| author | description | ms.author | ms.date | ms.service | ms.subservice | ms.topic | title | uid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
KittyYeungQ |
Azure Quantum is a Microsoft Azure service that you can use to run quantum computing programs or solve optimization problems in the cloud. |
kitty |
02/01/2021 |
azure-quantum |
core |
overview |
Introduction to Azure Quantum |
microsoft.quantum.azure-quantum-overview |
Azure Quantum is a Microsoft Azure service that you can use to run quantum computing programs or solve optimization problems in the cloud. Using the Azure Quantum tools and SDKs, you can create quantum programs and run them against different quantum simulators and machines.
Azure Quantum service offers you access to different providers of quantum computing devices and enables you to run your Q# quantum programs in real hardware. Q# is a Microsoft’s open-source programming language for developing and running your quantum algorithms. Azure Quantum also offers the option to run algorithms in simulated quantum computers to test your code. To learn more about quantum computers and quantum algorithms see Introduction to quantum computing.
Azure Quantum provides access to trapped ion devices through the providers IonQ and Honeywell.
Azure Quantum gives you access to a broad set of state-of-the-art optimization algorithms developed by Microsoft and its partners. You can use classic optimization algorithms, included some inspired by standard physics, as well as quantum-inspired optimization algorithms (QIO).
QIO uses algorithms that are based on quantum principles for increased speed and accuracy. Azure Quantum supports QIO to help developers leverage the power of new quantum techniques today without waiting for quantum hardware.
Optimization algorithms are available to run on a variety of classical computing silicon solutions, such as CPU, FPGA, GPU or custom silicon. If you want to learn more about optimization problems see Introduction to optimization.
You use the Azure Quantum service by adding an Azure Quantum workspace resource to your Azure subscription in the Azure portal. A Quantum workspace resource, or workspace for short, is a collection of assets associated with running quantum or optimization applications. One of the properties configured in a workspace is an Azure Storage Account resource, where Azure Quantum stores your quantum programs and optimization problems for access.
Another property configured in the workspace is the provider that you want to use to run programs in that workspace. A single provider may expose one or more targets, which can be quantum hardware or simulators, and are ultimately responsible for running your program. The complete list of targets can be found here.
By default, Azure Quantum adds the Microsoft QIO provider to every workspace, and you can add other providers when you create the workspace or any time afterward. For more information, see the Microsoft QIO provider.
Each additional provider you add to a workspace requires a billing plan, which defines how that provider bills for usage. Each provider may have different billing plans and methods available. For more information, see the documentation on the provider you would like to add. Also, when you add a provider to a new workspace you can find in the description more information about current pricing options.
You can only select one billing plan for each provider in a single workspace; however, you can add multiple workspaces to your Azure subscription.
When you run a quantum program or solve an optimization problem in Azure Quantum, you create and run a job. The steps to create and run a job depend on the job type and the provider and target that you configure for the workspace. All jobs, however, have the following properties in common:
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| ID | A unique identifier for the job. It must be unique within the workspace. |
| Provider | Who you want to run your job. For example, the Microsoft QIO provider, or a third-party provider. |
| Target | What you want to run your job on. For example, the exact quantum hardware or quantum simulator offered by the provider. |
| Name | A user-defined name to help organize your jobs. |
| Parameters | Optional input parameters for targets. See the documentation for the selected target for a definition of available parameters. |
Once you create a job, various metadata is available about its state and run history.
You typically create jobs using one of the quantum SDKs (for example, the Python SDK for Azure Quantum or the Quantum Development Kit (QDK)). Once you've written your quantum program or expressed your QIO problem, you can select a target and submit your job.
This diagram shows the basic workflow after you submit your job:
First, Azure Quantum uploads the job to the Azure Storage account that you configured in the workspace. Then, the job is added to the job queue for the provider that you specified in the job. Azure Quantum then downloads your program and translates it for the provider. The provider processes the job and returns the output to Azure Storage, where it is available for download.
Once you submit a job, you must poll for the status of the job. Jobs have the following possible states:
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| waiting | The job is waiting to run. Some jobs will perform pre-processing tasks in the waiting state. waiting is always the first state, however, a job may move to the executing state before you can observe it in waiting. |
| executing | The target is currently running the job. |
| succeeded | The job has succeeded, and output is available. This is a final state. |
| failed | The job has failed, and error information is available. This is a final state. |
| cancelled | The user requested to cancel the job run. This is a final state. For more information, see Job Cancellation in this article. |
The succeeded, failed, and cancelled states are considered final states. Once a job is in one of these states, no more updates occur, and the corresponding job output data does not change.
This diagram shows the possible job state transitions:
After a job completes successfully, it displays a link to the output data in your Azure Storage account. How you access this data depends on the SDK or tool you used to submit the job.
When a job is not yet in a final state (for example, succeeded, failed, or cancelled), you can request to cancel the job. All providers will cancel your job if it is in the waiting state. However, not all providers support cancellation if your job is in the executing state.
Note
If you cancel a job after it has started running, your account may still be billed a partial or full amount for that job. See the billing documentation for your selected provider.
When you're ready to get started, begin by creating an Azure Quantum workspace.