What is Amazon Braket?
Amazon Braket, a fully managed cloud solution from Amazon Web Services (AWS), provides remote access to a single development environment for quantum computer users. The service, announced in December 2019, is now in preview mode.
Calculations based on particle behavior are the main focus of quantum computing. Quantum computing uses qubits, which can exist as 1, 0, or both states, in contrast to classical computing, which uses bits that can only exist in one or zero states. Many developers are still unfamiliar with this technique, and few are aware of whether or not they should use it; if an organisation should, they might not know how.
Amazon Braket is now being positioned by Amazon as a tool to assist consumers in becoming acquainted with quantum computing. Users will be able to start designing, testing, and executing quantum algorithms in Braket’s development environment. A developer can test a quantum algorithm on a virtual quantum computer before executing it on the quantum hardware of their choice.
The best applications for quantum computing are in theoretical and computational computer science. Though access to Braket is currently restricted, mostly to Amazon business customers, Amazon has said that Braket could be helpful for scientists, researchers, and developers.
Amazon Braket uses
One of Amazon Braket’s general purposes is to familiarize users with programming in a quantum computing environment, as developers can lack the necessary skills to create algorithms for quantum computing and access to quantum machines is currently restricted. Braket is also helpful in standard quantum computing tasks, such as simulated systems used in the medical area to find novel medications or in optimized systems for supply chain management and machine learning.
How Amazon Braket works
Although Amazon Braket allows users to create their own quantum algorithms, it also offers a number of pre-made algorithms, tools, and documentation for those who are not familiar with the process. Using Jupyter notebooks and the Braket interface, users can access the prebuilt tools and algorithms.
Through a simulation service that automatically sets up the necessary compute instances, Braket enables customers to test their algorithm and quantum circuits once they have created it. The user can troubleshoot and check if the algorithm is functioning if something is amiss.
Test results will be sent to Amazon S3 for user analysis. It is also possible to send performance metrics and event logs to Amazon CloudWatch.
A variety of quantum computing hardware, such as ion trap computers, quantum annealing superconductor computers, or gate-based superconductor computers, can then be used to execute an algorithm.
In order to create hybrid algorithms, Amazon Braket will also assist in managing traditional computing resources. Both classical and quantum jobs can be combined using hybrid algorithms.
Amazon Braket features
One of Amazon Braket’s features is the option to use an existing algorithm or create a quantum-based method from scratch. Because Amazon Braket is based on Python programming, developers who are already familiar with the language will find it easier to use. Braket also aids in the management of traditional computing resources, enabling a low-latency connection to quantum technology.
Amazon has partnered with various organizations to provide customers a selection of quantum gear on which to run algorithms. These consist of:
- Rigetti offers gate-based superconducting qubit hardware;
- D-Wave offers quantum annealing qubits; and
- IonQ offers ion traps.
Amazon Braket vs. Azure Quantum
Feature | Amazon Braket | Azure Quantum |
---|---|---|
Launch Date | Announced after Azure Quantum | Announced a month before Braket |
Service Type | Cloud-based quantum computing service | Cloud-based quantum computing service |
Access Mode | Remote access to quantum computers | Remote access to quantum computers |
Development Tools | Open-source quantum development kit | Open-source quantum development kit |
Purpose | Learning and developing quantum applications | Learning and developing quantum applications |
Hardware Providers | Rigetti, IonQ, D-Wave | Honeywell, IonQ, QCI |
Quantum Technologies | Ion trap (IonQ), Superconducting (Rigetti), Annealing (D-Wave) | Ion trap (IonQ, Honeywell), Superconducting (QCI) |
Availability | Preview mode | Preview mode |