Quantum Intermediate Representation - Why, What and How

As the quantum computing stack evolves, it becomes increasingly important to create standard interfaces in order to create larger communities and develop a rich ecosystem. In particular, intermediate representations (IRs), which allow the standard description of quantum programs that serve as a compilation target for high-level programming languages and as a source for execution by quantum machines, will play a critical role in the growth of the field. Here we discuss the various considerations in designing such IRs for quantum computing and how different choices may affect performance as well as ecosystem development.