Protecting Quantum Computers with a Trusted Controller

Rapidly evolving research on quantum computers brings closer reality of practical quantum computers that can solve previously untractable problems. However, as these computers become more powerful, they will process and generate valuable data and intellectual property, making them targets of security attacks. As a result, there is a need to develop architectures for securing quantum computers and the computation. This work presents emerging ideas on design of a trusted quantum computer controller as a pivotal component in securing quantum computing systems. At its core, a trusted controller acts to protect the privacy and security of user’s circuits executing on the quantum computer itself. In this work, the classical controller used to generate control pulses for quantum computers is augmented with trusted hardware. The trusted classical hardware can analyze and manipulate circuits and instructions before generating control pulses sent to the untrusted, quantum processing unit. This work analyzes the promises of trusted controller and presents ideas for design of secure cloud-based quantum computers.