9 ms·

Quantum Development Kit preview

197 points by forrestbrazeal 9y ago

vtomole 9y ago
Nice to see Microsoft's progress in quantum computing. It seems like you can't use this SDK without Visual Studio. If you don't have Visual Studio, you can use LIQUi|> [0]; another quantum SDK from Microsoft. [0]: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/language-integrated-quantum-operations-liqui/ https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/language-in...
- bshimmin 9y ago
  "LIQUi|>" is hands-down the worst name for anything I've ever seen. Do they really expect people to write it like that?
  - mdturnerphys 9y ago
    The "|>" is an allusion to the bar and angle brackets used in bra-ket notation [0]. I believe LIQUi|> is targeted more toward academic quantum computing researchers, who are likely to recognize/appreciate the reference. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bra%E2%80%93ket_notation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bra%E2%80%93ket_notation
    - bshimmin 9y ago
      I will be honest and say I didn't get the reference!
      - urgoroger 9y ago
        Don't worry! I study quantum computation, and I didn't notice that the |> was supposed to be a D to form the word LIQUID!
  - zitterbewegung 9y ago
    It looks horrible but on the other hand it will be really easy to google. Also, it is an injoke for people familiar with quantum mechanics.
    - IncRnd 9y ago
      > it will be really easy to google Hopefully :) Sometimes it gets spelled as LIQ𝑈𝑖⏐〉 (http://stationq.github.io/Liquid/ http://stationq.github.io/Liquid/) which is different from LIQUi|> (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/language-integrated-quantum-operations-liqui/ https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/language-in...), which is different from LIQUID. It all depends on how Google feels about qubits on any given day.
      - seandougall 9y ago
        But can you spell it all three ways at the same time?
        IncRnd 9y ago
        The exact answer would take more time than I have, so I'll say maybe.
      - deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
      - deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
- mdturnerphys 9y ago
  Or you can get Visual Studio Community for free: https://www.visualstudio.com/downloads/ https://www.visualstudio.com/downloads/
  - oneplane 9y ago
    Well, if you don't have Windows, that still doesn't help. And if you don't //want// Windows or Visual Studio, that doesn't help either ;-)
  - vtomole 9y ago
    I didn't know that you can use Visual Studio on anything that is not Windows. I'll try to install it. Edit: Looks like you need Visual Studio Community for this SDK which Microsoft only has a Windows version.
    - mdturnerphys 9y ago
      Looks like it's available for Mac as well: https://www.visualstudio.com/thank-you-downloading-visual-studio-mac/?sku=communitymac&rel=15 https://www.visualstudio.com/thank-you-downloading-visual-st... Edit: The QDK does not have Mac support yet.
      - ghostly_s 9y ago
        "Visual Studio for Mac" is just a rebrand of another IDE they purchased this past year, it's not feature-equivalent with the real VS AFAIK.
      - cgranade 9y ago
        Hi, I'm one of the devs on Q#! We're excited to make this preview release of Microsoft's Quantum Development Kit available on Windows PCs. We're exploring the possibility of supporting other platforms in the future and will share more about this at a later time.
- cgranade 9y ago
