  Unravelling the source of quantum computing power has been a major goal in
the field of quantum information science. In recent years, the quantum resource
theory (QRT) has been established to characterize various quantum resources,
yet their roles in quantum computing tasks still require investigation. The
so-called universal quantum computing model (UQCM), e.g., the circuit model,
has been the main framework to guide the design of quantum algorithms, creation
of real quantum computers etc. In this work, we combine the study of UQCM
together with QRT. We find on one hand, using QRT can provide a
resource-theoretic characterization of a UQCM, the relation among models and
inspire new ones, and on the other hand, using UQCM offers a framework to apply
resources, study relation among resources and classify them.
  We develop the theory of universal resources in the setting of UQCM, and find
a rich spectrum of UQCMs and the corresponding universal resources. Depending
on a hierarchical structure of resource theories, we find models can be
classified into families. In this work, we study three natural families of
UQCMs in details: the amplitude family, the quasi-probability family, and the
Hamiltonian family. They include some well known models, like the
measurement-based model and adiabatic model, and also inspire new models such
as the contextual model we introduce. Each family contains at least a triplet
of models, and such a succinct structure of families of UQCMs offers a unifying
picture to investigate resources and design models. It also provides a rigorous
framework to resolve puzzles, such as the role of entanglement vs.
interference, and unravel resource-theoretic features of quantum algorithms.
