Distributed Quantum Circuit Optimisation: Evaluating Global and Local Encodings

As distributed quantum architectures begin to emerge, understanding the interaction between quantum circuit optimisation and circuit partitioning becomes increasingly important. In this work, we study how circuit optimisation influences distributed quantum workloads under system-level trade-offs. We compare three compilation strategies (global optimisation, local optimisation, and a hybrid approach) across a large benchmark suite of quantum algorithms. Using telegate-based partitioning, we evaluate the resulting distributed circuits in terms of gate counts, circuit depth, the number of induced non-local gates, and compilation overhead, thereby approximating computational, communication, and classical preprocessing costs. Our results show that circuit optimisation does not uniformly benefit distributed execution. Global optimisation minimises computational resources and achieves the lowest compilation overhead. Local optimisation can reduce communication cost even though it is not explicitly communication-aware. The hybrid strategy can simultaneously reduce both computational and communication overhead, but at the expense of significantly increased compilation time.As distributed quantum architectures begin to emerge, understanding the interaction between quantum circuit optimisation and circuit partitioning becomes increasingly important. In this work, we study how circuit optimisation influences distributed quantum workloads under system-level trade-offs. We compare three compilation strategies (global optimisation, local optimisation, and a hybrid approach) across a large benchmark suite of quantum algorithms. Using telegate-based partitioning, we evaluate the resulting distributed circuits in terms of gate counts, circuit depth, the number of induced non-local gates, and compilation overhead, thereby approximating computational, communication, and classical preprocessing costs. Our results show that circuit optimisation does not uniformly benefit distributed execution. Global optimisation minimises computational resources and achieves the lowest compilation overhead. Local optimisation can reduce communication cost even though it is not explicitly communication-aware. The hybrid strategy can simultaneously reduce both computational and communication overhead, but at the expense of significantly increased compilation time.

quant-pharXiv:2605.02727May 5, 20260 citations

Distributed Quantum Error Mitigation: Global and Local ZNE encodings

Maria Gragera Garces

Errors are the primary bottleneck preventing practical quantum computing. This challenge is exacerbated in the distributed quantum computing regime, where quantum networks introduce additional communication-induced noise. While error mitigation techniques such as Zero Noise Extrapolation (ZNE) have proven effective for standalone quantum processors, their behavior in distributed architectures is not yet well understood. We investigate ZNE in this setting by comparing Global optimization (ZNE is applied prior to circuit partitioning), against Local optimization (ZNE is applied independently to each sub-circuit). Partitioning is performed on a monolithic circuit, which is then transformed into a distributed implementation by inserting noisy teleportation-based communication primitives between sub-circuits. We evaluate both approaches across varying numbers of quantum processing units (QPUs) and under heterogeneous local and network noise conditions. Our results demonstrate that Global ZNE exhibits superior scalability, achieving error reductions of up to $48\%$ across six QPUs. Moreover, we observe counterintuitive noise behavior, where increasing the number of QPUs improves mitigation effectiveness despite higher communication overhead. These findings highlight fundamental trade-offs in distributed quantum error mitigation and raise new questions regarding the interplay between circuit structure, partitioning strategies, and network noise.Errors are the primary bottleneck preventing practical quantum computing. This challenge is exacerbated in the distributed quantum computing regime, where quantum networks introduce additional communication-induced noise. While error mitigation techniques such as Zero Noise Extrapolation (ZNE) have proven effective for standalone quantum processors, their behavior in distributed architectures is not yet well understood. We investigate ZNE in this setting by comparing Global optimization (ZNE is applied prior to circuit partitioning), against Local optimization (ZNE is applied independently to each sub-circuit). Partitioning is performed on a monolithic circuit, which is then transformed into a distributed implementation by inserting noisy teleportation-based communication primitives between sub-circuits. We evaluate both approaches across varying numbers of quantum processing units (QPUs) and under heterogeneous local and network noise conditions. Our results demonstrate that Global ZNE exhibits superior scalability, achieving error reductions of up to $48\%$ across six QPUs. Moreover, we observe counterintuitive noise behavior, where increasing the number of QPUs improves mitigation effectiveness despite higher communication overhead. These findings highlight fundamental trade-offs in distributed quantum error mitigation and raise new questions regarding the interplay between circuit structure, partitioning strategies, and network noise.

quant-pharXiv:2602.04981IEEE Conference on Computer Communications (INFOCOM)Feb 6, 20261 citation

Towards Reproducible Evaluation of Distributed Quantum Circuit Partitioning Algorithms

