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Quantum Leverage Score Sampling

Updated 4 February 2026
  • Quantum leverage score sampling is a method that uses quantum state preparation, block-encoding, and amplitude amplification to approximate matrix leverage scores efficiently.
  • It replaces the explicit computation of leverage scores with quantum techniques like QSVT and amplitude estimation, reducing classical bottlenecks in numerical linear algebra.
  • The approach enables accelerated large-scale regression and matrix sketching, achieving quadratic to exponential speedups while adhering to proven quantum lower bounds.

Quantum leverage score sampling refers to quantum algorithms that generate, sample, or approximate leverage scores of a matrix ARn×dA\in\mathbb{R}^{n\times d} more efficiently than classical algorithms, with direct implications for randomized numerical linear algebra, large-scale regression, and low-rank approximation. The leverage score of a row (or column) quantifies its influence or weight in the leading singular subspace of AA, and importance sampling by leverage scores underlies the fastest classical and quantum algorithms for matrix problems at scale. Quantum approaches replace explicit computation of all leverage scores with quantum state preparation, amplitude amplification, and block-encoding techniques, yielding quadratic to exponential speedups, subject to proven lower bounds. Quantum-inspired algorithms adapt certain quantum subroutines to classical computation under enhanced sampling data structures, providing a different axis of acceleration.

1. Leverage Scores and Classical Bottlenecks

Given AA with thin singular value decomposition (SVD) A=UDVTA = U D V^T, URn×rU\in\mathbb{R}^{n\times r}, VRd×rV\in\mathbb{R}^{d\times r}, DRr×rD\in\mathbb{R}^{r\times r}, the (row) leverage scores are

R,i(A)=Ui,2,i=1,,n,\ell_{R,i}(A) = \|U_{i,*}\|^2, \quad i = 1,\ldots,n,

and the (column) leverage scores are C,j(A)=Vj,2\ell_{C,j}(A) = \|V_{j,*}\|^2. These scores sum to the rank rr of AA0. In classical randomized algorithms for matrix sketching, least squares, and CUR decompositions, leverage score sampling significantly reduces sample complexity and runtime, but a primary computational bottleneck is their computation or approximation to high accuracy. The best classical methods, notably those of Clarkson–Woodruff, operate in time AA1, where reading AA2 is dominant for large AA3. This high cost motivates quantum acceleration (Shao, 2023).

2. Quantum Algorithmic Framework

Quantum leverage score sampling circumvents explicit computation of individual scores by preparing the quantum state

AA4

on a quantum device. Measuring AA5 yields index AA6 with probability AA7; a similar approach holds for columns. The quantum algorithm proceeds via the following steps:

  1. Block-encoding: AA8 is encoded as a unitary AA9 (Definition 2.3) on AA0 qubits as an AA1 block-encoding, so that AA2.
  2. Quantum Singular Value Transformation (QSVT): QSVT (Proposition 2.5) enables construction of a block-encoding of AA3, the isometry projecting onto the dominant subspace, in AA4 uses of AA5.
  3. Quantum State Preparation and Amplification: Starting from a uniform superposition over indices, the quantum device applies the constructed isometry (via AA6) to amplitude-encode AA7, which matches AA8. Amplitude amplification, repeated AA9 times, boosts success probability.
  4. Amplitude Estimation: To estimate individual leverage scores to additive error A=UDVTA = U D V^T0, amplify the desired ancilla component and use quantum amplitude estimation, which requires A=UDVTA = U D V^T1 calls to the underlying unitaries.

The total resource cost for preparing leverage score states is

A=UDVTA = U D V^T2

with A=UDVTA = U D V^T3 the cost of preparing A=UDVTA = U D V^T4 and A=UDVTA = U D V^T5 the minimal nonzero singular value. Individual score estimation to accuracy A=UDVTA = U D V^T6 requires additional A=UDVTA = U D V^T7 resources (Shao, 2023).

3. Speedups and Lower Bounds

The quantum approach yields at least quadratic—and in some regimes exponential—speedup over classical leverage score routines. For block-encodings with polylogarithmic cost, e.g., when A=UDVTA = U D V^T8 is well-conditioned and sparse or when A=UDVTA = U D V^T9 and URn×rU\in\mathbb{R}^{n\times r}0, quantum runtimes can be exponential improvements over the best classical runtime URn×rU\in\mathbb{R}^{n\times r}1. In the generic case, the quantum algorithm runs in time quadratic in URn×rU\in\mathbb{R}^{n\times r}2 versus linear dependence in URn×rU\in\mathbb{R}^{n\times r}3 or URn×rU\in\mathbb{R}^{n\times r}4 classically.

