Orchestrating Quantum Systems

Conference: Quantum Engineering and Technologies conference

The presentation introduces the challenges and approach of orchestrating quantum systems through the lens of systems engineering — described as “architecture + management + paranoia + glue” — to tame the complexity that spans physics, hardware, software, control, and users. Current quantum systems lack this "glue," resulting in fragile, fragmented platforms. Orchestration is framed as the coordination of multiple subsystems to execute complex workflows reliably, efficiently, and predictably. In quantum, this means forcing incompatible, unstable, and conflicting subsystems (across algorithms, compute, network, and control layers) to function together while preserving their quantum advantage.

The architecture proposed envisions a "System of Systems" approach: building bounded systems with clear interfaces, defined capabilities, and service layers that abstract hardware complexity. A key objective is to create hardware-agnostic, intelligent software stacks that span local networks, cloud platforms, and hybrid classical-quantum compute environments. Qoro’s stack includes orchestration layers (Maestro, Composer) that enable integration of heterogeneous quantum hardware (ion traps, superconducting qubits) into existing HPC infrastructures. This allows for quantum-centric supercomputing models where classical tasks (HPC jobs) and quantum tasks (LOCC operations, entanglement fabrics) are coordinated within unified scheduling environments such as SLURM.

Dr Dan Holme, Co-founder & CEO, Qoro Quantum, UK