Pramod Bhatotia

ECCentric: An Empirical Analysis of Quantum Error Correction Codes

Aleksandra Åšwierkowska, Jannik Pflieger, Emmanouil Giortamis, Pramod Bhatotia [1]

Abstract

Quantum error correction (QEC) is essential for building scalable quantum computers, but a lack of systematic, end-to-end evaluation methods makes it difficult to assess how different QEC codes perform under realistic conditions. The vast diversity of codes, an expansive experimental search space, and the absence of a standardized framework prevent a thorough, holistic analysis. To address this, we introduce ECCentric, an end-to-end benchmarking framework designed to systematically evaluate QEC codes across the full quantum computing stack. ECCentric is designed to be modular, extensible, and general, allowing for a comprehensive analysis of QEC code families under varying hardware topologies, noise models, and compilation strategies. Using ECCentric, we conduct the first systematic benchmarking of major QEC code families against realistic, mid-term quantum device parameters. Our empirical analysis reveals that intra-QPU execution significantly outperforms distributed methods, that qubit connectivity is a far more critical factor for reducing logical errors than increasing code distance, and that compiler overhead remains a major source of error. Furthermore, our findings suggest that trapped-ion architectures with qubit shuttling are the most promising near-term platforms and that on noisy devices, a strategic and selective application of QEC is necessary to avoid introducing more errors than are corrected. This study provides crucial, actionable insights for both hardware designers and practitioners, guiding the development of fault-tolerant quantum systems.

Weaver: A Retargetable Compiler Framework for FPQA Quantum Architectures

Oğuzcan Kırmemiş, Francisco Romão, Emmanouil Giortamis [1], Pramod Bhatotia [1]

Abstract

While the prominent quantum computing architectures are based on superconducting technology, new quantum hardware technologies are emerging, such as Trapped Ions, Neutral Atoms (or FPQAs), Silicon Spin Qubits, etc. This diverse set of technologies presents fundamental trade-offs in terms of scalability, performance, manufacturing, and operating expenses. To manage these diverse quantum technologies, there is a growing need for a retargetable compiler that can efficiently adapt existing code to these emerging hardware platforms. Such a retargetable compiler must be extensible to support new and rapidly evolving technologies, performant with fast compilation times and high-fidelity execution, and verifiable through rigorous equivalence checking to ensure the functional equivalence of the retargeted code. To this end, we present $Weaver$, the first extensible, performant, and verifiable retargetable quantum compiler framework with a focus on FPQAs due to their unique, promising features. $Weaver$ introduces WQASM, the first formal extension of the standard OpenQASM quantum assembly with FPQA-specific instructions to support their distinct capabilities. Next, $Weaver$ implements the WOptimizer, an extensible set of FPQA-specific optimization passes to improve execution quality. Last, the WChecker automatically checks for equivalence between the original and the retargeted code. Our evaluation shows that $Weaver$ improves compilation times by $10^3\times$, execution times by $4.4\times$, and execution fidelity by $10\%$, on average, compared to superconducting and state-of-the-art (non-retargetable) FPQA compilers.