Working Towards Quantum Advantage – Computing & Simulation Technologies

This Research Topic aims to provide a focused platform for quantum computing and simulation technologies that:

o Turn quantum devices into usable computing and simulation resources

o Connect architectures, algorithms, and software into coherent stacks

o Demonstrate reliable, benchmarked performance on meaningful problems

o Highlight early quantum advantage or clear pathways toward it in real-world computing and simulation tasks.

This topic focuses on building the pathway to practical quantum advantage in computing and simulation, linking advances in hardware, software, and applications into a coherent stack. We welcome work that advances:

o Quantum hardware architectures and scalability

Design, control, and scaling of trapped-ion, superconducting, atomic, photonic, semiconductor, and hybrid platforms. This includes improving qubit quality, connectivity, stability, and system integration with classical control and readout.

o Software, algorithms, and hybrid quantum–classical workflows

Development of algorithms for both NISQ and fault-tolerant devices, together with the software stacks that make them usable in practice. This includes programming models, compilers, circuit optimization, and hybrid schemes that tightly integrate quantum processors with classical computation.

o Quantum simulation for real scientific and engineering problems

Use of quantum devices—digital, analog, or hybrid—to simulate chemistry, materials, optimization tasks, and quantum many-body systems. Work that connects algorithm design to concrete domain needs and benchmarks against state-of-the-art classical methods is especially relevant.

o Reliability: error correction, mitigation, and performance assessment

Techniques that make quantum computations trustworthy and repeatable, including quantum error correction and fault-tolerant schemes, error mitigation for NISQ devices, and rigorous benchmarking, validation, and verification protocols across platforms.

o Early applications and industry-driven demonstrations

End-to-end use-cases that showcase how quantum technologies can address real-world problems in domains such as chemistry, materials, finance, logistics, and energy. This includes cross-industry collaborations, pilot deployments, and workflows that highlight where and how quantum approaches can complement or surpass classical methods.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: quantum computing, quantum simulation, quantum hardware architectures, hybrid quantum–classical workflows, quantum algorithms, quantum error correction, benchmarking and performance assessment, early quantum advantage

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.