Quantum Computing Toolkit From Nuts and Bolts to Sack of Tools

Quantum computing has the potential to provide exponential performance benefits in processing over classical computing. It utilizes quantum mechanics phenomena (such as superposition, entanglement, and interference) to solve a computational problem. It can explore atypical patterns over data that classical computers can't perform efficiently. Quantum computers are in the nascent stage of development and are noisy due to decoherence, i.e., quantum bits deteriorate with environmental interactions. It will take a long time for quantum computers to achieve fault tolerance although quantum algorithms can be developed in advance. Heavy investment in developing quantum hardware, software development kits, and simulators has led to multiplicity of quantum development tools. Selection of a suitable development platform requires a proper understanding of the capabilities and limitations of these tools. Although a comprehensive comparison of the different quantum development tools would be of great value, to the best of our knowledge, no such extensive study is currently available.