Challenges and potential solutions
While quantum technology is posed to make great strides in our ability to communicate, compute and sense, it is essential to understand how to incorporate quantum technologies into existing capabilities.
Quantum effects will pose substantial challenges to successfully engineering systems underpinned by quantum technologies and sub-systems. It is clear that to overcome these challenges successfully, a combination of technical and non-technical solutions will need to be considered.
It is suggested that some of the characteristics of quantum technologies challenge the conventional systems engineering paradigm, and if traditional systems engineering is to be largely retained, then approaches and mechanisms for incorporating quantum need to be devised and codified.
A new discipline of quantum (system) engineering may need to be developed as a specific discipline in its own right.
The interfacing between these disciplines will also need to be addressed.
Technical solutions
A number of technical measures can be adopted to overcome some of the challenges which have been described above:
- Methods to limit the effect of quantum technologies on the broader system.
- The development of library of standard quantum architectures that can be re-used will be valuable in assisting the development of quantum systems. This would build on existing systems engineering methods; for example, where possible, reference architectures and templates are used to facilitate the re-use of solutions to common problems. These would enable singular solutions to be applied to a range of such issues, though addressing these for the first time may be non-trivial.
- The development of accurate and practical models that can be used to predict the performance of quantum components. The absence of such models is not a systems engineering problem in itself but will pose an additional challenge to effective systems engineering.
- Further development of standard systems engineering tools and methodologies designed to help the development of technologies with low technology readiness levels [14].
In terms of overcoming the V&V challenge, systems based on quantum technologies need to be developed and designed so that they can be qualified and certified for use with minimal overhead. Excessive difficulties in such areas are likely to hamper the successful adoption of such technologies, especially in those applications where high integrity is required.
More broadly, some of the challenges quantum technologies poses are also being replicated in other fields where novel technologies are being deployed. One example which has been mentioned earlier in this paper is the “state space explosion” problem: this leads to an exponential growth of the dimensionality of the system’s state space, leading to challenges in system analysis, modelling and testing; this is also a challenge for artificial intelligence-based systems.
In short, quantum technology is not the only field potentially challenging for established systems engineering approaches. Novel systems engineering approaches are being considered that will address some of these challenges, including more rigorous stochastic model approaches. By working across disciplines, it may be possible to identify systems engineering approaches that could solve problems encountered when developing quantum systems.
Non-technical solutions
In terms of identifying solutions to the challenges that have been highlighted, solutions lie not only in the technology itself. Solutions lie also in building appropriate communities and ecosystems with the requisite mix of skills and backgrounds to allow meaningful progress to be achieved.
The IRDS (International Roadmap for Devices and Systems [Note 1]) could be a helpful model to replicate in achieving this. The mix of skills required is likely to comprise systems engineering, quantum physics, and device-level engineering (e.g. optics, electronics and other underpinning components).
Note 1: Details of its successor can be found at https://irds.ieee.org/.
These are likely to be drawn from a number of organisations including government departments [Note 2], academia, research laboratories (e.g. The National Physics Laboratory) and the spectrum of industry from small start-ups and spin-outs through to the larger end-user/systems integrator companies.
An important aspect of this is ensuring that those with different backgrounds are able to communicate effectively when discussing technical matters. For example, a business case to convince an end-user of the merits of a particular technology needs to be structured and presented in a very different manner to an academic presentation to a scientific audience.
The adoption of consistent and well-understood terminology is also essential. Additionally, the engineering documentation produced will need to be usable by engineers drawn from different disciplines. There are a number of methods this could be achieved, including conferences, workshops and government-funded projects.
Professional bodies (e.g. The Institution of Engineering and Technology and the Institute of Physics) could also play a role in enabling these interactions.
Organisational solutions
Professional body working groups are essential for the sharing of knowledge and best practice, and this would be an appropriate action for the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), Institute of Physics (IOP) or the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng).
This paper will be a useful starting point in such a dialogue and can be used as a platform to start considering the standing up of such groups.
Skills
New training opportunities will be needed in order to train practitioners across all levels of education, including those who have the higher levels (e.g. PhD), the middle levels (e.g. Masters Degrees, Undergraduate degrees) and those without. New training opportunities will ensure that future quantum technologists are equipped with the necessary skills for the engineering of these systems
The existing Centres for Doctoral Training are a good first step in addressing this but typically focus on quantum technologies themselves as opposed to the wider systems implications and system engineering methodologies.
However, more work is needed to embed the required skill sets in the relevant communities (e.g., systems engineers, quantum engineers, and quantum scientists).
Training in the systems engineering of quantum-based systems would need to consider the following topics:
- Engineering techniques to contain or minimise the impact of quantum effects on the wider system
- Interfacing with and between quantum technologies
- Designing techniques to harness quantum effects in order to allow the system to meet the specified requirements
The authoring of clear, accessible and instructive texts on the subject would also be invaluable. These materials will need to be tailored to the respective target audiences, in particular a “one size fits all” approach is unlikely to be appropriate.
Other activities such as conferences, workshops and summer schools could also be utilised to ensure that there is quantum literacy among systems engineers and systems engineering literacy among quantum scientists and engineers.
A quantum technologies systems engineering community should also be established in order to allow those with common interests to share knowledge and best practices on this topic.
This is effectively a new technical discipline, so its relationship with other technical disciplines needs to be understood. The development of a body of knowledge (BoK), similar to what exists for conventional systems engineering and cyber systems, would be appropriate and would be another vehicle for disseminating best practice.
There are various aspects to professionalization, including, for example, corporate bodies of knowledge, handbooks, and standards. For systems engineering, these exist and would need to be updated in order to reflect best practices when dealing with systems underpinned by quantum technologies.
It would also be appropriate to review project organisational structures when developing quantum systems, in order to ensure that best practice is encouraged. This is because conventional project structures [Note 3] may no longer be appropriate when engineering systems underpinned by quantum technologies.
Further work also needs to be done to inform senior management (particularly at the c-suite level) to enable them to understand the potential benefits of quantum technologies and enable them to act upon the presented opportunities.
In a survey of engineering skills, 54% of engineering employers surveyed do not feel that senior management understands emerging technologies such as quantum (iet-skills-for-a-digital-future-summary.pdf (theiet.org).
Regulations and standards
The existence and adoption of appropriate standards is an important step towards the development and adoption of new technologies. Activity in developing standards for quantum technologies is now increasing [G] [H]. Much of this is being driven by the US and China who are especially dominant in the areas of quantum computing and communications.
Although at an early stage, organisations such as BSI and CENELEC are already exploring the development of standards related to quantum technologies. The European Quantum Industry Consortium (QuIC) also has a Working Group which is looking at standards for quantum technologies.
There are options for standardisation that may need to be considered depending upon the sensitivity of the technology. For example, the UK Ministry of Defence has a hierarchy of standards that suggests bodies that can be used for a given application. These include ISO/IEC, BSI and CENLEC, OMG, and IEEE.
As part of the efforts towards standardisation, there needs to be some discourse on what topics should be addressed in an international forum and what should be addressed in other forums. This is especially important now we are entering a more competitive international phase in the development of quantum technologies.
References
G Jenet, Andreas. "Standards4Quantum: making quantum technology ready for industry. Putting science into standards." Putting Science into Standards (May 1, 2020). JRC Conference and Workshop Report. 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3888296
H van Deventer, Oskar, et al. "Towards European standards for quantum technologies." EPJ Quantum Technology 9.1 (2022): 33. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjqt/s40507-022-00150-1