  Hi, I'm a dev on Q#, and wanted to help clarify a bit how the Quantum Development Kit relates to LIQUi|〉. Microsoft's Quantum Development Kit is a successor to LIQUi|⟩ and we're excited for you to download it and begin writing Q# code. LIQUi|⟩ is focused on the efficient simulation of a quantum computer on a classical one. Q# is a language that will let you program actual quantum computers (in the future). As such, there are areas where LIQUi|⟩ can currently out-perform Q# when it is used on one of the provided simulators (which are striving to emulate the actual gates on quantum hardware). Over time, more simulators will be provided for Q# that will meet (and exceed) the efficiency of LIQUi|⟩ and at that point, we will fully retire LIQUi|⟩.
Likeable 9y ago
I need to do some research on this. What can be accomplished with this today?
pjmlp 9y ago
Q# looks quite nice. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/quantum/quantum-qr-intro?view=qsharp-preview https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/quantum/quantum-qr-intro?vi...
TheTechnician 9y ago
Anyone mind letting me know what can be accomplished with this? I don't know of any quantum computers even existing.
nneonneo 9y ago
Possibly dumb question, but what do you actually run Q# code on?
- vtomole 9y ago
  Q# code is run on a quantum virtual machine; which is a program that simulates a quantum computer on a classical computer. Quantum computers can be simulated by classical computers up to a certain point. Like that article says, a 30 qubit quantum computer can be simulated on a laptop. Microsoft is simulating up to 40 qubits on Azure. Simulating around 50 qubits or so would need one of the world's most powerful supercomputer.
  - dsp1234 9y ago
    Quantum computers can be simulated by classical computers up to a certain point. Note that the 'certain point' here is a practical limit of time/efficiency. In terms of computability, anything that can be computed on a quantum computer can be computed on a classical computer with exponential slowdown. It's the exponential slowdown that results in the practical limit.
    - kgwgk 9y ago
      And anything that can be computed on a classical computer can be computed with pebbles, the practical limits matter. ;-)
rficcaglia 9y ago
“toughest challenges, such as world hunger or the dangerous effects of climate change” How does quantum computing address world hunger or climate change? Convincing humans to not use fossil fuels or to eat less beef doesn’t need Shor’s algorithm.
- kruipen 9y ago
  Quantum computer would enable systematic approach in areas like material sciences and molecular biology, which today are essentially trial and error.
  - rficcaglia 9y ago
    Thumbs up for QC in general. Thumbs down for hype.
- vtomole 9y ago
  Shor's algorithm is not the only potential application for quantum computers. Simulating quantum mechanics and optimization is what quantum computers will probably be used for in the next couple of years. Regarding the world hunger and climate change claim. I think they are referring to the fact that quantum computers can simulate quantum chemistry more efficiently compared to classical computers. This article [0] talks about how quantum computers will be used for quantum chemistry; specifically nitrogen fixation. [0]: https://cen.acs.org/articles/95/i43/Chemistry-quantum-computings-killer-app.html https://cen.acs.org/articles/95/i43/Chemistry-quantum-comput...
  - rficcaglia 9y ago
    I have fond memories of running MM simulations on an SGI workstation so I totally grok the potential. Not arguing against the utility of QC - just trying to slow down the hype train. Telling someone that downloading an SDK will anytime soon solve climate change is distracting from the currently available non-QC options we have. My concern is magic tech solutions to easily solved problems allow lazy humans to keep polluting and point to some phantasmagorical silver bullet in the not too distant future...which inevitably comes much much later than expected. In short, at current CO2 emission growth rates, the Antarctic ice sheets will melt long before QC allows chemists to produce emission free petroleum use or planet scale carbon capture and sequestration. Let's use those future tools for Mars colonization in 2150, but for now, for our kids' sakes, let's stop making throwaway plastic baubles by the tons, relying on petroleum based fertilizers for Big Mac production, and fix the many very solvable behavioral problems with today's tech. EDIT: typo
