What is IQCDL?
IQCDL is the International Quantum Computing Driving License — the world's first international, AI-supported quantum-computing certification. A vendor-neutral, multilingual credential built to take individuals and organisations from "quantum-curious" to "quantum-ready" through three progressive levels.
IQCDL is recognised in 50+ countries, available in six languages (English, Spanish, French, German, Arabic, Chinese), and aligned to NIST FIPS 203/204/205, ISO/IEC 4879, IEEE P7131/P7132 and the EU PQC Roadmap (2026–2035). IQCDL is a member of the IAIDL Group.
Quick answer
| What does IQCDL stand for? | International Quantum Computing Driving License |
| Who issues it? | IQCDL, a member of the IAIDL Group |
| Recognised where? | 50+ countries |
| Languages | English, Spanish, French, German, Arabic, Chinese |
| Levels | 3 — Everyone (free), Foundation, Practitioner |
| Vendor-neutral? | Yes — not tied to IBM, Google, Microsoft or AWS quantum platforms |
| Standards | NIST FIPS 203/204/205, ISO/IEC 4879/29144, IEEE P7131/P7132, EU PQC Roadmap, NIS2 |
| Credential validity | 3 years (renewable) |
| Wikidata | Q139972584 |
Why does the quantum era need its own driving license?
The arrival of cryptographically relevant quantum computers will break virtually all currently deployed public-key cryptography (RSA, ECDSA, ECDH). NIST has already published the first three post-quantum cryptography standards in response. The EU PQC Roadmap targets 2026–2035 for migration. NIS2 mandates crypto-agility.
Most organisations face the same workforce gap: leaders need to understand what they're signing off on, and engineers need to know how to actually implement PQC. IQCDL is the credential designed to fill that gap — mapped to real standards rather than research lectures or vendor stacks.
How does IQCDL compare to other quantum credentials?
| Feature | IQCDL | ISC2 PQC | IBM Quantum | Qiskit Developer | Azure Quantum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vendor-neutral | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Free intro tier | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Foundation tier (no coding) | ✅ | partial | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Hands-on PQC implementation | ✅ | partial | partial | partial | partial |
| AI-guided readiness assessment | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Multilingual | ✅ 6 languages | English | English | English | English |
The three IQCDL levels
Quantum Computing for Everyone — Free
Zero-code, self-paced (~4 hours), digital badge on completion.
IQCDL Foundation — Leaders
Three days. 150 MCQs, 180 minutes, 70% pass mark. Quantum fundamentals, the threat to today's cryptography, Mosca's theorem, PQC migration strategy.
IQCDL Practitioner — Engineers
Five days. 150 MCQs, 240 minutes, 75% pass mark. Qiskit programming, Shor's and Grover's algorithms, CRYSTALS-Kyber/Dilithium/SPHINCS+ implementation, hybrid classical-PQC, crypto-agile TLS, CBOM, migration roadmaps. Prerequisite: Foundation + basic Python.
What is the Quantum Guide?
The Quantum Guide is the AI assistant on iqcdl.org that interviews you about your organisational context and produces a tailored quantum-readiness score, risk profile and recommended next steps. It runs in any of the six supported languages and produces output in approximately two minutes.
How IQCDL fits into the IAIDL Group
- IAIDL Group — umbrella entity (Q139972499)
- IAIDL — AI competency certification (Q139972531)
- IAIDL College — UK delivery college (Q139972583)
- IQCDL — this credential (Q139972584)
Single contact for admissions, partnerships and administration: admin@iqcdl.org.