GBS-Assisted Quantum Unsupervised Machine Learning on a Universal Programmable Integrated Quantum Chip

Quantum machine learning stands poised as a forefront application for near-term quantum devices, addressing scalability challenges posed by classical computers in handling large datasets. Gaussian boson sampling (GBS), an intricate quantum algorithm deemed computationally infeasible for classical counterparts, represents a substantial leap forward in computational tasks. However, to date, the benefits of GBS-assisted quantum unsupervised machine learning are not experimentally demonstrated. Here, we present the first experimental implementation of quantum unsupervised machine learning using the GBS protocol with a universal programmable integrated photonic chip. The experimental system contains 16 squeezing sources, a universal programmable unitary matrix network of 16 modes, and a multi-channel single-photon detector, producing substantial output data crucial for 2 typical types of unsupervised tasks: feature extraction and generative network. Compared to classical approaches, the study demonstrates quantum-enhanced capability in extracting complex features from high-dimensional spaces and improved performance in generating arbitrary curve points and reconstructing handwritten digit images. This work not only underscores the potential of GBS in expressing high-dimensional features but also charts a path toward practical implementations within scalable, dimension-enhanced quantum unsupervised machine learning frameworks. The quantum unsupervised machine learning paradigm, offering theoretical acceleration and reduced training parameters for high-dimensional datasets, shows significant promise for advancing real-world applications of quantum technologies.