Qiskit Global Summer School 2024

Lecture 1:
Intro to Qiskit 1.0

Abby Mitchell
Developer Advocacy Lead
IBM Quantum
 Anatomy of a
Quantum
quantum
computing service
programming
language

User

Cloud service
(Qiskit Runtime)

Pulse sequences
Server in
laboratory

Control
electronics

Quantum
processor
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 Example final
result

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 What is Qiskit?

Qiskit SDK is an open-source SDK for Qiskit Runtime is a cloud-based service

working with quantum computers at the for executing quantum computations on
level of extended quantum circuits, IBM Quantum hardware.
operators, and primitives.
https://github.com/Qiskit/qiskit-ibm-runtime
https://github.com/Qiskit/qiskit https://docs.quantum-computing.ibm.com/
https://docs.quantum-computing.ibm.com/ Runtime Primitives version 2
version 1.0 released Feb 2024 🎉 released March 2024 🎉

Qiskit Patterns is a framework for The Qiskit Ecosystem is a collection of

breaking down domain-specific software and projects that build on or extend
problems into stages. Qiskit.

http://qiskit.github.io/ecosystem

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 Getting set up with Qiskit

pip install 'qiskit[visualization]'

pip install qiskit-ibm-runtime

To access IBM hardware, set up your credentials

through one of:
• IBM Quantum Platform
• IBM Cloud

https://docs.quantum-computing.ibm.com/start

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Qiskit Patterns

1. Map problem to 2. Optimize 3. Execute on 4. Postprocess

quantum circuits circuits for target target hardware results
and operators hardware

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Qiskit Patterns

1. Map problem 2. Optimize 3. Execute on 4. Postprocess

to quantum circuits for target target hardware results
circuits and hardware
operators

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 To map a problem:

• Start with numerical representation

• Map to quantum computing representation
• Choose quantum algorithm
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Build a circuit with Qiskit SDK

The foundation of quantum programs are quantum circuits.

They consist of operations—including gates, measurement,

and reset—that manipulate qubits.

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Build a circuit with Qiskit SDK

To build a circuit:

• Initialize a register of qubits

• Add the qubits to a circuit
• Perform operations on those
qubits

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 Standard gates

Hadamard, Pauli rotation gates, CNOT,

Quantum Fourier Transform, etc.
Qiskit SDK includes a
library of standard gates
and circuits. Variational ansatzes

Parameterized quantum circuits for

chemistry and combinatorial
optimization, including hardware
efficient ansatzes

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Qiskit Patterns

1. Map problem to 2. Optimize 3. Execute on 4. Postprocess

quantum circuits circuits for target target hardware results
and operators hardware

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 Optimize for hardware – techniques

Required: transpile your abstract circuit into

a circuit that can run on target hardware.

Optional: verify your circuit with simulation.

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 Optimize for hardware – techniques

Required: transpile your abstract circuit into a

circuit that can run on target hardware.

Optional: verify your circuit with simulation.

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 Basis gate set Qubit connectivity Errors
Real
Only a limited set of gates Only certain pairs of qubits Each operation has a
quantum can be executed directly can be directly interacted chance of error, so circuit

devices are on the hardware. Other

gates must be rewritten in
with each other. optimizations can greatly
affect performance.
subject to terms of these basis
gates.
constraints

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 Challenge: run abstract circuit on a
specific quantum device.

Solution: transpilation —
convert abstract circuit into an ISA
(instruction set architecture) circuit.

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 Transpilation terms
Term Definition Orchestra analogy

pass a standalone circuit or metadata an instrument

transformation
pass a list of transpiler passes grouped into a an instrument
manager logical unit section

staged pass a list of pass managers, with each one the conductor
manager representing a discrete stage of a
transpilation pipeline

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Transpile a circuit with Qiskit SDK
Steps:

• Choose which device backend you want

to target
• Create a preset staged pass manager
with your desired optimization level
• Run the staged pass manager on the
circuit

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Transpiler stages

1. Initialization 2. Layout 3. Routing

The circuit is prepared for The abstract qubits of the Swap gates are inserted to
transpilation, e.g., multi-qubit circuit are mapped to enable interactions
gates are decomposed into physical qubits on the device. between qubits that are not
two-qubit gates. physically connected.

