Quantum generative adversarial networks with multiple superconducting qubits

Generative adversarial networks are an emerging technique with wide applications in machine learning, which have achieved dramatic success in a number of challenging tasks including image and video generation. When equipped with quantum processors, their quantum counterparts—called quantum generative adversarial networks (QGANs)—may even exhibit exponential advantages in certain machine learning applications. Here, we report an experimental implementation of a QGAN using a programmable superconducting processor, in which both the generator and the discriminator are parameterized via layers of single- and two-qubit quantum gates. The programmed QGAN runs automatically several rounds of adversarial learning with quantum gradients to achieve a Nash equilibrium point, where the generator can replicate data samples that mimic the ones from the training set. Our implementation is promising to scale up to noisy intermediate-scale quantum devices, thus paving the way for experimental explorations of quantum advantages in practical applications with near-term quantum technologies.