We’re Releasing a Free, Hands-On Introduction to Quantum Computing Course Online

This past summer, we hosted a course like none ever taught before: over 4000 students from over 100 countries registered to attend the same quantum computing classes that we offer our IBM Quantum interns. Now, we want to offer the same course to anyone interested in learning the fundamentals of quantum computing and quantum hardware.

One of the Qiskit team’s core beliefs is that anyone can learn how to program a quantum computer, with the right training. That’s why we wrote our open-source Learn Quantum Computation Using Qiskit textbook, and that’s why we hosted our Qiskit Global Summer School. Not only is out training comprehensive, but it works. In a survey of hundreds of QGSS participants, we found that 92 percent of attendees thought that the Qiskit Global Summer School was on par with, or better than, existing quantum computing courses they’ve taken.

We’re releasing 27 lectures, or roughly a semester’s worth of material, with the associated lecture notes and labs. These lectures will break down the basics of how to program a quantum computer, an introduction to well-known algorithms like Shor’s and Grover’s algorithm, an overview of how we build quantum bits and use them to represent information, and even an introduction to quantum chemistry. The course’s only prerequisites are a rudimentary understanding of coding with python and linear algebra.

We want to make quantum computing open to everyone, and access to a quantum computing course shouldn’t serve as a barrier to those interested in the field. We hope that you’ll use this material to teach yourself, host study groups, or teach quantum computing courses of your own as we try to foster the world’s biggest, most accessible quantum community.

You can find the lectures, notes, and labs linked here.