4. Translation 5. Optimization 6. Scheduling

The gates of the circuit are The circuit is rewritten to Delay instructions are
translated to the basis gate minimize its depth (# of added to align the circuit
set of the device. operations) to decrease the with the hardware’s timing.
effect of errors.

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 Additional transpilation tools

• Qiskit transpiler service

• Qiskit Ecosystem, e.g., circuit-knitting-
toolbox
• Write your own transpiler plugins

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 Optimize for hardware – techniques

Required: transpile your abstract circuit into a

circuit that can run on target hardware.

Optional: verify your circuit with simulation.

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Simulation tools
Qiskit SDK reference Qiskit Runtime local Qiskit Aer
primitives testing
Ecosystem project for
Exact simulation, but Provides “fake” simulation, including
small circuits only and backends to model
no noise simulation. each quantum machine. • larger circuits
• stabilizer circuits
• noise models

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Problem: the runtime cost of
simulating quantum circuits Techniques for large circuits:
scales exponentially with the
number of qubits. 1. Test smaller versions of circuit
2. Modify circuit so that it
becomes classically
~50+ qubits cannot be simulatable: stabilizer circuit
simulated. aka Clifford circuit

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Qiskit Patterns

1. Map problem to 2. Optimize 3. Execute on 4. Postprocess

quantum circuits circuits for target target hardware results
and operators hardware

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 Sampler primitive Estimator primitive

Primitives encapsulate
the output of a
quantum circuit Output is mapping of
bitstrings to counts, e.g.,
Output is the expectation
value of an observable,
e.g., the net spin of a
{'0': 12, '1': 9}
system.
Circuit should include
Circuit should not include
measurements.
measurements.

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 To run a circuit on quantum
hardware:

1. Initialize the Qiskit Runtime

service
2. Choose a hardware backend
3. Initialize a Qiskit Runtime
primitive with your chosen
backend
4. Invoke the primitive with
your circuit

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 The input to the Estimator
primitive is a list of primitive
unified blocs (PUBs). Each PUB
consists of:

• A single circuit without

measurements
• One or more observables
• (Optional) One or more
parameter values

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 Shots Error Error
The number of suppression mitigation
measurements.
You can More shots reduce
Use dynamical decoupling Reduce the effects of
to reduce decoherence device noise after
customize statistical error but during execution. execution.
Qiskit Runtime increase running time.
• Twirled Readout Error
Caveat: requires delays
behavior between gate executions, eXtinction (TREX)
measurement twirling
so it’s not always possible.
• Zero Noise Extrapolation
(ZNE)

Downside: computational
overhead

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 Execution modes
• Single job
• Batch: multiple concurrent jobs
• Session: iterative workload

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 Benefits of batch mode versus a single job with
multiple circuits:

• better concurrency of classical processing

• get individual results sooner

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 Batch mode

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 Sessions allow iterative workloads, like VQE.

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 Sessions

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Qiskit Patterns

1. Map problem to 2. Optimize 3. Execute on 4. Postprocess

quantum circuits circuits for target target hardware results
and operators hardware

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 Postprocess technique: visualize
results

With Sampler output, use

plot_histogram() from
qiskit.visualizations

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 Postprocess technique: post-selection

Discard outputs known to be incorrect based on prior

knowledge, e.g., if you know outputs must match a certain
pattern

["1111", "1010", "1010", "1110"]

["1010", "1010", "1110"]

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 Postprocess technique: circuit knitting

1. During the optimize for

hardware step, decompose the
problem into smaller circuits,
i.e., “circuit cutting”.
2. Execute smaller circuits.
3. “Knit” the results into a
reconstruction of the original
circuit’s outcome.

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Qiskit Patterns

1. Map problem to 2. Optimize 3. Execute on 4. Postprocess

quantum circuits circuits for target target hardware results
and operators hardware

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 docs.quantum.ibm.com
Documentation for Qiskit and IBM Quantum services.

learning.quantum.ibm.com
Courses on quantum computing and how to use IBM
Quantum services to solve real-world problems.

www.youtube.com/qiskit
Lectures, tips & tricks, tutorials, community
updates, and exclusive Qiskit content!

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