Towards A High-Performance Quantum Data Center Network Architecture

Abstract: Quantum Data Centers (QDCs) are needed to support large-scale quantum processing for both academic and commercial applications. While large-scale quantum computers are constrained by technological and financial barriers, a modular approach that clusters small quantum computers offers an alternative. This approach, however, introduces new challenges in network scalability, entanglement generation, and quantum memory management. In this paper, we propose a three-layer fat-tree network architecture for QDCs, designed to address these challenges. Our architecture features a unique leaf switch and an advanced swapping spine switch design, optimized to handle high volumes of entanglement requests as well as a queue scheduling mechanism that efficiently manages quantum memory to prevent decoherence. Through queuing-theoretical models and simulations in NetSquid, we demonstrate the proposed architecture's scalability and effectiveness in maintaining high entanglement fidelity, offering a practical path forward for modular QDC networks.