# Q-CTRL's Fire Opal becomes one of the first IBM Qiskit Functions, with an optimisation solver up to 156 qubits

Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/stories/q-ctrl-s-fire-opal-becomes-one-of-the-first-ibm-qiskit-functions-with-674edbfb
Date: 16 Sep 2024
About: [Q-CTRL](https://technooptimist.io/companies/q-ctrl.md) · [Fire Opal](https://technooptimist.io/quantum/fire-opal.md)
Original source: https://q-ctrl.com/blog/q-ctrls-fire-opal-among-first-qiskit-functions-delivering-utility-scale-performance-to-the-global-quantum-developer-community

IBM added two Q-CTRL services to its Qiskit Functions catalogue: Performance Management, which applies automatic error suppression so larger circuits run, and an Optimization Solver that solves problems up to 156 qubits without users writing circuits. Fire Opal had been built into IBM's pay-as-you-go plan since December 2023.

## Key facts

- Announced at IEEE Quantum Week in Montréal.
- 156 qubits was the full device size of IBM's hardware at the time.
- Users quoted included Cleveland Clinic and SoftBank researchers.

---

The Techno Optimist tracks every frontier of technology, program by program: https://technooptimist.io/ (a Markdown version of any page: add .md to its URL; site map for agents: https://technooptimist.io/llms.txt).
Data API (JSON, realtime stream): https://technooptimist.io/developers. People read 5 pages free, then Reader $10/month; these Markdown pages are open to agents.