Want a Quantum Computer Today? Here’s What You Need to Know

So you’re ready.

You’ve read about qubits, superposition, quantum advantage.

You think: Why wait? Can I buy or use one now?

The answer is: yes - but with caveats.

This isn’t “buy a PC at the store.”

It’s more like “lease/rent an engine of the future and understand its constraints.”

Where can you get one? Who sells them?

There are broadly two ways in:

1. Cloud access - Use quantum computers remotely, via APIs or platforms.

   Big players: IBM (via IBM Quantum), Amazon Web Services (Amazon Braket), Microsoft (Azure Quantum). These let you pay-as-you-go and start experimenting without owning hardware.

2. On-premises sale - Buying or placing a quantum system at your site (or in your facility) under contract with a vendor. E.g., IQM Quantum Computers offers superconducting systems up to 150-qubits, marketed for institutions. D‑Wave Systems has sold quantum annealers (specialized systems) for multi-million dollar deals.

So you can “buy one”, but it’s mostly an institutional purchase, not a desktop purchase.

What exactly do you get? What do vendors sell?

Depending on the vendor, you’ll see:

• A quantum processor “module” (qubits, control electronics, cryogenics)

• Infrastructure: ultra-low temperatures (milli-kelvin cryostats), vacuum systems, shielding, high-precision control hardware

• Software stack: SDKs, cloud interface, algorithms, hybrid classical/quantum tools

• Often service/support contracts and integration into your compute environment

  
  

For example, IQM’s product portfolio includes a “Spark” (~5-qubit) system for research, and larger “Radiance” systems for HPC/industry (20, 54, 150 qubit superconducting) and higher-end fault-tolerant systems.

How much does it cost?

Here are ballpark numbers (and yes, big caveats apply):

• Some sources say the entry cost for an on-premises quantum system (hardware + infrastructure + support) can run $5 million to $15 million or more.

• Example: Rigetti Computing reported purchase orders for two quantum systems totaling ~$5.7 million.

• Cloud access can cost much less (hundreds to thousands of dollars monthly) depending on usage, although you’re renting access, not owning.

  
  

The cost includes not only the quantum chip but all the infrastructure (cryogenics, control, cooling), plus expertise, maintenance, error-correction roadmaps, etc.

