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Cambridge Quantum Computing announced today that it has lifted licence restrictions on the Python module in the latest version of its quantum software development kit. Tket (pronounced “ticket”) is an architecture agnostic quantum software stack and compiler.
Pytket, the Python module, interfaces with tket. This latest release allows any Python user with access to a quantum computer to deploy the tket SDK in any commercial or research contexts.
Mehdi Bozzo-Rey, head of business development at Cambridge Quantum Computing, said in a press release that the company hopes to accelerate the development of quantum computing research and applications across multiple industries by providing free access to the tket SDK to Python users across the world.
“By increasing the number of tket-compatible cloud-based quantum computing platforms as well, we’ve made it easier for virtually any programmer to explore developing quantum algorithms and software,” he said.
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Pytket is available for Python 3.6, 3.7 and 3.8, on Linux, MacOS and Windows.
Tket translates machine-independent algorithms into executable circuits and optimizes for physical qubit layout while also reducing the number of required operations. According to Cambridge Quantum Computing, tket allows collaborators and clients to work across several platforms and is applicable for problems in chemistry, material science, finance, and optimization. This set of tools supports circuits and device architectures from Google Cirq, IBM Qiskit, AQT, Honeywell, Amazon Braket, QSharp, Pyzx, ProjectQ, Qulacs, Rigetti pyQuil, and IonQ.
Tckt v0.7 also enables quantum circuit execution on Microsoft Azure Quantum (public preview version), and extends classical control of quantum operations on ion trap systems from Honeywell Quantum Solutions.
Tket allows users to migrate between devices by changing just a single line of code, according to the company. CQS also states that tket is used by many quantum hardware providers and major companies.
Other new features in the v0.7 release of tket include:
- Improved circuit optimization and noise mitigation performance with new methods to make constructing quantum circuits easier
- Substitution of named operations with other operations, boxes, or circuits
- Support for mid-circuit measurement on IBM Quantum premium devices
This new tool in the Python toolkit reflects an increasing interest in the language. Developers are more interested in learning to use that language than any other, according to a report from O’Reilly. As Lance Whitney reported on TechRepublic, interest in this language is up 27% over the previous year based on findings in the report, “Where Programming, Ops, AI, and the Cloud are Headed in 2021.” O’Reilly analyzed data from its online learning, publishing partners and learning modes, live online training courses, and virtual events to measure interest levels. Python is also desired for its machine learning (ML) aspects. The language’s scikit-learn ML library saw an 11% increase in use, while the PyTorch ML framework used for deep learning jumped in use by 159%.