This study focuses on analysing the current state of the open-source quantum computing ecosystem. The research aims to determine the best method for evaluating the current health of the open-source quantum computing ecosystem. Key findings indicate that although there are few projects and active developers, there is a significant interest in the ecosystem, evidenced by the number of stars and forks in repositories. The development of the ecosystem is dominated by tech giants, such as IBM, Microsoft, and Google, all of which also have investments in quantum computing hardware in addition to their open-source projects. This shows that while there is considerable interest and potential, the robustness and diversity of the ecosystem require further development. Measuring the health of the ecosystem also presents challenges, given the highly specialized nature of the field of quantum computing. This study suggests that a longer-term observation, can improve the assessment of the ecosystem's health and promote its sustainable development.
This study focuses on analysing the current state of the open-source quantum computing ecosystem. The research aims to determine the best method for evaluating the current health of the open-source quantum computing ecosystem. Key findings indicate that although there are few projects and active developers, there is a significant interest in the ecosystem, evidenced by the number of stars and forks in repositories. The development of the ecosystem is dominated by tech giants, such as IBM, Microsoft, and Google, all of which also have investments in quantum computing hardware in addition to their open-source projects. This shows that while there is considerable interest and potential, the robustness and diversity of the ecosystem require further development. Measuring the health of the ecosystem also presents challenges, given the highly specialized nature of the field of quantum computing. This study suggests that a longer-term observation, can improve the assessment of the ecosystem's health and promote its sustainable development.
Open-source projects that aim to make their offerings public have competed against for-profit, proprietary companies in a number of domains. These open-source projects often arise in response to the offerings of proprietary companies in markets where products have already been commercialized. We assess what impact an open-source project might have when it enters the market for quantum computing - a market where the core technology is still being developed. We argue that an open-source quantum computer might alleviate market frictions that have impeded the development of a fault-tolerant quantum computer by providing the market with a possible mechanism for: 1.) benchmarking, 2.) the development of hardware agnostic technology, and 3.) improved liquidity on the supply side of the market for labor. Should these outcomes be realized, they may not only benefit the open-source project, but also the for-profit, proprietary companies operating in the ecosystem. In this respect, an open-source quantum project may play a more complementary role to the proprietary firms in the ecosystem, rather than a more competitive role. Our collective insights may have implications for other settings where an open-source project enters into a market where the core technology has yet to be commercialized.
Quantum computing, a revolutionary paradigm leveraging the principles of quantum mechanics, has emerged as a transformative technology with the potential to solve complex problems at unparalleled speeds. Within the quantum computing ecosystem, companies and research institutes play pivotal roles in advancing hardware, algorithms, and applications. This research explores the transformative landscape of quantum computing, focusing on key contributors such as Google, IBM, D-Wave, Azure, Amazon, Intel, EeroQ, and IonQ. Through sentiment analysis, topic modelling, and thematic analysis, the study aims to comprehensively understand the current state and trends within the quantum computing ecosystem. The findings unveil an overall positive sentiment and identified topics ranging from cloud computing services to quantum computing advancements. Thematic analysis provides actionable insights, emphasizing collaboration within the ecosystem. Rooted in the analysis of secondary data from key companies' articles, the methodology establishes a robust framework for discerning contributions, collaborations, and strategic orientations in quantum computing.
Open source software is becoming crucial in the design and testing of quantum algorithms. Many of the tools are backed by major commercial vendors with the goal to make it easier to develop quantum software: this mirrors how well-funded open machine learning frameworks enabled the development of complex models and their execution on equally complex hardware. We review a wide range of open source software for quantum computing, covering all stages of the quantum toolchain from quantum hardware interfaces through quantum compilers to implementations of quantum algorithms, as well as all quantum computing paradigms, including quantum annealing, and discrete and continuous-variable gate-model quantum computing. The evaluation of each project covers characteristics such as documentation, licence, the choice of programming language, compliance with norms of software engineering, and the culture of the project. We find that while the diversity of projects is mesmerizing, only a few attract external developers and even many commercially backed frameworks have shortcomings in software engineering. Based on these observations, we highlight the best practices that could foster a more active community around quantum computing software that welcomes newcomers to the field, but also ensures high-quality, well-documented code.
Quantum computing is moving from research laboratories towards early commercialization and broader socio-technical adoption, supported by sustained hardware progress and a rapidly expanding open-source software ecosystem. This momentum is especially visible on GitHub, where many quantum and hybrid software projects coexist around frameworks such as Qiskit, Cirq, PennyLane and Amazon Braket. However, this ecosystem remains fragmented, making it difficult to understand who shapes quantum software, where expertise is concentrated, how collaboration flows across organizations and disciplines, and which actors connect otherwise separated communities. This paper presents Entangle, a data-driven analysis of the open-source quantum computing ecosystem on GitHub. Starting from 71 domain keywords, Entangle identifies more than 1,500 quantum repositories, 27,000 contributors and 400 organizations, revealing an ecosystem strongly organized around four leading industrial vendors, but also supported by 2,387 contributors who connect projects, organizations and domains. These findings provide practical evidence for responsible quantum innovation by making visible patterns of influence, dependency, collaboration and knowledge transfer. They also offer actionable indicators for strategic decisions on investment, hiring, partnerships, ecosystem stewardship and capacity building. More broadly, Entangle shows how open-source intelligence can support a more transparent, measurable and governable quantum software ecosystem, helping align technical development with responsible innovation, public--private coordination and long-term sustainability.
This paper presents a formative market assessment of the quantum computing landscape in terms of market readiness of the technologies and the reported levels of investments. The findings presented in this paper are based on a quick scan of available literature combined with a perceptual map of the state-of-play. The paper considers the role of ‘big tech’ companies, the start-up ecosystem, and funding by nation states to identify key implications for the future of quantum computing developments. It highlights that although quantum computing technologies offer scope to revolutionise computing hardware and software, the development of a universal quantum computer will require breakthroughs in several areas including improvements in the quality of qubits, error correction, and demonstrable set of practical applications.
Quantum computing (QC) is an emerging computing paradigm with potential to revolutionize the field of computing. QC is a field that is quickly developing globally and has high barriers of entry. In this paper we explore both successful contributors to the field as well as wider QC community with the goal of understanding the backgrounds and training that helped them succeed. We gather data on 148 contributors to open-source quantum computing projects hosted on GitHub and survey 46 members of QC community. Our findings show that QC practitioners and enthusiasts have diverse backgrounds, with most of them having a PhD and trained in physics or computer science. We observe a lack of educational resources on quantum computing. Our goal for these findings is to start a conversation about how best to prepare the next generation of QC researchers and practitioners.