Javier Vela-Tambo, Davud Azizov, Tian Guo

Distributed Quantum Computing (DQC) addresses the physical scaling limitations of monolithic quantum processors by networking modular Quantum Processing Units (QPUs). Efficient execution of quantum algorithms on DQC architectures requires compiling them across QPUs while minimizing inter-QPU communication bottlenecks, primarily through circuit partitioning. However, current evaluations of state-of-the-art partitioning heuristics focus primarily on the total entanglement cost of the partitions, failing to capture the broader structural and temporal overheads introduced by distributed network constraints. This paper addresses this evaluation gap by applying established monolithic benchmarking metrics to partitioned distributed circuits to quantify the performance impact of network constraints. Using an open-source, automated evaluation pipeline, we systematically assess diverse partitioning algorithms across standardized workloads and quantum network topologies. Our empirical results reveal that partitioning algorithms with comparable entanglement costs can still introduce drastically different physical execution penalties. By exposing these hidden trade-offs, such as severe increases in circuit depth and substantial reductions in gate density, this study demonstrates that comprehensive circuit-level metrics are essential for guiding the future design of DQC compilers.Distributed Quantum Computing (DQC) addresses the physical scaling limitations of monolithic quantum processors by networking modular Quantum Processing Units (QPUs). Efficient execution of quantum algorithms on DQC architectures requires compiling them across QPUs while minimizing inter-QPU communication bottlenecks, primarily through circuit partitioning. However, current evaluations of state-of-the-art partitioning heuristics focus primarily on the total entanglement cost of the partitions, failing to capture the broader structural and temporal overheads introduced by distributed network constraints. This paper addresses this evaluation gap by applying established monolithic benchmarking metrics to partitioned distributed circuits to quantify the performance impact of network constraints. Using an open-source, automated evaluation pipeline, we systematically assess diverse partitioning algorithms across standardized workloads and quantum network topologies. Our empirical results reveal that partitioning algorithms with comparable entanglement costs can still introduce drastically different physical execution penalties. By exposing these hidden trade-offs, such as severe increases in circuit depth and substantial reductions in gate density, this study demonstrates that comprehensive circuit-level metrics are essential for guiding the future design of DQC compilers.

quant-pharXiv:2608.27099Aug 28, 20260 citations

Efficient Time-Aware Partitioning of Quantum Circuits for Distributed Quantum Computing

Raymond P. H. Wu, Chathu Ranaweera, Sutharshan Rajasegarar +3 more

To overcome the physical limitations of scaling monolithic quantum computers, distributed quantum computing (DQC) interconnects multiple smaller-scale quantum processing units (QPUs) to form a quantum network. However, this approach introduces a critical challenge, namely the high cost of quantum communication between remote QPUs incurred by quantum state teleportation and quantum gate teleportation. To minimize this communication overhead, DQC compilers must strategically partition quantum circuits by mapping logical qubits to distributed physical QPUs. Static graph partitioning methods are fundamentally ill-equipped for this task as they ignore execution dynamics and underlying network topology, while metaheuristics require substantial computational runtime. In this work, we propose a heuristic based on beam search to solve the circuit partitioning problem. Our time-aware algorithm incrementally constructs a low-cost sequence of qubit assignments across successive time steps to minimize overall communication overhead. The time and space complexities of the proposed algorithm scale quadratically with the number of qubits and linearly with circuit depth, offering a significant computational speedup over common metaheuristics. We demonstrate that our proposed algorithm consistently achieves significantly lower communication costs than static baselines across varying circuit sizes, depths, and network topologies, providing an efficient compilation tool for near-term distributed quantum hardware.To overcome the physical limitations of scaling monolithic quantum computers, distributed quantum computing (DQC) interconnects multiple smaller-scale quantum processing units (QPUs) to form a quantum network. However, this approach introduces a critical challenge, namely the high cost of quantum communication between remote QPUs incurred by quantum state teleportation and quantum gate teleportation. To minimize this communication overhead, DQC compilers must strategically partition quantum circuits by mapping logical qubits to distributed physical QPUs. Static graph partitioning methods are fundamentally ill-equipped for this task as they ignore execution dynamics and underlying network topology, while metaheuristics require substantial computational runtime. In this work, we propose a heuristic based on beam search to solve the circuit partitioning problem. Our time-aware algorithm incrementally constructs a low-cost sequence of qubit assignments across successive time steps to minimize overall communication overhead. The time and space complexities of the proposed algorithm scale quadratically with the number of qubits and linearly with circuit depth, offering a significant computational speedup over common metaheuristics. We demonstrate that our proposed algorithm consistently achieves significantly lower communication costs than static baselines across varying circuit sizes, depths, and network topologies, providing an efficient compilation tool for near-term distributed quantum hardware.

quant-pharXiv:2603.04126International Conference on Quantum Communications, Networking, and Computing (QCNC)Mar 5, 20261 citation

Time-Aware Qubit Assignment and Circuit Optimization for Distributed Quantum Computing

