Unable to install qsimcirq

I have installed the required prerequisites ( CMake, PyBind11, and Cirq) and yet when I run “pip install qsimcirq” the build fails. I get the error “ERROR: Failed building wheel for qsimcirq”. I am struggling to understand the rest of the error messages. I am on a Mac. If anyone has had a similar issue, your input would be greatly appreciated.

Hi @JacobBeckey! From looking at the qsim installation instructions, it looks like installation of qsim is not yet properly supported on MacOS:

MacOS and Windows installation

For users interested in running qsim on a MacOS or Windows device, we strongly recommend using the Docker config provided with this repository.

Experimental install process

Alternatively, MacOS and Windows users can follow the Linux install process, but it is currently untested on those platforms. Users are encouraged to report any issues seen with this process.

Your best bet might be to post an issue on the qsim GitHub issue tracker, with the full error log – potentially someone on the qsim team might recognise the specific error and be able to provide directions.

Alternatively, you could use Docker (using the provided docker configuration) as a fallback.

Thank you for your response! So, the only people able to use qsim are those running Linux, is that correct?

I took your suggestion and posted an open issue on the qsim github. I am new to github so I hope the post is understandable and that maybe someone can help.

I sadly am not sure how to proceed with Docker. Is it something you install separately and then run the Docker config given in the qsim installation instructions?

Thank you for your response! So, the only people able to use qsim are those running Linux, is that correct?

No worries! I think it’s more that the qsim developers mainly develop qsim using Linux. So it should work on Mac and Windows, but there is no guarantee, and small tweaks might be required to the installation instructions to get it to work.

I sadly am not sure how to proceed with Docker. Is it something you install separately and then run the Docker config given in the qsim installation instructions?

Yes, that’s right – Docker provides a virtual Linux environment (in a way), allowing you to install qsim within this linux environment.

I haven’t used Docker on Mac before, but the steps would look roughly like this:

  1. Install and set up Docker according to the instructions on the Docker website: Install Docker Desktop on Mac | Docker Docs

  2. Once Docker is set up, qsim provides some limited instructions for getting qsim running on Docker: https://github.com/quantumlib/qsim/blob/master/docs/docker.md

However, might be better to wait to see if anyone from the qsim team has any ideas to get the pip command working first, as that will make things a bit easier :slight_smile:

Great, thanks again! I will wait to see if anyone responds on github.