Multi-Vendor + Q#
Microsoft's quantum computing platform. Access IonQ, Quantinuum, and Rigetti hardware, develop in Q#, estimate fault-tolerant resources, and track Microsoft's topological qubit research program.
About Azure Quantum
Azure Quantum is Microsoft's cloud quantum computing service, providing access to hardware from IonQ (trapped ion), Quantinuum (trapped ion), Rigetti (superconducting), and Pasqal (neutral atom) through the Azure portal and SDK. Like Amazon Braket, it takes a multi-vendor approach, but Azure Quantum's differentiating focus is on tooling for the fault-tolerant era: the Q# language, the Quantum Development Kit, and the Azure Quantum Resource Estimator.
Q# is a domain-specific quantum programming language developed by Microsoft. Unlike Python-based SDKs that treat quantum circuits as library objects, Q# is a full language with classical control flow, recursion, type safety, and rich built-in operations for quantum arithmetic, phase estimation, and amplitude amplification. The QDK VS Code extension provides an integrated development environment with local simulation, resource estimation, and hardware submission without leaving the editor.
Microsoft's long-term hardware strategy centers on topological qubits. Unlike superconducting or trapped-ion qubits, topological qubits based on Majorana fermions are theorized to be inherently more robust to local noise, potentially requiring far fewer physical qubits per logical qubit for error correction. In February 2025, Microsoft announced Majorana 1, its first topological qubit chip, marking the transition from purely theoretical research to physical demonstration. As of 2026, Majorana 1 is in extended hardware testing. Full programmable topological quantum computing remains a longer-horizon goal.
Hardware Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Hardware providers | IonQ, Quantinuum, Rigetti, Pasqal (multi-vendor) |
| Microsoft hardware (research) | Majorana 1 (topological qubit chip, announced 2025) |
| Gate-based systems | IonQ Aria and Forte, Quantinuum H2, Rigetti Cepheus-1-108Q |
| Primary language | Q# (Microsoft's quantum programming language) |
| SDKs | Quantum Development Kit (QDK), azure-quantum Python SDK |
| Also supports | Qiskit and Cirq via the azure-quantum Python package |
| Resource Estimator | Estimates T gates, logical qubits, and runtime for fault-tolerant algorithms |
| Free credits | $500 in Azure Quantum Credits per participating provider for first-time users |
| Browser access | Q# playground at quantum.microsoft.com, no account needed |
| Hybrid workflows | Integrated hybrid quantum-classical jobs and sessions |
25 / 36 qubits
IonQ's trapped-ion systems accessible via Azure Quantum. All-to-all connectivity eliminates the need for SWAP routing overhead. Longer coherence times than superconducting qubits make these well suited for deep circuits. Submit via Q#, Qiskit, or the azure-quantum Python SDK.
56 qubits
Quantinuum's H2-1 is one of the highest-fidelity gate-based quantum computers available. Trapped-ion architecture with all-to-all connectivity and mid-circuit measurement support. Quantinuum uses H-System Quantum Credits (HQCs) for pricing. Accessible via Azure Quantum.
Research phase
Microsoft's topological qubit chip, announced February 2025. Uses Majorana fermions for inherently more stable qubits. As of 2026, the device is in extended hardware testing. Not yet available for general cloud access. Represents Microsoft's long-term pathway to scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computing.
Free tool
Not a hardware system but Azure Quantum's most distinctive tool. Given a Q# algorithm, the Resource Estimator calculates the number of logical qubits, physical qubits, T gates, T factories, and estimated runtime for a fault-tolerant implementation using configurable error correction codes.
Use Cases
The Azure Quantum Resource Estimator is unique in the industry: paste any Q# algorithm and get detailed estimates of logical qubit count, T gate count, distillation factories, and wall-clock runtime for a fault-tolerant implementation. Essential for planning long-horizon quantum projects.
Azure Quantum Elements combines AI and quantum simulation for materials science and drug discovery. It uses quantum-inspired techniques today with a pathway to quantum hardware acceleration. Aimed at enterprise customers in pharma and materials research.
Azure Quantum once offered a quantum-inspired optimization (QIO) service, but Microsoft retired it in 2023. Today, optimization workloads run as hybrid quantum-classical jobs on partner hardware, for example QAOA-style circuits on IonQ or Quantinuum systems.
