How to program IQM QPUs

Reviewed on November 21, 2025

IQM Quantum Computers is the European leader in building superconducting quantum computers. Headquartered in Finland, IQM provides on-premises quantum computers for supercomputing centers and research laboratories, as well as cloud access.

The technology is based on superconducting transmon qubits, the most established approach in the industry (similar to IBM or Google). These processors operate at near-absolute zero temperatures using dilution refrigerators. IQM's unique "co-design" strategy optimizes hardware for specific applications, but they also offer powerful general-purpose processors.

How to access IQM with Scaleway

The primary way to program IQM machines on Scaleway is through Qiskit. You do not need to learn a proprietary language; standard Qiskit circuits are fully compatible.

The integration is handled by the Scaleway Provider for Qiskit, which manages the translation of your circuits and their submission to the specific IQM backend.

The workflow below is identical to other gate-based providers on the platform. You connect using your credentials, select the specific IQM backend you want to target, and run your circuit.

Before you start

To complete the actions presented below, you must have:

• A Scaleway account with a valid Project ID
• A Scaleway API Key (Secret Key)
• Python and qiskit installed on your local machine

1. Install the qiskit-scaleway provider. Refer to the Qiskit Scaleway GitHub repository for more information.

   pip install qiskit-scaleway

2. Create a file with the following computation script. Replace $SCW_PROJECT_ID and $SCW_SECRET_KEY with your Scaleway Project ID and secret key.

   from qiskit import QuantumCircuit
   from qiskit_scaleway import ScalewayProvider
   
   # 1. Connection credentials
   PROJECT_ID = "$SCW_PROJECT_ID"
   SECRET_KEY = "$SCW_SECRET_KEY"
   
   # 2. Initialize the Scaleway Provider
   provider = ScalewayProvider(
       project_id=PROJECT_ID,
       secret_key=SECRET_KEY
   )
   
   # 3. Select the Backend
   # - 'QPU-SIRIUS-24PQ' : Sirius real hardware (Paid per shot)
   # - 'QPU-GARNET-20PQ' : Garnet real hardware (Paid per shot)
   # - 'QPU-EMERALD-54PQ' : Emerald real hardware (Paid per shot)
   backend_name = "QPU-GARNET-20PQ"
   
   try:
       backend = provider.get_backend(backend_name)
       print(f"Connected to backend: {backend.name}")
   
       # 4. Create a Quantum Circuit (e.g., Bell State)
       # Note: IQM supports square-lattice connectivity, so you don't need to worry about coupling maps.
       qc = QuantumCircuit(2)
       qc.h(0)
       qc.cx(0, 1)
       qc.measure_all()
   
       # 5. No transpilation
       # Scaleway QaaS handles the transpilation server-side for you
   
       # 6. Execute the Job
       # Warning: On the real QPU, this line triggers billing.
       print("Submitting job...")
       job = backend.run(qc, shots=100)
   
       # 7. Retrieve Results
       result = job.result()
       print("Results:", result)
   
   except Exception as e:
       print(f"Error: {e}")

3. Save the script. In this example we save it as iqm.py.

4. Run the script.

   python ~/iqm.py