for the strategic value of hybrid models as a pragmatic, resource- enjcient, and immediately deployable solution. It effectively bridges the gap between the theoretical promise of quantum computing and the practical demands of current computational ecosystems, offering a viable and powerful pathway toward the democratization of complex problem- solving
Quantum computing has inspired new ways to represent and process data, offering perspectives that can also benefit classical machine learning. In this work, we investigate how quantum-inspired data representations can be integrated into classical machine learning classifiers such as Logistic Regression, Support Vector Machines, and Naive Bayes for binary classification tasks. The proposed approach utilizes a simple amplitude-based encoding that normalizes feature vectors and incorporates phase-like transformations, assisting classical models to capture complex interactions and patterns in the data similar to quantum information processing. We evaluate this approach on both synthetic and three other benchmark datasets, comparing standard and quantum-inspired data representations. The results highlights that the quantum-inspired data encoding often matches or improves classifier performance in terms of accuracy, F1-Score, and precision. Additionally, the normalized encoding provides a more structured representation of the data, which can help with interpretability and visualization. These results highlight the potential of quantum-inspired transformations as a practical and effective tool for improving classical machine learning pipelines without requirement of quantum hardware.
Background As graph datasets—including social networks, supply chains, and bioinformatics data—grow in size and complexity, researchers are driven to search for solutions enhancing model efficiency and speed. One avenue that may provide a solution is Quantum Graph Learning (QGL), a subfield of Quantum Machine Learning (QML) that applies machine learning inspired or powered by quantum computing to graph learning tasks. Methods We reevaluate Quantum Feature Embeddings (QFE), a QGL methodology published by Xu et al. earlier this year. QFE uses Variational Quantum Circuits to preprocess node features and then sends them to a classical Graph Neural Network (GNN), with the goal of increasing performance and/or decreasing total model size. Xu et al. evaluated this methodology by comparing its performance with the performance of variously-sized classical models on the benchmark datasets PROTEINS and ENZYMES, and they report success. Our core methodology and learning task remain unchanged. However, we have made several changes to the experimental design that enhance the rigor of the study: 1) we include the testing of models with no embedder; 2) we conduct a thorough hyperparameter search using a state-of-the-art optimization algorithm; and 3) we conduct stratified five-fold cross-validation, which mitigates the bias produced by our small datasets and provides multiple test statistics from which we can calculate a confidence interval. Results We produce classical models that perform comparably to QFE and significantly outperform the small classical models used in Xu et al.’s comparison. Notably, many of our classical models achieve this using fewer parameters than the QFE models we trained. Xu et al. do not report their total model sizes. Conclusion Our study sheds doubt on the efficacy of QFE by demonstrating that small, well-tuned classical models can perform just as well as QFE, highlighting the importance of hyperparameter tuning and rigorous experimental design.