Quantum computing comes to Google Cloud

Google Cloud has tied up with quantum computing startup IonQ to make its quantum hardware accessible through its cloud computing platform.

The company’s 11-qubit quantum hardware is available to Google Cloud Platform (GCP) customers, and the company expects to make its 32-qubit system available later this year.

Explaining the significance of the announcement in a conversation with Google Cloud, IonQ CEO & President, Peter Chapman suggests that the offering will ensure “democratized access to quantum systems.”

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“Making quantum computers easily available to anyone via the cloud demonstrates that quantum is real because now anyone can run a quantum program with a few minutes and a credit card,” says Chapman.

Quantum for all

IonQ’s quantum computers are available in the GCP Marketplace and can be immediately provisioned by users.

IonQ shares that developers, researchers, and business can access IonQ’s platform with just a few clicks, just like any other platform available on GCP.

The company adds that GCP users will be able to program IonQ’s systems using a number of software development kits (SDK), including Cirq, Qiskit, Penny Lane, and tket, or through a custom integration with IonQ’s APIs.

Notably, IonQ’s quantum hardware is also available on Microsoft Azure and AWS.

IonQ’s release also notes that the company announced its 32-qubit system in October 2020 and hopes to build on its expertise to develop small modular quantum computers in 2023, that can be networked together inside of a datacenter.