Abstract: A method for reducing computation time while simulating quantum computation on a classical computer by performing an algorithm used to determine the most efficient input contraction, the method including receiving, by a processor, a tensor network representing a quantum circuit, computing, by the processor, an ordering for the tensor network by an ordering algorithm, contracting, by the processor, the tensor network by eliminating indices according to the ordering resulting in a contracted tensor network, and returning, by the processor, the contracted tensor network.