SQC, Bild, Quantencomputing, 210818
©istock/Dean Mitchell

Development of quantum algorithms from the perspective of informatics

News from Aug. 18, 2021

Quantum computing is seen as a promising approach to drive the development of new services and applications. For example, the technology could help crack encryption, optimize traffic predictions or develop new materials. Essential for such applications are quantum algorithms that support the quest for solutions. However, quantum computing has so far been strongly dominated by physics. Now scientists at FOKUS venture a look at the development of such algorithms from a computer science perspective in the paper “Computer Scientist's and Programmer's View on Quantum Algorithms: Mapping Functions' APIs and Inputs to Oracles”.

In software development and application or service programming for industrial applications, unique challenges apply that could also be solved by using quantum computers. In particular, quantum algorithms are available that promise extreme acceleration in searching unstructured databases. The black-box oracle, in particular, plays a central role in the development and application of such quantum algorithms. Such an oracle is an embedded, executable function that can influence the quantum computation process for an input so that the correct results are calculated with a higher probability. In programming quantum algorithms, researchers have observed that the input of API (application programming interface) functions from the classical world of software development and web services must be mapped to the black-box oracles. In the paper, this aspect is discussed and illustrated using two quantum computing algorithms (Deutsch-Josza und Grover).


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