Distributed Quantum Information Processing: A Review of Recent Progress

Distributed quantum information processing seeks to overcome the scalability limitations of 

monolithic quantum devices by interconnecting multiple  quantum processing nodes via 

classical and quantum communication. This approach extends the capabilities of individual 

devices, enabling access to larger problem  instances and novel algorithmic techniques. 

Beyond increasing qubit counts, it also enables qualitatively new capabilities, such as joint 

measurements on multiple copies of high-dimensional quantum states. The distinction 

between single-copy and multi-copy access reveals important differences in task complexity 

and helps identify which computational problems stand to benefit from distributed quantum 

resources. At the same time, it highlights trade-offs between classical and quantum 

communication models and the practical challenges involved in realizing them experimentally. 

In this review, we contextualize recent developments by surveying the theoretical foundations 

of distributed quantum protocols and examining the experimental platforms and algorithmic 

applications that realize them in practice