https://github.com/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal

Quantum Hardware Design. Open-source project for engineers and scientists to design superconducting quantum devices with ease.
https://github.com/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal
device eda gds hamiltonian quantum quantum-computing qubits simulation-modeling superconducting
Last synced: 3 months ago
JSON representation
Quantum Hardware Design. Open-source project for engineers and scientists to design superconducting quantum devices with ease.
Host: GitHub
URL: https://github.com/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal
Owner: qiskit-community
License: apache-2.0
Created: 2020-11-12T16:19:21.000Z (almost 6 years ago)
Default Branch: main
Last Pushed: 2025-01-20T00:48:12.000Z (over 1 year ago)
Last Synced: 2025-05-06T22:49:38.541Z (over 1 year ago)
Topics: device, eda, gds, hamiltonian, quantum, quantum-computing, qubits, simulation-modeling, superconducting
Language: Python
Homepage: https://qiskit-community.github.io/qiskit-metal/
Size: 101 MB
Stars: 312
Watchers: 31
Forks: 223
Open Issues: 151
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Contributing: CONTRIBUTING.md
- License: LICENSE.txt
- Code of conduct: CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
Awesome Lists containing this project

quantum-awesome - https://github.com/Qiskit/qiskit-metal
README

          # Quantum Metal (formerly: Qiskit Metal)

[![PyPI](https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/quantum-metal.svg?logo=pypi&logoColor=white&style=flat-square)](https://pypi.org/project/quantum-metal/)

[![Python versions](https://img.shields.io/pypi/pyversions/quantum-metal.svg?style=flat-square&logo=python&logoColor=white)](https://pypi.org/project/quantum-metal/)

[![PyPI downloads](https://img.shields.io/pypi/dm/quantum-metal.svg?style=flat-square&label=PyPI%20downloads)](https://pypi.org/project/quantum-metal/)

[![License](https://img.shields.io/github/license/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal.svg?style=flat-square)](https://opensource.org/licenses/Apache-2.0)

[![CI](https://img.shields.io/github/actions/workflow/status/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal/main.yml?branch=main&style=flat-square&label=CI&logo=github)](https://github.com/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal/actions)

[![Docs](https://img.shields.io/badge/docs-online-blue.svg?style=flat-square&logo=read-the-docs&logoColor=white)](https://qiskit-community.github.io/qiskit-metal/)

[![DOI](https://zenodo.org/badge/DOI/10.5281/zenodo.4618153.svg)](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4618153)

[![GitHub stars](https://img.shields.io/github/stars/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal.svg?style=flat-square&logo=github)](https://github.com/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal/stargazers)

[![Contributors](https://img.shields.io/github/contributors/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal.svg?style=flat-square&logo=github)](https://github.com/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal/graphs/contributors)

[![Discord](https://img.shields.io/badge/Discord-Join_Community-5865F2?logo=discord&logoColor=white&style=flat-square)](https://discord.gg/kaZ3UFuq)

> ![Welcome to Quantum Metal!](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal/main/docs/images/zkm_banner.png 'Welcome to Quantum Metal')

>

> **Quantum Metal** is an open-source framework for engineers and scientists to design superconducting quantum devices with ease.



  



_{Regenerate this GIF · Full tutorial: 2.21}


### 🚀 Try it now — zero install

[![Open In Colab](https://colab.research.google.com/assets/colab-badge.svg)](https://colab.research.google.com/github/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal/blob/main/tutorials/1%20Overview/1.1%20Quick%20start.ipynb)

[![Binder](https://mybinder.org/badge_logo.svg)](https://mybinder.org/v2/gh/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal/main?labpath=tutorials%2F1%20Overview%2F1.1%20Quick%20start.ipynb)

[![Open in GitHub Codespaces](https://img.shields.io/badge/Open_in-Codespaces-181717?logo=github&logoColor=white&style=flat-square)](https://codespaces.new/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal)

One click → working Quantum Metal in your browser in 60 seconds (lite install, no Qt required).

📍 **Where we're heading:** see [ROADMAP.md](./ROADMAP.md) for the

lite-by-default install (v0.7.0, shipped), the AI-orchestration profile,

the open FEM stack (gmsh + Elmer + AWS Palace), and the upcoming

import-path rename.

---

## Install

```bash

pip install quantum-metal             # lite (v0.7.0+ default)

pip install "quantum-metal[full]"     # everything (v0.6.x compatibility)

```

Pick the install command that matches your workflow:

| | What you get | When |

|---|---|---|

| **🪶 Lite** `pip install quantum-metal` | Core API, `qm.view(design)` headless viewer, GDS export, pure-Python analyses | AI orchestration, Colab / Binder, cloud Jupyter, CI, any non-interactive workflow |

| **🖥️ GUI** `pip install "quantum-metal[gui]"` | + `MetalGUI` desktop app (PySide6, qdarkstyle) | Interactive design work |

| **🧲 Ansys** `pip install "quantum-metal[ansys]"` | + HFSS / Q3D renderers, EPR analyses (pyaedt, pyEPR-quantum) | HFSS / Q3D simulation (Windows + Ansys AEDT license) |

| **🔺 Open FEM mesher** `pip install "quantum-metal[mesh]"` | + gmsh meshing (foundation for Elmer / Palace) | Open-source FEM (no Ansys license). `[fem]` is a backward-compat alias. |

| **📦 Full** `pip install "quantum-metal[full]"` | All of the above | Migrating from v0.6.x, want zero behavior change |

Extras compose: `pip install "quantum-metal[gui,ansys]"` works.