ahelwer 9y ago
I'm legitimately excited by quantum computing. The field is moving SO much faster than popular knowledge, which seems to believe a quantum computer will arrive at the same time as a workable fusion reactor. Real quantum computers exist RIGHT NOW. You can even write a program and run it on one from IBM![0] Google and Microsoft are both dumping resources into creating commercially-available quantum computers. Google says it will demonstrate a quantum computer in mere months which outperforms a classical computer on some problem.[1] The real value of quantum computers is not found in breaking RSA. Simulated molecular dynamics sees an exponential speedup over classical methods; this has huge ramifications for drug & material design.[2] What a time to be alive! I have a BSc in Computer Science, and am teaching myself quantum computing. I'm really liking the book Quantum Computer Science: An Introduction by David Mermin. All this stuff is within your grasp! You aren't required to understand quantum weirdness to use a quantum computer. [0] https://quantumexperience.ng.bluemix.net/qx/experience https://quantumexperience.ng.bluemix.net/qx/experience [1] https://www.technologyreview.com/s/609035/google-reveals-blueprint-for-quantum-supremacy/ https://www.technologyreview.com/s/609035/google-reveals-blu... [2] https://www.chemistryworld.com/feature/quantum-chemistry-on-quantum-computers/3007680.article https://www.chemistryworld.com/feature/quantum-chemistry-on-...
- codekilla 9y ago
  I also strongly recommend 'Quantum Computing for Computer Scientists'...this is a really, really good book for those coming from a C.S. background.
  - thethirdone 9y ago
    I totally agree. It lays out the minimum of the physics and mathematics background needed to get into it as a computer scientist.
- otakucode 9y ago
  I read a news announcement on, I believe, IEEE, that Intel had gotten a manufacturing process down for a 17-qubit chip and had shipped it to their research lab in the Netherlands. There are certainly developments left and right. It will be interesting to see where quantum computing ends up... I could certainly see big possibilities for it in the communications sphere, guaranteeing link integrity and things like that.
2_listerine_pls 9y ago
What other languages are there?
- wasx 9y ago
  Hopefully once the technology matures and becomes more widespread we get a FOSS alternative. I don't trust Microsoft and would not want to work with a stack that is monopolized by them
  - dangirsh 9y ago
    I think this is crucial. Rigetti Computing (where I work) has open-sourced several packages related to quantum programming, including pyQuil: https://github.com/rigetticomputing/pyquil https://github.com/rigetticomputing/pyquil
- jnwrd 9y ago
  Check out https://www.rigetti.com/ https://www.rigetti.com/ if you want to work with python.
xcodevn 9y ago
A quote from Microsoft's video: "[A] computer that computes in a billion parallel universes at the same time". This is a bold statement with no physical evidence to backup and no idea how quantum computer works.
westoncb 9y ago
Anyone know how this might impact constraint satisfaction algorithms? Is it possible we'd see something like Prolog being orders of magnitude faster? (Assuming it were re-written for a quantum computer, maybe using something like Q#.)