Quantum lower bounds show that, under entry-oracle or block-encoding models, any quantum sampler must use at least URn×rU\in\mathbb{R}^{n\times r}5 queries, matching the achieved runtime up to logarithmic factors. Similarly, accurately estimating the largest leverage score or solving least-squares regression to URn×rU\in\mathbb{R}^{n\times r}6-error URn×rU\in\mathbb{R}^{n\times r}7 also requires URn×rU\in\mathbb{R}^{n\times r}8 and URn×rU\in\mathbb{R}^{n\times r}9 queries, respectively. These lower bounds derive from reductions to Grover search and OR-function query complexities (Shao, 2023).

4. Algorithmic Implementation Details

The detailed workflow for quantum leverage score sampling includes:

  • Block-Encoding Construction: Depending on matrix sparsity and storage, construct an efficient VRd×rV\in\mathbb{R}^{d\times r}0 block-encoding VRd×rV\in\mathbb{R}^{d\times r}1 with cost VRd×rV\in\mathbb{R}^{d\times r}2.
  • QSVT for VRd×rV\in\mathbb{R}^{d\times r}3: Use VRd×rV\in\mathbb{R}^{d\times r}4 calls to VRd×rV\in\mathbb{R}^{d\times r}5 to effect QSVT for the singular subspace isometry.
  • State Preparation: For columns (VRd×rV\in\mathbb{R}^{d\times r}6), prepare the state

VRd×rV\in\mathbb{R}^{d\times r}7

and evolve via VRd×rV\in\mathbb{R}^{d\times r}8. Retain only ancilla flag VRd×rV\in\mathbb{R}^{d\times r}9 (indicating projection into the subspace).

  • Amplitude Amplification: Repeat the state preparation procedure DRr×rD\in\mathbb{R}^{r\times r}0 times so that the relevant subspace receives total probability close to unity.
  • Measurement: After preparation, measuring the state yields an index DRr×rD\in\mathbb{R}^{r\times r}1 with probability proportional to DRr×rD\in\mathbb{R}^{r\times r}2. Individual score estimation leverages amplitude estimation to refine this probability to additive error DRr×rD\in\mathbb{R}^{r\times r}3 efficiently.

The following table summarizes the subroutine costs:

Subroutine Quantum Cost Classical Cost (DRr×rD\in\mathbb{R}^{r\times r}4)
Prepare leverage state DRr×rD\in\mathbb{R}^{r\times r}5 DRr×rD\in\mathbb{R}^{r\times r}6
Estimate one score DRr×rD\in\mathbb{R}^{r\times r}7 DRr×rD\in\mathbb{R}^{r\times r}8
Rigid regression see Sec. 6, quantum part dominates for DRr×rD\in\mathbb{R}^{r\times r}9 R,i(A)=Ui,2,i=1,,n,\ell_{R,i}(A) = \|U_{i,*}\|^2, \quad i = 1,\ldots,n,0 or R,i(A)=Ui,2,i=1,,n,\ell_{R,i}(A) = \|U_{i,*}\|^2, \quad i = 1,\ldots,n,1

5. Application: Rigid Regression and Matrix Sketching

A major application of quantum leverage score sampling is in rigid (ridge) regression,

