Cirq - Quantum Computing with Python

Cirq is Google Quantum AI's open-source framework for designing, simulating, and running quantum circuits on quantum computers and simulators.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Building, simulating, or optimizing NISQ circuits in Python
• Running jobs on Google Quantum AI processors (via cirq-google) or partner backends (IonQ, Azure Quantum, AQT, Pasqal)
• Modeling noise, compiling to hardware gatesets, or designing characterization experiments
• Using parameter sweeps, transformers, or the ReCirq experiment patterns

For IBM hardware use qiskit; for quantum ML with autodiff use pennylane; for physics simulations use qutip.

Installation

Examples target Cirq 1.7.0 on Python 3.11+. Keep Cirq vendor packages on the matching release; independently versioned integrations such as Azure Quantum need their own compatibility check.