Feature matrix — what each install gives you

| | lite | `[gui]` | `[ansys]` | `[mesh]` | `[full]` |

|---|---|---|---|---|---|

| `import qiskit_metal` | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |

| `qm.view(design)` (headless matplotlib) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |

| Build designs + components from `qlibrary` | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |

| GDS export | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |

| `LOManalysis`, LOM math, capacitance reductions | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |

| `MetalGUI` desktop app | — | ✅ | — | — | ✅ |

| HFSS / Q3D renderers | — | — | ✅ | — | ✅ |

| EPR analyses (`EigenmodeSim`, `LumpedElementsSim`) | — | — | ✅ | — | ✅ |

| gmsh mesher (for Elmer / Palace) | — | — | — | ✅ | ✅ |

`[fem]` is a backward-compatible alias of `[mesh]` — both install gmsh.

Source install, conda, troubleshooting, and per-persona migration recipes:

[`docs/installation.rst`](./docs/installation.rst) ·

[`docs/migration-to-v0.7.0.rst`](./docs/migration-to-v0.7.0.rst).

CI runs on **Python 3.10 / 3.11 / 3.12** across Linux, macOS, and Windows.

---

## Quick Start

Create your first quantum design in a notebook or script — **no Qt required**:

```python

import qiskit_metal as qm

from qiskit_metal import designs

from qiskit_metal.qlibrary.qubits.transmon_pocket import TransmonPocket

# Start a planar-chip quantum device design

design = designs.DesignPlanar()

design.chips.main.size.size_x = '11mm'

design.chips.main.size.size_y = '9mm'

# Add a transmon qubit with a connector pad "a"

q1 = TransmonPocket(design, 'Q1', options=dict(

    pos_x='0.5 mm', pos_y='0.25 mm',

    pad_height='90um', pad_width='455um', pad_gap='30um',

    connection_pads=dict(a=dict()),

))

# Render to an inline matplotlib figure — works in Colab, CI, any notebook

fig = qm.view(design)

fig.savefig("my_first_chip.png")

```

![Example image](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal/main/docs/images/1_1_Birds_eye_view_of_Qiskit_Metal_example_image.jpg)

Prefer the interactive desktop GUI?

Install with `pip install "quantum-metal[gui]"`, then replace the `qm.view(...)`

line with the GUI flow:

```python

from qiskit_metal import MetalGUI

gui = MetalGUI(design)        # launch the interactive editor

gui.rebuild()                 # re-render after edits

gui.edit_component('Q1')      # select for editing

gui.autoscale()

# ... later

gui.main_window.close()

```

See [`docs/headless-usage.rst`](./docs/headless-usage.rst) for the full

no-Qt workflow and what to use when.

**Next:** browse the [tutorial notebooks](./tutorials/) (40+ Jupyter notebooks

covering the full API) or the

[online documentation](https://qiskit-community.github.io/qiskit-metal/).

---

## Transition notices

Qiskit Metal → Quantum Metal rebrand (in progress)

- ✅ **New project name**: Quantum Metal

- ✅ **PyPI package**: `quantum-metal` (current; the old `qiskit-metal` package

  stays archived at its pre-v0.5 state)

- ✅ **Lite-by-default install** (v0.7.0)

- 🔜 **Repository rename to `quantum-metal`** — will keep redirects so existing

  clones and links continue to work

- 🔜 **Python import path rename** (`qiskit_metal` → `quantum_metal`) — target

  v0.8 or v1.0. Plan to update your imports ahead of that release.

---

## 🌐 Ecosystem

Quantum Metal is the **open-source chip-design layer** for superconducting

quantum hardware. A growing community of tools builds on it, extends it

with new simulation backends, and plugs into it for quantization and

discovery. **Full map: [docs.../ecosystem](https://qiskit-community.github.io/qiskit-metal/ecosystem.html)**.

### Built on Quantum Metal

- 🔬 **[SQuADDS](https://github.com/LFL-Lab/SQuADDS)** (LFL-Lab @ USC) —

  validated qubit-design database + parameter interpolation. Published

  in *Quantum* journal (Sept 2024).

- 🧲 **[SQDMetal](https://github.com/sqdlab/SQDMetal)** (SQDLab @ UQ) —

  simulation wrapper for `QDesign` → AWS Palace / COMSOL.

- 🤖 **[ML_qubit_design](https://github.com/CosmiQuantum/ML_qubit_design)**

  (Fermilab + Northwestern) — ML-based inverse design predicting Quantum

  Metal parameters from target qubit properties.