R,i(A)=Ui,2,i=1,,n,\ell_{R,i}(A) = \|U_{i,*}\|^2, \quad i = 1,\ldots,n,2

or equivalently, least-squares on the augmented system R,i(A)=Ui,2,i=1,,n,\ell_{R,i}(A) = \|U_{i,*}\|^2, \quad i = 1,\ldots,n,3. Quantum leverage samples for R,i(A)=Ui,2,i=1,,n,\ell_{R,i}(A) = \|U_{i,*}\|^2, \quad i = 1,\ldots,n,4 can be generated in cost R,i(A)=Ui,2,i=1,,n,\ell_{R,i}(A) = \|U_{i,*}\|^2, \quad i = 1,\ldots,n,5, with R,i(A)=Ui,2,i=1,,n,\ell_{R,i}(A) = \|U_{i,*}\|^2, \quad i = 1,\ldots,n,6 the statistical dimension. After R,i(A)=Ui,2,i=1,,n,\ell_{R,i}(A) = \|U_{i,*}\|^2, \quad i = 1,\ldots,n,7 samples, the downsampled system is solved classically at cost R,i(A)=Ui,2,i=1,,n,\ell_{R,i}(A) = \|U_{i,*}\|^2, \quad i = 1,\ldots,n,8. For R,i(A)=Ui,2,i=1,,n,\ell_{R,i}(A) = \|U_{i,*}\|^2, \quad i = 1,\ldots,n,9, overall runtime is

C,j(A)=Vj,2\ell_{C,j}(A) = \|V_{j,*}\|^20

yielding polynomial or even exponential speedup in C,j(A)=Vj,2\ell_{C,j}(A) = \|V_{j,*}\|^21 (up to C,j(A)=Vj,2\ell_{C,j}(A) = \|V_{j,*}\|^22) over classical methods (Shao, 2023).

Classically, substituting leverage sampling by the classical Clarkson–Woodruff routine yields a fully classical algorithm at cost C,j(A)=Vj,2\ell_{C,j}(A) = \|V_{j,*}\|^23.

6. Quantum-Inspired and Dequantized Methods

Quantum-inspired algorithms, as introduced by Zuo and Xiang (Zuo et al., 2021), achieve similar exponential speedups in the matrix dimensions C,j(A)=Vj,2\ell_{C,j}(A) = \|V_{j,*}\|^24 using enhanced sampling data structures (BSTs supporting fast C,j(A)=Vj,2\ell_{C,j}(A) = \|V_{j,*}\|^25-norm computation and conditional column/row sampling in C,j(A)=Vj,2\ell_{C,j}(A) = \|V_{j,*}\|^26 time). Their method builds a “quantum-inspired SVD” (QiSVD), outputs C,j(A)=Vj,2\ell_{C,j}(A) = \|V_{j,*}\|^27 so that C,j(A)=Vj,2\ell_{C,j}(A) = \|V_{j,*}\|^28 approximates the singular subspace, and then computes leverage score approximations C,j(A)=Vj,2\ell_{C,j}(A) = \|V_{j,*}\|^29 through inner-product sampling and postprocessing.

This approach requires polylogarithmic dependence on dimensions and polynomial dependence on parameters rr0, rr1, and rr2. For practical sampling-based matrix sketching, the method forms the sampling distribution rr3, samples and rescales accordingly, ensuring that the spectral properties of rr4 closely approximate rr5, with only additive error of order rr6. The quantum-inspired algorithm matches quantum query complexity up to polynomial factors in rr7 (but requires BST-based oracles) (Zuo et al., 2021).

7. Theoretical Guarantees and Optimality

The central theoretical results underpinning quantum leverage score sampling are as follows:

  • Quantum State Preparation and Sampling: States of the form rr8 and rr9 can be prepared in AA00 time; individual score estimation is achieved in AA01.
  • Quantum Lower Bounds: Any quantum leverage sampler must use AA02 oracle queries or AA03 block-encoding calls, and least-squares regression requires AA04 queries.
  • Error Bounds (Quantum-Inspired): For the dequantized QiSVD algorithms, with high probability, the leverage score approximations satisfy AA05 for all AA06, provided AA07 samples and proper choice of internal parameters (Zuo et al., 2021).
  • Algorithmic Optimality: The quantum runtime dependencies on AA08 and AA09 are essentially tight, based on oracle-based lower bound reductions to Grover search (Shao, 2023).

A plausible implication is that further acceleration beyond these limits would require new algorithmic frameworks or stronger matrix or access assumptions.


Quantum leverage score sampling enables efficient sampling and regression for large-scale matrices, achieving quadratic or exponential acceleration over classical techniques given block-encoded access to AA10. The underlying primitives—block-encoding, QSVT, and amplitude amplification—are provably optimal up to polylogarithmic factors. These advances also inform classical "dequantized" methods under enhanced data models, illustrating the broader impact of quantum-inspired linear algebra in numerical and data-driven applications (Shao, 2023, Zuo et al., 2021).

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