Bridging the Paradigm Gap: A Framework for Interoperability between Classical IoT and Quantum Computing Networks
Keywords:
Classical-Quantum Bridge, Digit-Based Gate Mapping, Heterogeneous Networks, Protocol Translation, Quantum Gate Encoding, Quantum IoT Interoperability, Quantum Middleware, Software-Defined IntegrationAbstract
The proliferation of the Internet of Things has created a massive ecosystem of classical devices that are increasingly constrained by security and computational limits. While quantum computing offers a revolutionary paradigm for data processing, a "paradigm gap" exists between classical binary telemetry and quantum state representations. This paper proposes a software-defined middleware framework designed to bridge this gap. Our primary contribution is a novel Digit-Based Gate Mapping (DBGM) method that translates standard MQTT-based IoT data into quantum circuit configurations. By positioning the Translator Core at the application layer, we enable heterogeneous classical devices to participate in quantum workflows without hardware modification. This architectural foundation establishes the feasibility of Quantum-as-a-Service for legacy IoT infrastructure.
References
[1]. Md. I. Hussain, “Internet of Things: challenges and research opportunities,” Dec. 2016, doi: 10.1007/s40012-016-0136-6.
[2]. Kumar, C. Ottaviani, S. S. Gill, and R. Buyya, “Securing the Future Internet of Things with Post-Quantum Cryptography.” Dec. 09, 2021.
[3]. Lohachab, A. Lohachab, A. Jangra, A. Lohachab, and A. Jangra, “A comprehensive survey of prominent cryptographic aspects for securing communication in post-quantum IoT networks,” Internet of Things , vol. 9, p. 100174, Feb. 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.iot.2020.100174.
[4]. M. S. Peelam, A. A. Rout, and V. Chamola, “Quantum computing applications for Internet of Things,” IET Quantum Communication , vol. 5, no. 2, p. 103, Nov. 2023, doi: 10.1049/qtc2.12079.
[5]. A. C. Kaushik and R. Narwal, “Integration of Quantum Computing with IoT,” Apr. 2020, doi: 10.35940/ijeat.d7931.049420.
[6]. B. Weder et al. , “Qunicorn: A Middleware for the Unified Execution Across Heterogeneous Quantum Cloud Offerings,” arXiv (Cornell University) , Nov. 2024, doi: 10.48550/arxiv.2411.06889.
[7]. S. R. Hasan, M. Z. Chowdhury, Md. Saiam, and Y. M. Jang, “Quantum Communication Systems: Vision, Protocols, Applications, and Challenges,” IEEE Access , vol. 11, p. 15855, Jan. 2023, doi: 10.1109/access.2023.3244395.
[8]. J. Alvarado‐Valiente, J. Romero‐Álvarez, E. Moguel, J. García-Alonso, and J. M. Murillo, “Technological diversity of quantum computing providers: a comparative study and a proposal for API Gateway integration,” Software Quality Journal , vol. 32, no. 1, p. 53, May 2023, doi: 10.1007/s11219-023-09633-5.
[9]. M. V. Klymenko et al. , “Architectural Patterns for Designing Quantum Artificial Intelligence Systems,” arXiv (Cornell University) , Nov. 2024, doi: 10.48550/arxiv.2411.10487.
[10]. M. Perelshtein et al. , “Practical application-specific advantage through hybrid quantum computing,” arXiv (Cornell University) , May 2022, doi: 10.48550/arxiv.2205.04858.
[11]. M. E. MORSALANI, “Quantum Sensing: Basics, Algorithms, Applications and the German Ecosystem.” Jun. 04, 2024.
[12]. S. Zhang, X. Zhou, T. Qiu, and D. Wu, “Quantum-Inspired Robust Networking Model With Multiverse Co-Evolution for Scale-Free IoT,” IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing , vol. 23, no. 12, p. 14085, Aug. 2024, doi: 10.1109/tmc.2024.3439511.
[13]. X. Hua et al. , “Hierarchical Controlled Hybrid Quantum Communication Based on Six-Qubit Entangled States in IoT,” Nov. 2023, doi: 10.3390/s23229111.
[14]. A. S. Cacciapuoti, M. Caleffi, R. V. Meter, and L. Hanzo, “When Entanglement Meets Classical Communications: Quantum Teleportation for the Quantum Internet,” Mar. 2020, doi: 10.1109/tcomm.2020.2978071.
[15]. P. Mašek et al. , “Implementation of True IoT Vision: Survey on Enabling Protocols and Hands-On Experience,” International Journal of Distributed Sensor Networks , vol. 12, no. 4, p. 8160282, Apr. 2016, doi: 10.1155/2016/8160282.
[16]. M. Alshowkan, P. G. Evans, M. Starke, D. Earl, and N. A. Peters, “Authentication of smart grid communications using quantum key distribution,” Scientific Reports , vol. 12, no. 1, Jul. 2022, doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-16090-w.
[17]. R. Bhowmik and Md. H. Riaz, “An extended review of the application layer messaging protocol of the internet of things,” Bulletin of Electrical Engineering and Informatics , vol. 12, no. 5, p. 3134, Jun. 2023, doi: 10.11591/eei.v12i5.5236.
[18]. A. Al‐Fuqaha, M. Guizani, M. Mohammadi, M. Aledhari, and M. Ayyash, “Internet of Things: A Survey on Enabling Technologies, Protocols, and Applications,” IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials , vol. 17, no. 4, p. 2347, Jan. 2015, doi: 10.1109/comst.2015.2444095.
[19]. M. I. Hossain, S. A. Sumon, H. Md. Hasan, F. Akter, M. B. Badhon, and M. N. U. Islam, “Quantum-Edge Cloud Computing: A Future Paradigm for IoT Applications,” arXiv (Cornell University) , May 2024, doi: 10.48550/arxiv.2405.04824.
[20]. “Using Quantum Nodes Connected via the Quantum Cloud to Perform IoT Quantum Network.” doi: 10.3390/condmat8010024.
[21]. A. Singh, K. Dev, H. Šiljak, H. D. Joshi, and M. Magarini, “Quantum Internet—Applications, Functionalities, Enabling Technologies, Challenges, and Research Directions,” Jan. 2021, doi: 10.1109/comst.2021.3109944.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Abu Elhassan M. Elamin

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who submit papers with this journal agree to the following terms.