ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'qiskit.providers.aer' despite successful installation

[rcaldas08]

Summary
I am encountering a ModuleNotFoundError for qiskit.providers.aer despite successfully installing qiskit-aer. I followed the standard installation procedures and verified the presence of the qiskit-aer package in the site-packages directory. The issue persists across different environments and configurations.

Environment Details
Operating System: Windows 10 (provide exact version if known)
Python Version: Python 3.9.20
Qiskit Version: 1.2.4
Qiskit-Aer Version: 0.15.1
Package Manager: pip 24.2
Conda: Yes (environment used: fresh_env)
Steps to Reproduce
Create a new virtual environment:

conda create -n fresh_env python=3.9
conda activate fresh_env
Install qiskit and qiskit-aer:

pip install qiskit qiskit-aer
Attempt to import AerSimulator:

python
from qiskit.providers.aer import AerSimulator
simulator = AerSimulator()
print("AerSimulator is working!")
Observe the error:

vbnet
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'qiskit.providers.aer'
Observed Behavior
The qiskit and qiskit-aer packages are listed as installed:

pip show qiskit qiskit-aer
Output:

vbnet
Copy code
Name: qiskit
Version: 1.2.4
Location: C:\Users<user>\AppData\Local\anaconda3\envs\fresh_env\lib\site-packages

Name: qiskit-aer
Version: 0.15.1
Location: C:\Users<user>\AppData\Local\anaconda3\envs\fresh_env\lib\site-packages
The aer module is missing from the qiskit.providers directory:

dir C:\Users<user>\AppData\Local\anaconda3\envs\fresh_env\Lib\site-packages\qiskit\providers\aer
Output:

mathematica
File Not Found
Even after reinstalling, the issue persists.

Expected Behavior
The AerSimulator module should load without errors, as follows:

python
from qiskit.providers.aer import AerSimulator
print("AerSimulator initialized successfully!")
What I Tried
Reinstalled Qiskit and Qiskit-Aer:

pip uninstall qiskit qiskit-aer -y
pip install qiskit qiskit-aer
Verified Installation Paths:

pip show qiskit-aer
Cleared Pip Cache:

pip cache purge
Manually Checked for the Module:

dir C:\Users<user>\AppData\Local\anaconda3\envs\fresh_env\Lib\site-packages\qiskit\providers\aer
Created a Fresh Environment:

conda create -n new_env python=3.9
conda activate new_env
pip install qiskit qiskit-aer
Manually Cloned and Built Qiskit-Aer:

git clone https://github.com/Qiskit/qiskit-aer.git
cd qiskit-aer
python setup.py install
Verified Dependencies: Installed all required dependencies (rustworkx, numpy, scipy) explicitly.

Error Logs
Here’s the Python traceback:

vbnet
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'qiskit.providers.aer'
Screenshots
Directory Structure:

site-packages\qiskit\providers directory does not include aer.


site-packages contains both qiskit and qiskit-aer.


Additional Notes
I have successfully tested qiskit-ibm-runtime and other Qiskit modules. This issue appears isolated to qiskit-aer.
I believe this could be a packaging issue or a hidden dependency conflict. Any insights would be appreciated.
Request
Please help diagnose the root cause of this issue. If necessary, provide additional logs or debugging steps. Thank you! R

[jakelishman]

qiskit.providers.aer was deprecated years ago and removed about a year ago. You should access Qiskit Aer and all its components through import qiskit_aer.

[rcaldas08]

Thanks. I know. I am downloading qiskit-aer 0.15.0. But when the installation is complete, the qiskit-aer file that is supposed to be located inside the qiskit providers folders is created outside. I tried to move it inside the provider's file, but it didn't work. Something needs to be fixed to locate the file in the right place. I create sterile environments, uninstall and install it using all procedures I know, and nothing works. I even run a manual forensic inspection of all files to see if there are some traces in other folders, but nothing works.

qiskit.providers.aer was deprecated years ago and removed about a year ago. You should access Qiskit Aer and all its components through import qiskit_aer.