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ESE Fall Seminar – “Physics-Aware, Full-Stack Software to Accelerate Practical Quantum Computing”
September 25, 2025 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Quantum software can be a force multiplier that can significantly shorten the timeline for utility-scale results from quantum hardware. In particular, several key research directions will help realize practical quantum advantage. Physics-aware, cross-layer optimizations will continue to yield important efficiencies to allow applications to make the most of quantum resources. Software-directed noise-aware optimization and error correction, in particular, will be key to increasing gate depths and maintaining acceptable output fidelity. Pulse-level optimizations and specialized native gates will also be key enablers. Additionally, applications will be hybrid computations involving high-performance classical resources as well as quantum hardware serving as special-purpose accelerators. Effectively partitioning computations between these classical and quantum resources will be necessary to support realistic applications. Additionally, deep compiler optimization and classical simulation of Clifford and near-Clifford circuits can also be important classical investments towards more efficient quantum computations.
Fred Chong
Seymour Goodman Professor in Computer Science , University of Chicago and the Chief Scientist for Quantum Software, Infleqtion
Fred Chong is the Seymour Goodman Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Chicago and the Chief Scientist for Quantum Software at Infleqtion. Chong is a member of the National Quantum Advisory Committee (NQIAC) which provides advice to the President on the National Quantum Initiative Program. In 2020, he co-founded Super.tech, a quantum software company, which was acquired by Infleqtion (formerly ColdQuanta) in 2022. Chong received his Ph.D. from MIT in 1996 and was a faculty member and Chancellor’s fellow at UC Davis from 1997-2005. He was also a Professor of Computer Science, Director of Computer Engineering, and Director of the Greenscale Center for Energy-Efficient Computing at UCSB from 2005-2015. He is a fellow of the ACM and the IEEE, a recipient of the NSF CAREER award, the Intel Outstanding Researcher Award, and 16 best paper awards. He is also a recipient of the Quantrell Award, the oldest undergraduate teaching award in the United States, as well as the University of Chicago’s Graduate Teaching and Mentoring Award.