This is a list of quantum software, including software development kits, programming languages, instruction set architectures, intermediate representations, simulators, and cloud platforms used in quantum computing. Quantum software is used to design quantum algorithms, create and manipulate quantum circuits, compile programs for quantum processors, simulate quantum systems on classical computers, and run experiments on cloud-accessible quantum hardware.1234
Programming languages and instruction sets
| Software or language | Description |
|---|---|
| Blackbird | Quantum instruction set and intermediate representation used for continuous-variable photonic quantum programs. |
| cQASM | Hardware-agnostic quantum assembly language intended to support interoperability between quantum compilation and simulation tools. |
| OpenQASM | Quantum assembly language and intermediate representation designed for describing quantum circuits and quantum algorithms for execution on quantum computers. |
| Q# | Domain-specific language developed by Microsoft for expressing quantum algorithms. |
| Quantum Computation Language | Early quantum programming language with an interpreter and a built-in simulated quantum computer. |
| Quantum Intermediate Representation | Intermediate representation based on the LLVM compiler infrastructure for representing quantum programs. |
| QMASM | Low-level language for quantum annealers, including systems based on the Ising model and QUBO formulations. |
| Quipper | functional quantum programming language embedded in Haskell. |
| Quil | Quantum instruction set architecture associated with Rigetti Computing and the Forest quantum programming environment. |
| Scaffold | C-like quantum programming language built on the LLVM compiler infrastructure. |
| Silq | High-level quantum programming language developed at ETH Zurich with a static type system. |
Software development kits and frameworks
| Software | Description |
|---|---|
| Cirq | Open-source Python framework for creating, manipulating, simulating, and running quantum circuits, especially for NISQ devices. |
| Libquantum | C library and quantum mechanics simulator originally focused on virtual quantum computers. |
| OpenFermion | Library for compiling quantum simulation algorithms to Cirq, with applications in quantum chemistry and electronic-structure problems. |
| PennyLane | Open-source Python library developed by Xanadu Quantum Technologies for differentiable programming of quantum computers and quantum machine learning workflows. |
| ProjectQ | Open-source quantum computing framework developed at ETH Zurich for creating quantum programs, simulating them, and sending jobs to quantum hardware. |
| Quantum Development Kit | Microsoft software development kit for quantum algorithm development and simulation, centered on the Q# programming language. |
| Qiskit | Open-source software development kit for quantum computing originally developed by IBM Research, used to create quantum programs and execute them on simulators or quantum hardware. |
| Qrisp | Open-source high-level quantum programming framework designed to simplify the implementation and compilation of gate-based quantum algorithms. |
| Strawberry Fields | Open-source Python library developed by Xanadu Quantum Technologies for designing and simulating photonic and continuous-variable quantum circuits. |
| TensorFlow Quantum | Extension of TensorFlow for exploring hybrid classical-quantum machine learning algorithms. |
| TKET | Platform-agnostic quantum compiler and software development kit for optimizing and running quantum programs on gate-based quantum computers. |
Cloud platforms and services
| Platform | Description |
|---|---|
| IBM Quantum Platform | Cloud-based quantum computing platform from IBM that provides access to IBM quantum processors, tutorials, courses, simulators, and programmatic workflows using Qiskit and OpenQASM. |
| Microsoft Azure Quantum | Cloud-based quantum computing platform from Microsoft that provides access to quantum hardware, software, and tools, including Q#, the Quantum Development Kit, Azure Quantum Elements, and resource-estimation tools. |
See also
See also
References
References
- Fingerhuth, Mark; Babej, Tomáš; Wittek, Peter (2018). "Open source software in quantum computing". PLOS ONE. 13 (12) e0208561. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0208561. PMC 6301779. PMID 30571700.
- Häner, Thomas; Steiger, Damian S.; Svore, Krysta; Troyer, Matthias (2018). "A software methodology for compiling quantum programs". Quantum Science and Technology. 3 (2): 020501. doi:10.1088/2058-9565/aaa5cc.
- Serrano, Manuel A.; Cruz-Lemus, José A.; Pérez-Castillo, Ricardo; Piattini, Mario (2022). "Quantum Software Components and Platforms: Overview and Quality Assessment". ACM Computing Surveys. 55 (8): 1–31. doi:10.1145/3548679.
- "Open-Source Quantum Software Projects". GitHub. Quantum Open Source Foundation. Retrieved June 7, 2026.