Synthesizing Quantum Compilers

Par

Aws Albarghouthi

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Lundi 9 février 2026, 10:30-11:30 EST, Salle 6214

Pavillon André-Aisenstadt, Université de Montréal, 2920 Chemin de la Tour

Abstract: The promise of quantum computing has tantalized researchers for decades, and recent breakthroughs in physical implementations have brought this technology closer to reality. However, the quantum computing landscape remains highly dynamic: competing physical substrates, fault tolerance schemes, and architectures continue to emerge with no clear frontrunner. This diversity creates a significant bottleneck in the compilation pipeline – developing and maintaining separate compilers for each new device or experimental setup is both time-consuming and error-prone.

In this talk, I will present an alternative approach: automatically synthesizing device-specific quantum circuit compilers. This synthesis-based methodology enables rapid iteration while maintaining correctness guarantees. I will demonstrate how automatically synthesized compilers can achieve superior performance compared to sophisticated hand-crafted alternatives.

Bio: Aws Albarghouthi is an associate professor of computer science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He works in the field of programming languages and formal methods, where he develops new techniques for automatically building reliable and secure software systems. He received his PhD from the University of Toronto in 2015. He has received several paper awards for his work (PLDI, FSE, UIST, and FAST), an NSF CAREER award, and multiple awards from industry (Meta, Google, Amazon). He also received the Class of 1955 Teaching Excellence Award, one of the University of Wisconsin’s highest teaching honors.