Leo Sünkel, Jonas Stein, Maximilian Zorn +2 more

The emerging paradigm of distributed quantum computing promises a potential solution to scaling quantum computing to currently unfeasible dimensions. While this approach itself is still in its infancy, and many obstacles must still be overcome before its physical implementation, challenges from the software and algorithmic side must also be identified and addressed. For instance, this paradigm shift requires a new form of compiler that considers the network constraints in general as well as phenomena arising due to the nature of quantum communication. In distributed quantum computing, large circuits are divided into smaller subcircuits such that they can be executed individually and simultaneously on multiple QPUs that are connected through quantum channels. As quantum communication, for example, in the form of teleportation, is expensive, it must be used sparingly. We address the problem of assigning qubits to QPUs to minimize communication costs in two different ways. First by applying time-aware algorithms that take into account the changing connectivity of a given circuit as well as the underlying network topology. We define the optimization problem, use simulated annealing and an evolutionary algorithm and compare the results to graph partitioning and sequential qubit assignment baselines. In another approach, we propose an evolutionary-based quantum circuit optimization algorithm that adjusts the circuit itself rather than the schedule to reduce the overall communication cost. We evaluate the techniques against random circuits and different network topologies. Both evolutionary algorithms outperform the baseline in terms of communication cost reduction. We give an outlook on how the approaches can be integrated into a compilation framework for distributed quantum computing.The emerging paradigm of distributed quantum computing promises a potential solution to scaling quantum computing to currently unfeasible dimensions. While this approach itself is still in its infancy, and many obstacles must still be overcome before its physical implementation, challenges from the software and algorithmic side must also be identified and addressed. For instance, this paradigm shift requires a new form of compiler that considers the network constraints in general as well as phenomena arising due to the nature of quantum communication. In distributed quantum computing, large circuits are divided into smaller subcircuits such that they can be executed individually and simultaneously on multiple QPUs that are connected through quantum channels. As quantum communication, for example, in the form of teleportation, is expensive, it must be used sparingly. We address the problem of assigning qubits to QPUs to minimize communication costs in two different ways. First by applying time-aware algorithms that take into account the changing connectivity of a given circuit as well as the underlying network topology. We define the optimization problem, use simulated annealing and an evolutionary algorithm and compare the results to graph partitioning and sequential qubit assignment baselines. In another approach, we propose an evolutionary-based quantum circuit optimization algorithm that adjusts the circuit itself rather than the schedule to reduce the overall communication cost. We evaluate the techniques against random circuits and different network topologies. Both evolutionary algorithms outperform the baseline in terms of communication cost reduction. We give an outlook on how the approaches can be integrated into a compilation framework for distributed quantum computing.

arXiv:2507.11707IEEE International Conference on Quantum Computing and Engineering (QCE)Aug 30, 20253 citations

Resource-aware distributed quantum circuits partitioning strategy and transmission cost optimization

Pengcheng Zhu, Zongyuan 宗原 Dai 戴, Lihua Wei +2 more

Abstract To overcome the physical limitations of current quantum hardware in terms of available qubits and connectivity, distributed quantum computing (DQC) has emerged as a promising and scalable paradigm. However, in distributed settings, cross-node qubit interactions incur high communication overhead due to the use of costly quantum communication protocols. Efficient circuit partitioning and transmission cost optimization have thus become key challenges. This work addresses the often-overlooked issues of hardware heterogeneity and redundant transmission by proposing a resource-aware partitioning and transmission cost optimization method for distributed quantum circuits. First, we develop a partitioning framework constrained by qubit resources, which accommodates node capacity differences to enable flexible qubit allocation. Second, we model gate dependencies using a directed acyclic graph (DAG) representation and introduce formal criteria to detect “initial-state” and “final-state” redundancies. A measurement-reset strategy is then employed to replace part of the quantum communication, reducing inter-node data transmission. Experimental results on a variety of benchmark circuits and heterogeneous architectures demonstrate that our method significantly reduces transmission cost and improves overall resource utilization. These findings offer both theoretical insight and practical guidance for efficient distributed quantum computing.Abstract To overcome the physical limitations of current quantum hardware in terms of available qubits and connectivity, distributed quantum computing (DQC) has emerged as a promising and scalable paradigm. However, in distributed settings, cross-node qubit interactions incur high communication overhead due to the use of costly quantum communication protocols. Efficient circuit partitioning and transmission cost optimization have thus become key challenges. This work addresses the often-overlooked issues of hardware heterogeneity and redundant transmission by proposing a resource-aware partitioning and transmission cost optimization method for distributed quantum circuits. First, we develop a partitioning framework constrained by qubit resources, which accommodates node capacity differences to enable flexible qubit allocation. Second, we model gate dependencies using a directed acyclic graph (DAG) representation and introduce formal criteria to detect “initial-state” and “final-state” redundancies. A measurement-reset strategy is then employed to replace part of the quantum communication, reducing inter-node data transmission. Experimental results on a variety of benchmark circuits and heterogeneous architectures demonstrate that our method significantly reduces transmission cost and improves overall resource utilization. These findings offer both theoretical insight and practical guidance for efficient distributed quantum computing.

Chinese Physics BOct 16, 20250 citations

48\%

across six QPUs. Moreover, we observe counterintuitive noise behavior, where increasing the number of QPUs improves mitigation effectiveness despite higher communication overhead. These findings highlight fundamental trade-offs in distributed quantum error mitigation and raise new questions regarding the interplay between circuit structure, partitioning strategies, and network noise.