Quantum Programming with Google Cirq

Using Cirq to create quantum circuits for NISQ quantum computers

The quantum computing research field has been booming for the past two years with an exponential growth in research papers, capital investment and growing number of startups. Hint: great time to start learning about this technology and being prepared for the future.

Google is taking initiative to join the “quantum race” and released a new software.

I will show a small demo of how it works and my thoughts near the end.

The software deveopled by Google is called Cirq, it was recently released this summer. It’s an open source platform to develop Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) algorithms. As coined by John Preskill, the NISQ era describes our current quantum computers that require error-correction and only have a small number of qubits. Cirq allows access for anyone to develop and conduct their own research into near-term applications for quantum computers.

Before we reach fault-tolerant quantum computers with millions of coherent qubits that can run Shor’s algorithm and DESTROY ALL PREMISES OF SECURITY AND BLOW THE WORLD UP IN FLAMES, (just kidding, luckily there is post-quantum cryptography) we need to work with…