Dependable Quantum-Classical Systems Engineering

Abstract:Quantum computing is emerging as a promising accelerator for scientific computing, but realizing its potential will require quantum processing units to operate as integral components of heterogeneous High-Performance Computing (HPC) infrastructures. Such integration introduces challenges that extend well beyond quantum hardware performance.This presentation takes a holistic systems-engineering perspective on dependable quantum-classical integration. We first examine the architectural and operational differences between classical HPC and quantum computing and discuss four key dimensions of their integration: architecture definition, programming and execution models, compilation, and fault management. Particular attention is given to the interactions among these layers and to the need for cross-layer co-design rather than isolated optimization.We then focus on system-level orchestration and introduce SQUIRO, a framework for security-aware quantum-classical scheduling. SQUIRO combines a platform-independent Unified Scheduling Model (USM) with a Scheduler Design Methodology (SDM) and demonstrates their implementation in Kubernetes. The framework treats mandatory security requirements as feasibility constraints while jointly considering resource utilization, energy, cost, and workload-specific quantum backend selection

Speaker:

Dr. Edoardo Giusto is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at the University of Naples Federico II, Italy, and a co-founder of Helix 42. He is a member of IEEE and ACM. Dr. Giusto earned his M.S. in Computer Engineering in 2017 and his Ph.D. in Computer and Systems Engineering in 2021, both from Politecnico di Torino, Italy.He previously served as a visiting postdoctoral researcher at the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center at Fermilab in Batavia, IL, USA. This appointment was part of the Next Generation Internet Transatlantic Fellowship Program, funded by the European Commission under Horizon Europe.Dr. Giusto plays an active role in the academic community, serving as a technical committee member for leading conferences such as IEEE Quantum Week (QCE), the Design, Automation, and Test in Europe Conference (DATE), and the Design Automation Conference (DAC). Additionally, he serves as Vice-Chair of the IEEE Consumer Technology Society’s Quantum in Consumer Technology initiative.His research focuses on the integration of quantum computing (QC) into high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructures within the emerging quantum-HPC (QHPC) computing paradigm. In particular, he investigates the dependability of hybrid quantum-HPC systems, with an emphasis on the reproducibility of computational results, resilience to hardware and software failures, and security and privacy of code and data.