Nice to see Microsoft's progress in quantum computing. It seems like you can't use this SDK without Visual Studio. If you don't have Visual Studio, you can use LIQUi|> [0]; another quantum SDK from Microsoft. [0]: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/language-integrated-quantum-operations-liqui/ https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/language-in...

bshimmin 9y ago
"LIQUi|>" is hands-down the worst name for anything I've ever seen. Do they really expect people to write it like that?
- mdturnerphys 9y ago
  The "|>" is an allusion to the bar and angle brackets used in bra-ket notation [0]. I believe LIQUi|> is targeted more toward academic quantum computing researchers, who are likely to recognize/appreciate the reference. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bra%E2%80%93ket_notation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bra%E2%80%93ket_notation
  - bshimmin 9y ago
    I will be honest and say I didn't get the reference!
    - urgoroger 9y ago
      Don't worry! I study quantum computation, and I didn't notice that the |> was supposed to be a D to form the word LIQUID!
- zitterbewegung 9y ago
  It looks horrible but on the other hand it will be really easy to google. Also, it is an injoke for people familiar with quantum mechanics.
  - IncRnd 9y ago
    > it will be really easy to google Hopefully :) Sometimes it gets spelled as LIQ𝑈𝑖⏐〉 (http://stationq.github.io/Liquid/ http://stationq.github.io/Liquid/) which is different from LIQUi|> (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/language-integrated-quantum-operations-liqui/ https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/language-in...), which is different from LIQUID. It all depends on how Google feels about qubits on any given day.
    - seandougall 9y ago
      But can you spell it all three ways at the same time?
      - IncRnd 9y ago
        The exact answer would take more time than I have, so I'll say maybe.
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
mdturnerphys 9y ago
Or you can get Visual Studio Community for free: https://www.visualstudio.com/downloads/ https://www.visualstudio.com/downloads/
- oneplane 9y ago
  Well, if you don't have Windows, that still doesn't help. And if you don't //want// Windows or Visual Studio, that doesn't help either ;-)
- vtomole 9y ago
  I didn't know that you can use Visual Studio on anything that is not Windows. I'll try to install it. Edit: Looks like you need Visual Studio Community for this SDK which Microsoft only has a Windows version.
  - mdturnerphys 9y ago
    Looks like it's available for Mac as well: https://www.visualstudio.com/thank-you-downloading-visual-studio-mac/?sku=communitymac&rel=15 https://www.visualstudio.com/thank-you-downloading-visual-st... Edit: The QDK does not have Mac support yet.
    - ghostly_s 9y ago
      "Visual Studio for Mac" is just a rebrand of another IDE they purchased this past year, it's not feature-equivalent with the real VS AFAIK.
    - cgranade 9y ago
      Hi, I'm one of the devs on Q#! We're excited to make this preview release of Microsoft's Quantum Development Kit available on Windows PCs. We're exploring the possibility of supporting other platforms in the future and will share more about this at a later time.
cgranade 9y ago
Hi, I'm a dev on Q#, and wanted to help clarify a bit how the Quantum Development Kit relates to LIQUi|〉. Microsoft's Quantum Development Kit is a successor to LIQUi|⟩ and we're excited for you to download it and begin writing Q# code. LIQUi|⟩ is focused on the efficient simulation of a quantum computer on a classical one. Q# is a language that will let you program actual quantum computers (in the future). As such, there are areas where LIQUi|⟩ can currently out-perform Q# when it is used on one of the provided simulators (which are striving to emulate the actual gates on quantum hardware). Over time, more simulators will be provided for Q# that will meet (and exceed) the efficiency of LIQUi|⟩ and at that point, we will fully retire LIQUi|⟩.

Likeable 9y ago

I need to do some research on this. What can be accomplished with this today?

pjmlp 9y ago

Q# looks quite nice. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/quantum/quantum-qr-intro?view=qsharp-preview https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/quantum/quantum-qr-intro?vi...

TheTechnician 9y ago

Anyone mind letting me know what can be accomplished with this? I don't know of any quantum computers even existing.

nneonneo 9y ago

Possibly dumb question, but what do you actually run Q# code on?

vtomole 9y ago
Q# code is run on a quantum virtual machine; which is a program that simulates a quantum computer on a classical computer. Quantum computers can be simulated by classical computers up to a certain point. Like that article says, a 30 qubit quantum computer can be simulated on a laptop. Microsoft is simulating up to 40 qubits on Azure. Simulating around 50 qubits or so would need one of the world's most powerful supercomputer.
- dsp1234 9y ago
  Quantum computers can be simulated by classical computers up to a certain point. Note that the 'certain point' here is a practical limit of time/efficiency. In terms of computability, anything that can be computed on a quantum computer can be computed on a classical computer with exponential slowdown. It's the exponential slowdown that results in the practical limit.
  - kgwgk 9y ago
    And anything that can be computed on a classical computer can be computed with pebbles, the practical limits matter. ;-)

rficcaglia 9y ago

“toughest challenges, such as world hunger or the dangerous effects of climate change” How does quantum computing address world hunger or climate change? Convincing humans to not use fossil fuels or to eat less beef doesn’t need Shor’s algorithm.

