Intel quantum software development kit version 1.0

After launching its beta version in September 2022, Intel has released version 1.0 of the Intel Quantum Software Development Kit (SDK). The SDK is a full quantum computer in simulation that can also interface with Intel’s quantum hardware, including Intel’s Horse Ridge II control chip and Intel’s quantum spin qubit chip. The kit allows developers to program quantum algorithms in simulation, and it features an intuitive programming interface written in C++ using a low-level virtual machine (LLVM) compiler toolchain. As a result, the SDK enables interfacing with C/C++ and Python applications, making it versatile and customisable.

Version 1.0 of the SDK includes an intuitive programming interface based on C++, providing a programming language that’s familiar to classical computing developers, enabling collaboration between them and quantum developers. The kit also features a quantum runtime environment designed for executing hybrid quantum-classical algorithms. Developers have the choice of two target back ends for simulating qubits to either represent a higher number of generic qubits or Intel hardware.

The first backend is a high-performance open-source generic qubit simulator, Intel Quantum Simulator (IQS). IQS has a backend capable of 32 qubits on a single node and more than 40 qubits on multiple nodes. The second is a target backend that simulates Intel quantum dot qubit hardware and enables compact model simulation of Intel silicon spin qubits. The SDK enables users to develop small workloads to determine what functionalities are needed from the quantum computer’s system architecture to run algorithms efficiently and accurately on qubits.

The SDK provides for users to compare compiler files, a standard feature in classical computing development, to discern how well an algorithm is optimised in the compiler. It allows users to see the source code and obtain lower levels of abstraction, gaining insight into how a system stores data.