Title: Toward a universal quantum programming language

Abstract

Quantum computing is more powerful than classical computing because qubits can do exponentially more work than bits. Quantum computers with 72 qubits exist today and a few thousand qubits may be sufficient for quantum computers to outperform all current classical computers. Until recently, every quantum computer had its own programming language. Are we moving towards a quantum programming language that is universal, that is, one whose programs can run on all quantum computers? Will a winner emerge among the many languages that flourish at the moment? What are the challenges in making a universal language?

I will argue that a key enabler will be better compilers that can translate quantum algorithms, overcome hardware differences, and handle combinatorial explosion.

Bio

Jens Palsberg is a Professor and former Department Chair of Computer Science at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

His research interests span the areas of compilers, embedded systems, programming languages, software engineering, and information security.

He is the chair of ACM SIGPLAN and a member of the editorial board of Information and Computation. He is also a former editor-in-chief of ACM Transactions of Programming Languages and Systems and a former conference program chair of ACM Symposium on Principles of Programming Languages (POPL).

In 2012 he received the ACM SIGPLAN Distinguished Service Award.