Who needs a real quantum computer to start writing code?  While there is no working quantum computer in production, the belief that a working version will exist soon has prompted Microsoft Research’s QuArC team to build a new quantum computer simulator called LIQUi|>.

 The researchers are hoping that, using LIQUi|>, computer scientists at Microsoft and other academic and research institutions will be able to perfect the algorithms they need to efficiently use a quantum computer even as the computers themselves are simultaneously being developed. —  Next at Microsoft Blog

The software called Language-Integrated Quantum Operations is open source and available on GitHub.  After downloading the software you’ll gain access to commands to allow you to simulate quantum entanglements,  test teleportation, and run other well known algorithms.  If like me, you’re new to Quantum Computing, Microsoft even put out the video above to explain it to mere mortals.

For more information on LIQUi|> and Microsoft’s efforts in Quantum Computing, check out the last blog post from Next at Microsoft.