Quantum reasoning
Real qubits, in the loop — when you ask for them.
Bee’s quantum reasoning module submits real circuits to IBM Heron r2 quantum processors via qiskit-ibm-runtime. The integration is real, verifiable code — not a slogan, and not every API call. Quantum activates on-demand on roadmap tiers (Bee Hive and Bee Swarm) and runs today against the local statevector simulator for development and verification.
Active backends
ibm_kingston
Heron r2
156qubits
ibm_fez
Heron r2
156qubits
ibm_marrakesh
Heron r2
156qubits
Local statevector
Simulator
28qubits
source · bee/quantum_ibm.py · bee/quantum_reasoning.py
How it works
Four steps from token to qubit and back.
Bee uses quantum mechanics where it actually helps — combinatorial reasoning, hypothesis weighting, and decision selection — not as window dressing.
Classical reasoning
Bee produces N candidate decisions through standard transformer reasoning.
Quantum encoding
Candidates encode into qubit amplitudes; superposition holds them simultaneously.
Interference
Quantum interference amplifies the most consistent solution. (QAOA / amplitude amp.)
Measurement
Measurement collapses the state into the optimal candidate. Confidence is a probability.
Sample run
Quantum reasoning, real output not a mockup.
The block below is real output from bee/quantum_reasoning.py, persisted at data/benchmarks/benchmark_results.json — the values shown are the actual fields the module emits when it runs locally. "score: 1.0" is a smoke-test pass (non-zero confidence emitted) — not a measure of reasoning quality. For real quality measurements see the per-domain eval matrix.
// metric → value score 1.000 selected "Option C: Balanced approach" confidence 0.254 backend "local_sim" real_qubits false // flip your IBM Quantum API key from free → paid // to swap real_qubits → true with no code changes.
Open quantum roadmap
Quantum reasoning shouldn't need a paid subscription.
IBM Quantum Open Plan ships today. We're adding free-tier integrations across every major QPU vendor so any Bee user — paid plan or not — can route reasoning through real quantum hardware.
| Provider | Access | Technology | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| IBM Quantum Open Plan | 10 min/month free · ibm_kingston (Heron r2) live on free tier | 156-qubit superconducting · heavy-hexagonal lattice | Live |
| Quantum Inspire 2.0 | Free (TU Delft / QuTech) | Tuna-5 · Starmon-7 · Spin-2+ | Planned |
| D-Wave Leap | 1 minute free QPU / month | Advantage / Advantage2 annealers (5,000+ qubits) | Planned |
| Xanadu Cloud | Free Borealis access | Photonic · 216 squeezed-state qubits | Planned |
| AWS Braket | Free-tier credits | Multi-vendor (IonQ · Rigetti · QuEra · Xanadu) | Planned |
| Microsoft Azure Quantum | $500 free credits per provider | Multi-vendor (IonQ · Quantinuum · Rigetti · Pasqal) | Planned |
Roadmap is best-effort and depends on vendor API stability and free-tier policies. Live providers ship in production today.
Try quantum reasoning today
Try quantum reasoning against the local simulator today.
Run bee/quantum_reasoning.py locally — the statevector simulator (~28 qubits) resolves circuits with no IBM credentials. When higher tiers (Bee Hive, Bee Swarm) ship and you supply an IBM Quantum API key, the same code path routes to real Heron r2 hardware with no other changes.