An operating system for executing applications on quantum network nodes
The goal of future quantum networks is to enable new internet applications that are impossible to achieve using only classical communication<sup>1-3</sup>. Up to now, demonstrations of quantum network applications<sup>4-6</sup> and functionalities<sup>7-12</sup> on quantum processors have been performed in ad hoc software that was specific to the experimental setup, programmed to perform one single task (the application experiment) directly into low-level control devices using expertise in experimental physics. Here we report on the design and implementation of an architecture capable of executing quantum network applications on quantum processors in platform-independent high-level software. We demonstrate the capability of the architecture to execute applications in high-level software by implementing it as a quantum network operating system-QNodeOS-and executing test programs, including a delegated computation from a client to a server<sup>13</sup> on two quantum network nodes based on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres in diamond<sup>14,15</sup>. We show how our architecture allows us to maximize the use of quantum network hardware by multitasking different applications. Our architecture can be used to execute programs on any quantum processor platform corresponding to our system model, which we illustrate by demonstrating an extra driver for QNodeOS for a trapped-ion quantum network node based on a single <sup>40</sup>Ca<sup>+</sup> atom<sup>16</sup>. Our architecture lays the groundwork for computer science research in quantum network programming and paves the way for the development of software that can bring quantum network technology to society.
Authors
- Axel Dahlberg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2479-7424)
- Matthew Skrzypczyk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2688-3780)
- Alejandro R.‐P. Montblanch
- H. Ollivier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8036-4159)
- T. H. Taminiau (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2355-727X)
- Mariagrazia Iuliano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4859-0521)
- Markus Teller (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8172-5809)
- Dominik Leichtle (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4882-889X)
- Hana Jirovská
- Przemysław Pawełczak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1302-1148)
- Luka Music (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0842-4313)
- Wojciech Kozłowski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9146-510X)
- Ingmar te Raa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9504-9370)
- Julius Fischer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2219-091X)
- Stephanie Wehner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8433-0730)
- Bart van der Vecht (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1048-5588)
- D. Fioretto
- Carlo Delle Donne (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2834-4334)
- Ronald Hanson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8938-2137)
- Tracy E. Northup (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1071-2218)
- N. Demetriou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4484-281X)
- Hendrik Benjamin van Ommen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1219-9413)
- Pavel Filippov
- G. F. Leal Ferreira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4400-4604)
- T. J. W. van der Steenhoven
Institutions
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies du numérique (FR)
- Universität Innsbruck (AT)
- Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (FR)
- École Normale Supérieure - PSL (FR)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (FR)
- QuTech (NL)
- LIP6 (FR)
- Delft University of Technology (NL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature
- Published
- 2025-03-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08704-w
- Citations
- 21
- Primary Topic
- Quantum Information and Cryptography
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 52.10
Funders
- Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland
- European Commission
- Technische Universiteit Delft
- Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
- Fujitsu
- HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme