Q# and the Quantum Development Kit
All the tools you need to develop quantum applications and formulate optimization problems
The development kit for quantum computing
The open-source Quantum Development Kit for Azure Quantum offers tools for durable quantum application development on hardware-accelerated compute resources in Azure. Program your quantum algorithms and formulate optimization solutions, then apply those quantum solutions within the existing Azure platform to achieve real-world impacts now, before the development of a scalable quantum computer in the future.
Q#: a high-level programming language that allows you to focus your programming at the algorithmic level
Quantum computing simulator and resource estimator that provides real-world costs to run your solutions
Ready-to-use libraries and samples for arithmetic, chemistry, and machine learning developed by industry experts
Optimization solvers inspired by quantum research that run on classical and accelerated compute resources in the cloud
Develop quantum applications to run in various environments
The Quantum Development Kit is the development kit for Azure Quantum. Build and run quantum applications using Q#, Qiskit, or Cirq to run on quantum hardware, or formulate solutions that execute optimization solvers running on classical hardware on Azure.
Run complex quantum operations with Q#
Q#, a high-level quantum-focused programming language from Microsoft, offers an intuitive and modern approach to quantum program development. Use it to focus your work at the algorithmic and application level to create quantum programs.
Develop with familiar tools
The Quantum Development Kit includes feature-rich integration with Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, and Jupyter Notebooks. Use the Q# programming language on its own, in notebooks, and at the command line, or use a host language with both Python and .NET interoperability. Integrate your existing quantum workflows with support for Qiskit and Cirq. Formulate optimization solutions with the Azure Quantum optimization Python package.
Learn quantum computing today
Build your quantum computing skills with comprehensive learning resources. Explore the fundamental concepts of quantum computing and learn to build basic quantum programs through learning modules and self-paced quantum computing tutorials.
Contribute to the Quantum Development Kit
Collaborate with an emerging community of quantum programmers working on the open-source Quantum Development Kit in GitHub. Help an expanding community of developers to use Q# to deliver exciting new solutions and tackle complex problems with Q# libraries for arithmetic, chemistry, and machine learning.
Quantum resources
Documentation
GitHub libraries
Blogs
Frequently asked questions about Q# and the Quantum Development Kit
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Quantum computing harnesses quantum mechanics to enable computation. Optimization is a class of computing problems that are primary candidates for running on quantum computers in the future, providing a quantum advantage over classical solutions. We can already accelerate optimization problems using Azure Quantum solvers that run on classical hardware in Azure today faster than many other classical optimization techniques. Learn more.
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Yes. The Quantum Development Kit is an open-source development kit that you can install on your laptop or other classical computers to simulate the computation of Q# programs on a small number of qubits. The number of qubits simulated depends on the memory size available. You can also run Q# code in web-hosted Jupyter Notebooks or with GitHub Codespaces without installing anything on your computer. You do need an Azure subscription, however, to run Q# programs on quantum hardware with Azure Quantum. Learn how to set up the Quantum Development Kit.
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There are a few ways to get involved. Get started with Azure Quantum and the Quantum Development Kit. Explore quantum learning resources to learn more about quantum computing, optimization, Q#, Azure Quantum, and the development kit. Engage with Azure Quantum Network partners and startups. Join our growing community of contributors to the Quantum Development Kit open-source platform. And get notified about upcoming events for quantum computing and optimization.
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No. If you’d prefer not to install the Quantum Development Kit locally, you can use it online or use a Docker image. You can also run quantum code in web-hosted Jupyter Notebooks or with GitHub Codespaces without installing anything on your computer. To develop Q# programs with Visual Studio or Visual Studio Code, install the Quantum Development Kit with the extensions for those development environments. Learn about all the ways you can use the Quantum Development Kit.
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If you’re already using Python-based Qiskit and Cirq, you can easily get started with Azure Quantum and submit circuits using those frameworks. Learn more about developing with Qiskit and Cirq. In addition, Q# works great on its own or used with other languages like Python or C#. You can develop Python host programs that call Q# operations. Your Python code is just a normal Python program. You can use any Python environment, including Python-based Jupyter Notebooks, to write the Python program and call Q# operations. Learn more about developing with Q# and Python.
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Q# grew out of a need to develop, compile, and run algorithms on both small-scale NISQ quantum hardware and future large-scale quantum computers. Q# is a modern quantum-focused programming language that enables productive development of large numbers of complex applications, not just simple quantum circuits. Quantum programs developed with Q# are durable across evolving quantum hardware platforms. Learn more about why we need Q#.