Quantum vendors, what they sell, specs & rough pricing

Vendor / Platform	Tech (qubit type)	Example system / size	How you get it	Indicative price / cost model*
IBM Quantum	Superconducting	Q System One ~127 qubits (and larger roadmap systems)	Cloud via IBM Quantum Platform; on-prem Q System One for large institutions	Q System One estimated $10–15M for onprem deployments; cloud from free (dev tier) up to enterprise subscriptions & reserved capacity.
IQM	Superconducting	IQM Spark (5 qubits, education) and Radiance (20/54/150 qubits)	Onprem systems for universities/HPCcenters; some cloud via partners	Spark publicly quoted as “< €1M”, with IQM saying portfolio spans from ~€1M entry-level upward for larger systems.
Rigetti	Superconducting	Novera 9-qubit (upgradeable), larger QPUs for cloud	Direct sale of systems; also via AWS Braket & its own cloud	Recent public deal: two 9-qubit Novera systems for ~$5.7M total → think ~$2.5–3M per small system, larger systems likely more.
D-Wave	Quantum annealing (not gate model)	Advantage2 ~4,400 qubits (annealer, specialized)	Cloud (Leap), and sale of full Advantage systems to institutions	Reported €10M (~$11.6M) contract with Swiss Quantum incl. option to purchase system; suggests full systems in the $10M+ range.
Quantinuum	Trapped ions	H2-1: 56 trapped-ion qubits, all-to-all connectivity; Helios: 98 physical → 48 logical qubits (fault-tolerant prototype)	Cloud access (own platform, Azure, others); “Helios” as Hardware-as-a-Service / hosted systems	Pricing not public; think enterprise/“national lab” tier (multi-million per dedicated system), pay-per-use via cloud.
IonQ	Trapped ions	Tempo / Forte Enterprise with tens of physical qubits and ~“algorithmic qubit” roadmap (toward ~250+ aQ)	Cloud via IonQ Cloud, AWS Braket, Azure Quantum, Google Cloud Marketplace	Cloud pay-per-shot (via Braket/Azure), typically $0.01–$30 per shot depending on backend; enterprise contracts for reserved capacity are custom.
QuEra	Neutral atoms	Aquila: 256-qubit analog neutral-atom system	Cloud only (Amazon Braket)	Priced through AWS Braket per shot / per task; falls in typical $0.01–$30 per shot range depending on configuration.
Pasqal	Neutral atoms	100+ atom processors now, roadmap beyond 1,000 atoms	Cloud via Google Cloud Marketplace; on-prem partnerships for larger systems	No public sticker; neutral-atom QPUs for cloud via usage fees, on-prem likely multi-million range similar to IQM/Rigetti tier.
Atom Computing	Neutral atoms	Large-scale neutral-atom arrays (hundreds+ qubits) with long coherence times	Primarily cloud / partnerships with HPC centers	Pricing not public; assume enterprise research pricing (custom contracts, multi-year).
Xanadu	Photonic	Borealis-class photonic QPUs (Gaussian boson sampling, etc.)	Cloud via Xanadu Cloud & AWS Braket	Pay-per-use via cloud; in same pay-per-shot / subscription ballpark as other NISQ cloud providers.
Amazon Braket (platform)	Aggregator: ion traps, superconducting, neutral atoms, photonics	Access to IonQ, Rigetti, QuEra, OQC, Xanadu QPUs, plus simulators	Pure cloud (AWS); no hardware purchase, just API access	$0.01–$30 per shot depending on backend; additional AWS infra costs; good for experimentation without capex.
Azure Quantum (platform)	Aggregator: IonQ, Quantinuum, others	Multiple trapped-ion and superconducting backends + simulators	Cloud via Azure; hybrid classical/quantum workflows	Pay-per-job / per-minute models; enterprise contracts for reserved capacity; similar order of magnitude to Braket.
Google Quantum AI / Google Cloud	Superconducting + neutral-atom partners	Google’s own superconducting chips; partners like IonQ & Pasqal via Google Cloud Marketplace	Cloud only; hardware not sold	Pricing via Google Cloud Marketplace; typically usage-based, similar to other quantum cloud offerings.

What could you potentially do with it? (And you should know the limits)

If you had a quantum system (or access to one) today, here’s what you might aim to do:

• Experiment with quantum algorithms: Run small-scale quantum circuits, benchmark problems, try hybrid classical/quantum workflows

• Simulate small quantum systems: Molecules, materials, chemical reactions at a scale classical computers struggle with

• Explore optimization or sampling tasks: Especially if you have partner software or vendor support

• Gain first-mover advantage: Build quantum-ready teams, workflows, data infrastructure, algorithmic stock-pile

  
  

But also know: you probably won’t (yet) solve massive, world-changing problems on Day 1. Many systems are still in the “noisy intermediate-scale quantum” (NISQ) era. Error rates, coherence times, scaling remain challenging.

Why you might still pick “today” rather than wait

• Getting hands-on experience now gives institutional advantage

• Preparing for when quantum advantage hits means you’ll be ready

• You can experiment, learn, build workflows while the hardware matures

• If you’re in materials, pharma, logistics, energy - early quantum access might give you a quantum simulation edge sooner

  
  

In short

If you want a quantum computer today: you either rent access (cloud) or you buy/contract a system (multi-million dollars, major infrastructure). What you get is a combination of hardware + software + service. And what you do is start exploring quantum territory — simulation, algorithm design, optimization - rather than expecting blockbuster results overnight.

In the world of quantum: you’re not just buying compute power. You’re buying first access to a new mode of invention.