munich-quantum-toolkit / munich-quantum-toolkit/core

⚡️ Use Configurable (Defaults to 16-Bit) Integer Size Indexing in Mapping Pass

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Dominant language
C++
Stars
133
Forks
73
Avg merge
17h 34m
Merged PRs (30d)
261

Description

Currently, we use size_t throughout the mapping pass implementation to represent indices. Usually, this is fine as size_t represents the largest representable datatype for indices. However, state-of-the-art quantum computers don't surpass the 2^16=65.536 threshold and hence a smaller datatype might be just fine.

Resolving this issue includes the following steps:

  • Implement a configurable index size which defaults to uint16_t. Template where necessary.
  • Benchmark the mapping pass using larger-scale circuits (such as grover). Answer: Is the performance gain noticeable?
  • Decide whether the performance gain justifies the "additional implementation overhead".

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by locating the mapping pass implementation and inventorying where size_t represents indices. Benchmark larger-scale circuits such as grover before and after a configurable index size defaulting to uint16_t, then compare the performance gain with the added implementation overhead to determine whether the change is justified.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
cpp
Domain
compilers, performance
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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