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Updated: Jun 10, 2025

Large Scale Energy Efficient Sensor Network Routing Using a Quantum Processor Unit
Published on: September 8, 2023
Key issues review: useful autonomous quantum machines
José Antonio Marín Guzmán1, Paul Erker2,3, Simone Gasparinetti4
1Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science, NIST and University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States of America.
Abstract:
Controlled quantum machines have matured significantly. A natural next step is to increasingly grant them autonomy, freeing them from time-dependent external control. For example, autonomy could pare down the classical control wires that heat and decohere quantum circuits; and an autonomous quantum refrigerator recently reset a superconducting qubit to near its ground state, as is necessary before a computation. Which fundamental conditions are necessary for realizing useful autonomous quantum machines? Inspired by recent quantum thermodynamics and chemistry, we posit conditions analogous to DiVincenzo's criteria for quantum computing. Furthermore, we illustrate the criteria with multiple autonomous quantum machines (refrigerators, circuits, clocks, etc) and multiple candidate platforms (neutral atoms, molecules, superconducting qubits, etc). Our criteria are intended to foment and guide the development of useful autonomous quantum machines.