Microsoft's Resource Estimator makes Azure Quantum a natural fit for cryptographic security analysis: estimate the qubit and gate resources needed to break RSA or ECC at various key sizes, informing post-quantum migration planning.
Q# is a domain-specific language designed for quantum algorithm expression with classical control flow, type safety, and rich library support. The QDK VS Code extension provides debugging, resource counting, and simulation without needing hardware access.
Microsoft's long-term hardware bet is topological qubits using Majorana fermions, which are theorized to have inherent fault tolerance. Majorana 1, announced in 2025, is Microsoft's first topological qubit chip. Researchers can follow and engage with this program through Azure Quantum.
Getting Started
Go to quantum.microsoft.com and open the Q# playground. You can write and run Q# programs against a built-in simulator directly in the browser. The Resource Estimator is also available here without signing in.
# In VS Code, search the extensions marketplace for:
# "Azure Quantum Development Kit"
# Or install the Python package for azure-quantum:
pip install azure-quantumThe QDK extension adds Q# syntax highlighting, IntelliSense, a built-in simulator, and the Resource Estimator directly in VS Code. Python interop lets you call Q# operations from a Python host program.
namespace BellState {
open Microsoft.Quantum.Diagnostics;
@EntryPoint()
operation MeasureBellPair() : (Result, Result) {
use (q0, q1) = (Qubit(), Qubit());
H(q0);
CNOT(q0, q1);
let r0 = M(q0);
let r1 = M(q1);
Reset(q0);
Reset(q1);
return (r0, r1);
}
}
Run this locally with the built-in QDK simulator using the VS Code run button or the qsharp Python package. Results will be either (Zero, Zero) or (One, One), confirming entanglement.
# In Python with the azure-quantum SDK:
from azure.quantum import Workspace
from azure.quantum.target.microsoft import MicrosoftEstimator
workspace = Workspace(
resource_id="/subscriptions/.../resourceGroups/.../providers/...",
location="eastus"
)
estimator = MicrosoftEstimator(workspace=workspace)
# Submit a Q# program and get physical resource counts backThe Resource Estimator accepts Q# programs and returns detailed physical resource breakdowns: logical qubit count, T factory count, code distance, physical qubit count, and estimated runtime. No hardware is consumed; it is a classical calculation.
pip install azure-quantum[qiskit]
from azure.quantum.qiskit import AzureQuantumProvider
from qiskit import QuantumCircuit
provider = AzureQuantumProvider(
resource_id="YOUR_RESOURCE_ID",
location="eastus"
)
backend = provider.get_backend("ionq.simulator")
qc = QuantumCircuit(2)
qc.h(0)
qc.cx(0, 1)
qc.measure_all()
job = backend.run(qc, shots=500)
print(job.result().get_counts())You can use your existing Qiskit circuits on Azure Quantum hardware by installing the azure-quantum Qiskit provider. Change the backend string to target IonQ or Quantinuum hardware.
Pricing
New Azure Quantum accounts receive $500 in free credits. The Q# playground and Resource Estimator are free with no account. Hardware is billed per provider through your Azure subscription.
$500 free for new accounts
First-time Azure Quantum users receive $500 of Azure Quantum Credits with each participating hardware provider, including IonQ and Quantinuum. Credits are the primary way learners and researchers access real hardware at no initial cost.
View details →Free, no account needed
The Q# playground at quantum.microsoft.com runs Q# programs in the browser with a built-in simulator. No Azure account required. Suitable for learning Q# syntax, testing small algorithms, and exploring the Resource Estimator.
View details →Free courses and notebooks
Microsoft Learn at learn.microsoft.com provides free structured Q# courses, Jupyter notebooks, and guided labs covering quantum fundamentals, Q# programming, and algorithm design. No hardware credits consumed by learning content.
View details →IonQ and Quantinuum standard pricing
Each provider sets its own billing model on Azure Quantum. IonQ bills in Azure Quantum Tokens calculated from gate-shots; Quantinuum bills in Hardware Quantum Credits (HQCs); Rigetti bills per increment of job execution time. Azure consumption billing applies via your Azure subscription.
View details →Learning Resources