September 19, 2024
This video is the tenth talk that was given for the AI4SD2022 Conference. Cross-architecture tuning of quantum devices faster than human experts – Dr Natalia Ares (University of Oxford) Abstract: A concerning consequence of quantum device variability is that the tuning of each qubit in a quantum circuit constitutes a time-consuming non-trivial process that has to be independently performed for each device, requiring a deep understanding of the particular device to be tuned and “muscle memory”. I will show a machine-learning based approach that can tune quantum devices completely automatically, regard less of the device architecture and being agnostic to the material realisation. Our algorithm was able to tune double quantum dot devices defined in a Si FinFET, a Ge/Sicore/shell nanowire, and both SiGe and AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures, successfully accommodating the different modes of gate operation and noise characteristics. We report tuning times as fast as 10 minutes starting from scratch – well over an order of magnitude faster than what would be achievable by a dedicated expert human operator. Just as AlphaZero showed that the achievements of AlphaGo could be extended to learning to win at different board games without needing to be reprogrammed for each, so our result shows that cross-architecture tuning of quantum devices can be achieved using machine learning. Bio: Natalia Ares is an Associate Professor at the Department of Engineering Science, a Tutorial Fellow in New College and a Royal Society University Research Fellow. Her research focuses on quantum device control. She develops machine learning algorithms for the automation of quantum device measurement and optimisation. She also harnesses the capabilities of nanoscale devices to explore thermodynamics in the quantum realm. She completed her PhD thesis at Université Grenoble Alpes, France, and her undergraduates’ studies at Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.