diff --git a/mlir/include/mlir/Compiler/CompilerPipeline.h b/mlir/include/mlir/Compiler/CompilerPipeline.h
index 54d9f039de..a53ebef0a2 100644
--- a/mlir/include/mlir/Compiler/CompilerPipeline.h
+++ b/mlir/include/mlir/Compiler/CompilerPipeline.h
@@ -49,6 +49,9 @@ struct QuantumCompilerConfig {
 
   /// Enable Hadamard lifting
   bool enableHadamardLifting = false;
+
+  /// (TODO:) Pointer to a QDMI device
+  void* device = nullptr;
 };
 
 /**
@@ -66,6 +69,8 @@ struct CompilationRecord {
   std::string afterQCOCanon;
   std::string afterOptimization;
   std::string afterOptimizationCanon;
+  std::string afterTranspilation;
+  std::string afterTranspilationCanon;
   std::string afterQCConversion;
   std::string afterQCCanon;
   std::string afterQIRConversion;
@@ -86,10 +91,12 @@ struct CompilationRecord {
  * 4. QCO cleanup pipeline
  * 5. Quantum optimization passes
  * 6. QCO cleanup pipeline
- * 7. QC dialect - converted back for backend lowering
- * 8. QC cleanup pipeline
- * 9. QIR (Quantum Intermediate Representation) - optional final lowering
- * 10. QIR cleanup pipeline
+ * 7. Quantum transpilation passes - optional fit to hardware constraints
+ * 8. QCO cleanup pipeline
+ * 9. QC dialect - converted back for backend lowering
+ * 10. QC cleanup pipeline
+ * 11. QIR (Quantum Intermediate Representation) - optional final lowering
+ * 12. QIR cleanup pipeline
  *
  * Following MLIR best practices, simplification and dead-value cleanup are
  * run after each major transformation stage.
diff --git a/mlir/lib/Compiler/CompilerPipeline.cpp b/mlir/lib/Compiler/CompilerPipeline.cpp
index b3f6b9daef..35b4d4842b 100644
--- a/mlir/lib/Compiler/CompilerPipeline.cpp
+++ b/mlir/lib/Compiler/CompilerPipeline.cpp
@@ -171,11 +171,44 @@ QuantumCompilerPipeline::runPipeline(ModuleOp module,
   if (record != nullptr && config_.recordIntermediates) {
     record->afterOptimizationCanon = captureIR(module);
     if (config_.printIRAfterAllStages) {
-      prettyPrintStage(module, "Final QCO Cleanup", ++currentStage,
+      prettyPrintStage(module, "Post-Optimization QCO Cleanup", ++currentStage,
                        totalStages);
     }
   }
-  // Stage 7: QCO-to-QC conversion
+  // Stage 7: Transpilation passes (optional)
+  if (config_.device != nullptr) {
+    if (failed(runStage([&](PassManager& pm) {
+          /// TODO:
+          // Individual passes use the device handle to query properties.
+          // if (device.hasCouplingMap())
+          //     pm.addPass(createMappingPass(config_.device))
+          // }
+          // pm.addPass(createNativeGateDecompositionPass(config_.device))
+        }))) {
+      return failure();
+    }
+    if (record != nullptr && config_.recordIntermediates) {
+      record->afterTranspilation = captureIR(module);
+      if (config_.printIRAfterAllStages) {
+        prettyPrintStage(module, "Transpilation Passes", ++currentStage,
+                         totalStages);
+      }
+    }
+    // Stage 8: QCO cleanup (optional)
+    if (failed(runStage(
+            [&](PassManager& pm) { populateQCOCleanupPipeline(pm); }))) {
+      return failure();
+    }
+    if (record != nullptr && config_.recordIntermediates) {
+      record->afterTranspilationCanon = captureIR(module);
+      if (config_.printIRAfterAllStages) {
+        prettyPrintStage(module, "Post-Transpilation QCO Cleanup",
+                         ++currentStage, totalStages);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Stage 9: QCO-to-QC conversion
   if (failed(runStage([&](PassManager& pm) { pm.addPass(createQCOToQC()); }))) {
     return failure();
   }
@@ -186,7 +219,7 @@ QuantumCompilerPipeline::runPipeline(ModuleOp module,
                        totalStages);
     }
   }
-  // Stage 8: QC cleanup
+  // Stage 10: QC cleanup
   if (failed(
           runStage([&](PassManager& pm) { populateQCCleanupPipeline(pm); }))) {
     return failure();
@@ -218,7 +251,7 @@ QuantumCompilerPipeline::runPipeline(ModuleOp module,
                          totalStages);
       }
     }
-    // Stage 10: QIR cleanup (optional)
+    // Stage 12: QIR cleanup (optional)
     if (failed(runStage(
             [&](PassManager& pm) { populateQIRCleanupPipeline(pm); }))) {
       return failure();
diff --git a/mlir/tools/mqt-cc/mqt-cc.cpp b/mlir/tools/mqt-cc/mqt-cc.cpp
index cc13e2cdba..b3f1137d75 100644
--- a/mlir/tools/mqt-cc/mqt-cc.cpp
+++ b/mlir/tools/mqt-cc/mqt-cc.cpp
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 #include <mlir/Support/LogicalResult.h>
 
 #include <exception>
+#include <optional>
 #include <string>
 #include <utility>
 
@@ -91,6 +92,10 @@ static llvm::cl::opt<bool> enableHadamardLifting(
     llvm::cl::desc("Apply Hadamard lifting during optimization"),
     llvm::cl::init(false));
 
+static llvm::cl::opt<std::optional<std::string>>
+    arch("arch", llvm::cl::desc("Specify the target architecture"),
+         llvm::cl::init(std::nullopt));
+
 /**
  * @brief Load and parse a .qasm file
  */
@@ -188,6 +193,18 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv) {
       disableMergeSingleQubitRotationGates;
   config.enableHadamardLifting = enableHadamardLifting;
 
+  if (arch != std::nullopt) {
+    /// TODO:
+    // 1) Load the dynamic device libraries with the given name
+    //      e.g. <arch>_device.dylib
+    //    or raise error if the library is not found.
+    // 2) Set the device handle in the QuantumCompilerConfig
+    //    Individual passes use the device handle to query properties.
+    //
+    // Also: Make sure that everything still works if the arch options isn't
+    // supplied.
+  }
+
   // Run the compilation pipeline
   CompilationRecord record;
   if (const QuantumCompilerPipeline pipeline(config);