Quantum Optimization for Training Quantum Neural Networks

Variational quantum algorithms (VQAs) are among the most promising algorithms in the era of Noisy Intermediate Scale Quantum Devices. Such algorithms are constructed using a parameterization U($\pmb{\theta}$) with a classical optimizer that updates the parameters $\pmb{\theta}$ in order to minimize a cost function $C$. For this task, in general the gradient descent method, or one of its variants, is used. This is a method where the circuit parameters are updated iteratively u...

This paper delves into the intricate dynamics of quantum noise and its influence on the onset and mitigation of barren plateaus (BPs) - a phenomenon that critically impedes the scalability of QNNs. We find that BPs appear earlier in noisy quantum environments compared to ideal, noise-free conditions.However, strategic selection of qubit measurement observables can effectively tackle this issue. To this end, we examine a variety of observables, such as PauliZ,PauliX, PauliY, a...

Quantum Variational Circuits (QVCs) are often claimed as one of the most potent uses of both near term and long term quantum hardware. The standard approaches to optimizing these circuits rely on a classical system to compute the new parameters at every optimization step. However, this process can be extremely challenging, due to the nature of navigating the exponentially scaling complex Hilbert space, barren plateaus, and the noise present in all foreseeable quantum hardware...

An adiabatic quantum algorithm is essentially given by three elements: An initial Hamiltonian with known ground state, a problem Hamiltonian whose ground state corresponds to the solution of the given problem and an evolution schedule such that the adiabatic condition is satisfied. A correct choice of these elements is crucial for an efficient adiabatic quantum computation. In this paper we propose a hybrid quantum-classical algorithm to solve optimization problems with an ad...

While recent breakthroughs have proven the ability of noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices to achieve quantum advantage in classically-intractable sampling tasks, the use of these devices for solving more practically relevant computational problems remains a challenge. Proposals for attaining practical quantum advantage typically involve parametrized quantum circuits (PQCs), whose parameters can be optimized to find solutions to diverse problems throughout quantum ...

We propose a classical-quantum hybrid algorithm for machine learning on near-term quantum processors, which we call quantum circuit learning. A quantum circuit driven by our framework learns a given task by tuning parameters implemented on it. The iterative optimization of the parameters allows us to circumvent the high-depth circuit. Theoretical investigation shows that a quantum circuit can approximate nonlinear functions, which is further confirmed by numerical simulations...

Binary neural networks, i.e., neural networks whose parameters and activations are constrained to only two possible values, offer a compelling avenue for the deployment of deep learning models on energy- and memory-limited devices. However, their training, architectural design, and hyperparameter tuning remain challenging as these involve multiple computationally expensive combinatorial optimization problems. Here we introduce quantum hypernetworks as a mechanism to train bin...

Quantum computing has made significant progress in recent years, attracting immense interest not only in research laboratories but also in various industries. However, the application of quantum computing to solve real-world problems is still hampered by a number of challenges, including hardware limitations and a relatively under-explored landscape of quantum algorithms, especially when compared to the extensive development of classical computing. The design of quantum circu...

The increasing capabilities of Machine Learning (ML) models go hand in hand with an immense amount of data and computational power required for training. Therefore, training is usually outsourced into HPC facilities, where we have started to experience limits in scaling conventional HPC hardware, as theorized by Moore's law. Despite heavy parallelization and optimization efforts, current state-of-the-art ML models require weeks for training, which is associated with an enormo...

This paper highlights the possibility of creating quantum neural networks that are trained by Grover's Search Algorithm. The purpose of this work is to propose the concept of combining the training process of a neural network, which is performed on the principles of Grover's algorithm, with the functional structure of that neural network, interpreted as a quantum circuit. As a simple example of a neural network, to showcase the concept, a perceptron with one trainable paramet...