- ⚗️ **[Qiskit-Metal-to-Litho](https://github.com/OJB-Quantum/Qiskit-Metal-to-Litho)**

  (Onri Jay Benally) — end-to-end design → lithography workflow with

  headless Colab install scripts, GDS post-processing (PHIDL / GDSTK),

  EBPG / BEAMER fab prep, and 3D Blender viz. Real fabricated chip examples.

- 🌐 **[pypalace](https://pypalace.readthedocs.io/)** (Northwestern) —

  Python toolkit for AWS Palace with Quantum Metal gmsh export.

### Solvers Quantum Metal integrates with

[AWS Palace](https://github.com/awslabs/palace) (roadmap) ·

[Ansys HFSS/Q3D](https://www.ansys.com/products/electronics/ansys-hfss)

(via `[ansys]`) · [Elmer FEM](https://www.elmerfem.org/) (via `[mesh]`) ·

[gmsh](https://gmsh.info/) (via `[mesh]`).

### Quantization & analysis

[pyEPR](https://github.com/zlatko-minev/pyEPR) ·

[scqubits](https://github.com/scqubits/scqubits) ·

[QuTiP](https://github.com/qutip/qutip).

### Community organization & events

- **[Quantum Device Workshop (QDW)](https://qdw-ucla.squarespace.com/)** — annual

  workshop at UCLA/USC with invited leaders in the field. Recent speakers:

  *Michel Devoret, Andreas Wallraff, Zlatko Minev, Eli Levenson-Falk.*

  [Video recordings](https://www.youtube.com/@uclaqcsa) ·

  [Sign for 2026](https://qdw-ucla.squarespace.com/qdw2026).

- **[Quantum Device Consortium (QDC)](https://qdc-qcsa.vercel.app)** — the

  community organization stewarding Quantum Metal alongside the tools above.

  [Join the QDC Discord](https://discord.gg/kaZ3UFuq).

**Building something on Quantum Metal?** [Open an issue](https://github.com/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal/issues/new/choose)

or ping us on Discord — we'd love to add you to the list.

---

## 🌱 From IBM to a Community-Maintained Project

Originally developed at IBM, **conceived and led by [Dr. Zlatko K. Minev](https://www.zlatko-minev.com)**,

Quantum Metal has transitioned into a **community-driven project** supported by

universities, research groups, labs, and individual contributors worldwide.

Development continues through the **Quantum Device Consortium (QDC)**, the

broader community, and active maintainers — in close collaboration with Zlatko

Minev and contributors across QDW/QDC shaping this next chapter.

Acknowledgements for the v0.5+ community release effort and ongoing

contributors are tracked in the [changelog](./changelog.md) and the

[contributors graph](https://github.com/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal/graphs/contributors).

---

## Community and Support

- 💬 **[Discord](https://discord.gg/kaZ3UFuq)** — fastest way to reach maintainers

  and the broader community. *Primary community channel.*

- 📺 **[YouTube video tutorials](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOFEBzvs-VvqHl5ZqVmhB_FcSqmLufsjb)**

- 💻 **[GitHub Issues](https://github.com/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal/issues)** — bugs and feature requests

- 🟪 **[Qiskit Slack `#metal`](https://qiskit.slack.com/archives/C01R8KP5WP7)** — legacy channel, being phased out in favor of Discord

---

## Contributing

If you'd like to contribute, please read the

[contribution guidelines](https://github.com/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md)

and the [contributor guide in the docs](https://qiskit-community.github.io/qiskit-metal/contributor-guide.html).

This project adheres to the [code of conduct](https://github.com/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal/blob/main/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md).

We use [GitHub issues](https://github.com/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal/issues)

for bugs and feature requests.

---

## Architecture

For a high-level walkthrough of the codebase — Core, Renderers, Analyses, GUI,

Utilities — and how they interact, see

[`README_Architecture.md`](./README_Architecture.md).

Module-level deep dive:

[`docs/overview.rst`](./docs/overview.rst) ·

[`docs/workflow.rst`](./docs/workflow.rst).

---

## Authors and Citation

Quantum Metal is the work of [many people](https://github.com/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal/pulse/monthly)

who contribute to the project at different levels. The project was **conceived

and developed by [Zlatko Minev](https://www.zlatko-minev.com)** at IBM, then

co-led with Thomas McConkey, and has since transitioned to community maintenance

through the QDC.

If you use Quantum Metal in your research, please cite it — see the

[BibTeX entry](https://github.com/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal/blob/main/Qiskit_Metal.bib).

## Changelog and Release Notes

Release notes for each version are published on the

[GitHub releases page](https://github.com/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal/releases).

Developer notes for in-flight releases live in [`changelog.md`](./changelog.md).

## License

[Apache License 2.0](https://github.com/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal/blob/main/LICENSE.txt)
ecosyste.ms

Data

Tools

Indexes

Applications

Experiments

Awesome

https://github.com/qiskit-community/qiskit-metal

Awesome Lists containing this project

README
