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Run Qiskit Circuits on Real Quantum Hardware

Use your existing Qiskit code, change one line, and run on real QPUs from IonQ, Rigetti, IQM, and AQT. Running in under a minute.

What is Qiskit?

Qiskit is IBM's open-source quantum computing SDK and the most widely used quantum programming framework in the world. With a massive community of researchers, developers, and students, Qiskit provides everything you need to build, simulate, and execute quantum circuits.

Qiskit 2.x introduced the BackendV2 interface and modern primitives including SamplerV2 and EstimatorV2, providing a cleaner and more powerful way to interact with quantum hardware. Open Quantum's Qiskit plugin implements the full BackendV2 interface, so your existing Qiskit code works without modification. Just point it at a real QPU and run.

How to Run Qiskit on Real Quantum Hardware

STEP 1

Install the Plugin

pip install openquantum-sdk-qiskit. Set your OPENQUANTUM_CLIENT_ID and OPENQUANTUM_CLIENT_SECRET environment variables. Done.

STEP 2

Write Circuits with Qiskit

Use standard Qiskit QuantumCircuit objects. No vendor-specific code. No new syntax to learn. Your existing circuits work as-is.

STEP 3

Run on Any QPU

Pick a backend — IonQ, Rigetti, IQM, or AQT — and submit. Open Quantum handles transpilation, routing, and result formatting.

Your First Qiskit Circuit on a QPU in 60 Seconds

A complete example: pip install the plugin, create a Bell state with Python, and run it on IonQ Forte-1 trapped ion hardware. No credit card required.

pip install openquantum-sdk-qiskit
from openquantum_sdk_qiskit import OpenQuantumService
from qiskit import QuantumCircuit

# Auth via OPENQUANTUM_CLIENT_ID and OPENQUANTUM_CLIENT_SECRET env vars
service = OpenQuantumService()
backend = service.return_backend("ionq:forte-1")

qc = QuantumCircuit(2, 2)
qc.h(0)
qc.cx(0, 1)
qc.measure([0, 1], [0, 1])

job = backend.run(qc, shots=1024)
print(job.result().get_counts())

Quantum Hardware Available for Qiskit

Run your Qiskit circuits on trapped ion and superconducting QPUs from IonQ, Rigetti, IQM, and AQT. No vendor lock-in — switch backends with a single string change.

QPUQubitsTechnologyHighlightsProvider
IonQ Forte-136 qubitsTrapped Ion99.6% 2Q fidelity, software-configurable topologyLearn more
Rigetti Cepheus-1108 qubitsSuperconducting99.1% CZ fidelity, modular chiplet architectureLearn more
IQM Emerald54 qubitsSuperconducting99.5% CZ fidelity, European HPC integrationLearn more
IQM Garnet20 qubitsSuperconducting99.5% CZ fidelity, European HPC integrationLearn more
AQT Ibex-Q112 qubitsTrapped IonFully-connected, room temperature, rack-mountedLearn more

Frequently Asked Questions