IBM Quantum Flex Plan is the latest addition to the IBM® roster of quantum access plans.
What it is: Flex Plan is a new access model designed for project-based access to the IBM fleet of quantum computers.
How it works: Users pre-purchase “minutes” of access to IBM quantum computers, enjoying all the same access to IBM Quantum computers and services as Premium Plan users.
Who it’s for: Examples include enterprise clients whose use cases require bursts of sustained executions, researchers aiming to make the most efficient use of grants, educators whose courses require access to quantum computers during only part of the semester, and more.
What it costs: Flex Plan allows users to gain Premium Plan-level access to quantum computers at an entry-point of $30,000.
How to get started: Visit our pricing page to learn more and sign up for the new Flex Plan offering.
Today, we’re excited to introduce the IBM Quantum Flex Plan, a new access model designed to offer flexibility and simplicity in running experiments on IBM Quantum hardware. Flex Plan provides a powerful new way for organizations and researchers to explore quantum computing on a project basis without monthly quotas.
With Flex Plan, users gain the ability to conduct high-impact research at their own pace and scale. You pay only for the capacity you need. When you’re ready to run experiments, you get immediate access to the latest IBM Quantum hardware and software — all delivered at the same level of service enjoyed by IBM Quantum Premium Plan users.
Balancing flexibility and scale on IBM quantum computers
Nine years ago, on May 4, 2016, IBM became the first company to offer quantum computing on the cloud. Today, we continue to provide access to the world’s most powerful quantum computers through a series of cloud offerings. We call these the IBM Quantum access plans.
From the start, we have been committed to making quantum computing accessible to as many people as possible, which is why we offer free access to our quantum computers via our recently renewed Open Plan. For those who need more access than we can provide through a free-tier plan, we offer the Pay-as-you-go Plan — billed in arrears by seconds of usage — as well as the Premium Plan, a subscription-based offering that delivers economy of scale for clients who are ready for a longer commitment.
However, we understand that for some users, quantum computing research and development may follow a less predictable, more project-based cadence. In these cases, the need for capacity comes in bursts, like during the peak of a research cycle or when preparing for a major conference submission. There are also researchers from startups, academic groups, and other organizations who may be interested in exploring quantum use cases before committing to a full multi-year plan.
In other words, we know there are researchers who may not need quantum resources at all for a good portion of their year. However, when the time comes, they know they’ll want the same first-class access to high-performance quantum hardware, software, and services that we offer via the IBM Quantum Premium Plan.
Flex Plan is for these users.
What is Flex Plan?
Flex Plan is an access model built for project-based execution on quantum computers. It is ideal for organizations, enterprises, and researchers who need bursts of time-sensitive access to IBM quantum computers.
Key benefits of Flex Plan include:
- Access your entire capacity on day one
- An entry point of $30,000 USD
- Premium access to our fleet of utility-scale quantum computers
- Premium access to advanced software features and support
- Early access to new releases
Flex Plan is purchased up front and consumed as needed over the contract period.
Who is Flex Plan for?
IBM tailored Flex Plan to support enterprise clients, research teams, and developers working on compute-intensive quantum workloads on a per-project basis. It allows users to consume pre-purchased minutes over the course of the year to more flexibly allocate purchased time to peak active experimentation periods for their project.
Potential Flex Plan users might include focused teams piloting key workloads in fields like chemistry, machine learning, and optimization, or they could be researchers from startups exploring novel quantum applications. Academic researchers and university labs may opt for Flex Plan to match a funding cycle or level, and educators might use it to teach quantum computing at scale.
Projects that are appropriate for Flex Plan access include:
| Project | Description |
|---|---|
| Utility-scale quantum experiments | Research at the frontier of utility-scale quantum computing often requires hundreds of minutes including overhead for learning and error mitigation. Flex Plan allows these type of experiments to run in peaks without being gated by monthly limits. |
| Capabilities research | Researchers building new techniques such as novel error mitigation and compilation strategies need the ability to iterate fast, and scale gradually. |
| Industry use case exploration | Flex Plan allows enterprise clients to explore new and existing quantum algorithms to test individual utility-scale cases in the search for quantum advantages. Partner with IBM to explore potential use cases relevant to your industry through the IBM Quantum Accelerator. |
| Education and learning at scale | Flex Plan is also valuable for structured learning path where many learners need simultaneous compute access. It allows institutions to purchase capacity once and distribute it across teams. |
Broader quantum impact
Flex Plan opens the door for a wider range of users to access advanced IBM quantum hardware and software, whether they are just getting started or ramping up for major breakthroughs. It complements our existing access offerings Pay-As-You-Go and Premium and helps make IBM Quantum more accessible and adaptable to the diverse needs of the quantum community. We believe that by enabling access at the speed and scale of your research, Flex Plan will accelerate quantum innovation across academic, start-ups and industry. To learn more about the Flex Plan, or to get started leveraging it in your research, visit our Pricing page here.
