Startup qBraid Makes Quantum Computing Easy for Everyone
Quantum computing has long been viewed as the next giant leap in technology, with the potential to revolutionize how we design new molecules, predict weather patterns, or power artificial intelligence with far less energy. But for most people, even getting started with a quantum computer can feel nearly impossible. Between complicated software installations, hardware access, and learning quantum-specific programming languages, the entry barrier has been sky-high—until now.
That’s where qBraid, a startup supported by MIT, is making a big difference. Founded in June 2020 by Kanav Setia and Jason Necaise, qBraid is building a cloud-based platform that gives users instant access to leading quantum devices and software from companies like IBM, Microsoft, and Nvidia. What makes it special is how it removes all the friction that used to come with learning or experimenting in quantum computing. You can log in, open your workspace, and start running real quantum code within minutes, even if you’ve never written a line of quantum code before.
The Mission Behind qBraid
Setia and Necaise met while interning at IBM, where they got hands-on experience with the challenges of working in the quantum space. Setia, who was studying at Dartmouth College, noticed that even students in advanced quantum computing classes spent weeks just trying to install and configure software before doing anything meaningful. That experience led to a simple but powerful idea: why not build a ready-to-use quantum environment in the cloud where everything just works out of the box?
A few months later, Setia and Necaise teamed up to bring that idea to life. Early on, they received support from the MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund and joined the delta v summer accelerator run by the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship. Those programs gave them access to mentors and frameworks that helped shape qBraid’s business and technology model.
Necaise eventually left the company in 2021, but Setia continued refining the product, focusing on what was slowing researchers and developers down. One major pain point was software instability—quantum software stacks change rapidly, and updates often broke existing projects. Developers would lose weeks just fixing code rather than developing algorithms.
To solve this, qBraid introduced version-controlled environments, allowing developers to lock their software setup in place and focus purely on building. Over time, the platform expanded to connect directly with quantum hardware, offering a truly seamless “quantum cloud” experience.
What the Platform Offers
qBraid’s interface is designed for simplicity. Once you log in, you can connect to quantum computers from multiple vendors, run code, and explore tools—all from one dashboard. The company calls itself a “one-stop platform” for quantum computing because it combines hardware access, pre-installed software, and collaboration tools.
A standout feature is qBook, an interactive learning platform that lets users explore ready-made code snippets and run them instantly. It’s similar to how Jupyter Notebooks work but optimized for quantum development. You can edit, run, and experiment with live examples from your laptop, tablet, or even your phone. This accessibility has made qBraid especially popular among users in developing countries, where high-performance hardware might be hard to come by.
The results are impressive: since 2020, over 20,000 users from 120 countries have used qBraid to deploy code on quantum devices. The platform is now used by researchers and students from more than 400 universities and 100 companies worldwide.
Building a Quantum Operating System
qBraid didn’t stop at offering just a unified interface. As the platform grew, the team developed qBraid-OS, a kind of operating system for quantum computers. It’s now used by four leading quantum companies to manage their own systems.
The idea is to let hardware makers focus entirely on developing their quantum devices while qBraid takes care of the “software plumbing.” This “productization” approach effectively turns qBraid into the software backbone of the quantum ecosystem.
This modular structure allows users to run quantum programs across different hardware types—a big advantage in a field where interoperability has been a major challenge. Many quantum systems are built on proprietary architectures, but qBraid’s SDK bridges those differences.
Real-World Applications
Quantum computing might sound theoretical, but qBraid’s users are applying it to very practical areas:
- AI and Machine Learning – Developing new quantum-inspired algorithms that could one day outperform classical methods.
- Drug Discovery and Molecular Simulation – Using quantum computers to simulate complex molecules more accurately.
- Finance and Cybersecurity – Exploring new models for risk prediction and quantum-safe encryption methods.
These experiments are more than academic exercises—they’re helping build the quantum workforce of the future. Back in 2018, estimates suggested there were fewer than 1,000 experts in the world capable of writing quantum code. Platforms like qBraid are rapidly changing that.
Backing, Grants, and Growth
qBraid’s growth has been supported by both public and private funding. In 2024, the company received a $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) under its Pathways to Enable Open-Source Ecosystems (POSE) program. This funding supports the development of qBraid’s hardware-agnostic SDK, which aims to create a common interface layer for all quantum devices.
The startup has also attracted investment from Future Labs Capital, announced in early 2024, to help expand its reach and refine its cloud infrastructure. Meanwhile, in late 2023, qBraid partnered with Intel to integrate the Intel Quantum SDK into its Lab platform, giving users direct access to Intel’s quantum development environment through qBraid’s interface.
With these developments, qBraid isn’t just connecting users to quantum computers—it’s shaping how future developers will interact with quantum hardware.
The Bigger Picture: Why This Matters
Quantum computing is still an emerging field, but progress is accelerating. Companies like IBM, Google, and IonQ are increasing qubit counts and reducing noise levels every year. However, software and accessibility remain the real bottlenecks, not the physics. That’s where platforms like qBraid come in—they make quantum experimentation practical for developers, researchers, and even hobbyists.
By abstracting away the technical barriers, qBraid enables more people to focus on what quantum computers can do, rather than how to set them up. This shift could lead to faster discoveries and innovations across industries.
For example, quantum algorithms have shown promise in machine learning, material design, and cryptography. The challenge is that current quantum computers are still noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices—meaning they’re powerful but limited in precision. By giving easy access to these systems, qBraid helps users prepare for the next era when quantum computers become truly scalable.
And accessibility matters. Many of qBraid’s users are students or developers from places where they wouldn’t normally have access to this kind of technology. Running a quantum simulation on a phone or tablet might sound futuristic, but it’s happening today thanks to cloud access.
Challenges Ahead
While qBraid’s progress is remarkable, the journey isn’t without hurdles. Quantum computing itself is still early-stage. Most algorithms can’t yet outperform classical computers, and the ecosystem is fragmented across multiple hardware architectures. Competing platforms from big tech companies like Amazon Braket and Microsoft Azure Quantum also offer access to similar devices.
qBraid’s advantage lies in being vendor-neutral and education-focused, but scaling that model into a sustainable business will take time. Still, their progress—both in user numbers and partnerships—shows there’s strong demand for easier quantum tools.
The Road to a Quantum Future
In many ways, qBraid is doing for quantum computing what early web platforms did for the internet—turning something complex and niche into something accessible and usable. By simplifying the setup, unifying access to different systems, and providing an educational pathway, qBraid is laying the groundwork for a more inclusive quantum revolution.
As the field evolves, more developers will experiment, more applications will emerge, and quantum computing will move closer to becoming a mainstream technology. With its mission to democratize quantum access, qBraid is helping make that future arrive a little sooner.
Reference: MIT News – Startup provides a nontechnical gateway to coding on quantum computers (November 4, 2025)