kruipen 9y ago
Quantum computer would enable systematic approach in areas like material sciences and molecular biology, which today are essentially trial and error.
- rficcaglia 9y ago
  Thumbs up for QC in general. Thumbs down for hype.
vtomole 9y ago
Shor's algorithm is not the only potential application for quantum computers. Simulating quantum mechanics and optimization is what quantum computers will probably be used for in the next couple of years. Regarding the world hunger and climate change claim. I think they are referring to the fact that quantum computers can simulate quantum chemistry more efficiently compared to classical computers. This article [0] talks about how quantum computers will be used for quantum chemistry; specifically nitrogen fixation. [0]: https://cen.acs.org/articles/95/i43/Chemistry-quantum-computings-killer-app.html https://cen.acs.org/articles/95/i43/Chemistry-quantum-comput...
- rficcaglia 9y ago
  I have fond memories of running MM simulations on an SGI workstation so I totally grok the potential. Not arguing against the utility of QC - just trying to slow down the hype train. Telling someone that downloading an SDK will anytime soon solve climate change is distracting from the currently available non-QC options we have. My concern is magic tech solutions to easily solved problems allow lazy humans to keep polluting and point to some phantasmagorical silver bullet in the not too distant future...which inevitably comes much much later than expected. In short, at current CO2 emission growth rates, the Antarctic ice sheets will melt long before QC allows chemists to produce emission free petroleum use or planet scale carbon capture and sequestration. Let's use those future tools for Mars colonization in 2150, but for now, for our kids' sakes, let's stop making throwaway plastic baubles by the tons, relying on petroleum based fertilizers for Big Mac production, and fix the many very solvable behavioral problems with today's tech. EDIT: typo

ahelwer 9y ago

I'm legitimately excited by quantum computing. The field is moving SO much faster than popular knowledge, which seems to believe a quantum computer will arrive at the same time as a workable fusion reactor. Real quantum computers exist RIGHT NOW. You can even write a program and run it on one from IBM![0] Google and Microsoft are both dumping resources into creating commercially-available quantum computers. Google says it will demonstrate a quantum computer in mere months which outperforms a classical computer on some problem.[1] The real value of quantum computers is not found in breaking RSA. Simulated molecular dynamics sees an exponential speedup over classical methods; this has huge ramifications for drug & material design.[2] What a time to be alive! I have a BSc in Computer Science, and am teaching myself quantum computing. I'm really liking the book Quantum Computer Science: An Introduction by David Mermin. All this stuff is within your grasp! You aren't required to understand quantum weirdness to use a quantum computer. [0] https://quantumexperience.ng.bluemix.net/qx/experience https://quantumexperience.ng.bluemix.net/qx/experience [1] https://www.technologyreview.com/s/609035/google-reveals-blueprint-for-quantum-supremacy/ https://www.technologyreview.com/s/609035/google-reveals-blu... [2] https://www.chemistryworld.com/feature/quantum-chemistry-on-quantum-computers/3007680.article https://www.chemistryworld.com/feature/quantum-chemistry-on-...

codekilla 9y ago
I also strongly recommend 'Quantum Computing for Computer Scientists'...this is a really, really good book for those coming from a C.S. background.
- thethirdone 9y ago
  I totally agree. It lays out the minimum of the physics and mathematics background needed to get into it as a computer scientist.
otakucode 9y ago
I read a news announcement on, I believe, IEEE, that Intel had gotten a manufacturing process down for a 17-qubit chip and had shipped it to their research lab in the Netherlands. There are certainly developments left and right. It will be interesting to see where quantum computing ends up... I could certainly see big possibilities for it in the communications sphere, guaranteeing link integrity and things like that.

2_listerine_pls 9y ago

What other languages are there?

wasx 9y ago
Hopefully once the technology matures and becomes more widespread we get a FOSS alternative. I don't trust Microsoft and would not want to work with a stack that is monopolized by them
- dangirsh 9y ago
  I think this is crucial. Rigetti Computing (where I work) has open-sourced several packages related to quantum programming, including pyQuil: https://github.com/rigetticomputing/pyquil https://github.com/rigetticomputing/pyquil
jnwrd 9y ago
Check out https://www.rigetti.com/ https://www.rigetti.com/ if you want to work with python.

xcodevn 9y ago

A quote from Microsoft's video: "[A] computer that computes in a billion parallel universes at the same time". This is a bold statement with no physical evidence to backup and no idea how quantum computer works.

westoncb 9y ago

Anyone know how this might impact constraint satisfaction algorithms? Is it possible we'd see something like Prolog being orders of magnitude faster? (Assuming it were re-written for a quantum computer, maybe using something like Q#.)