In software development, open-source projects are common and directly compete with proprietary for-profit products. Francesco Bova and Roger Melko argue that in quantum computing, an open-source initiative is needed and would play a more complementary role.
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Acknowledgements
We thank A. Goldfarb, S. Cross, and G. Dick for a number of interesting discussions. We also benefited from discussions in the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) programme for quantum startups. R.G.M. is supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. Research at Perimeter Institute is supported in part by the Government of Canada through the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and by the Province of Ontario through the Ministry of Colleges and Universities. This article is dedicated to the memory of CDL Quantum’s first Academic Director, Peter Wittek, who was a pioneer in open-source quantum science.
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R.G.M. is a co-founder of Open Quantum Design (OQD). F.B. is a member of OQD’s Leadership Council and serves as its Economist in Residence. OQD is a non-profit, open-source foundation registered in Canada.
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Bova, F., Melko, R.G. An open-source initiative would benefit quantum computing. Nat Rev Phys 7, 406–407 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42254-025-00854-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42254-025-00854-0
