diff --git a/src/QsCompiler/Core/Dependencies.fs b/src/QsCompiler/Core/Dependencies.fs
index 18acf94ab6..41bd271469 100644
--- a/src/QsCompiler/Core/Dependencies.fs
+++ b/src/QsCompiler/Core/Dependencies.fs
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ type BuiltIn =
     static member ClassicallyControlledNamespace = "Microsoft.Quantum.ClassicalControl"
     static member CoreNamespace = "Microsoft.Quantum.Core"
     static member DiagnosticsNamespace = "Microsoft.Quantum.Diagnostics"
+    static member LlvmNamespace = "Microsoft.Quantum.Llvm"
     static member IntrinsicNamespace = "Microsoft.Quantum.Intrinsic"
     static member StandardArrayNamespace = "Microsoft.Quantum.Arrays"
     static member TargetingNamespace = "Microsoft.Quantum.Targeting"
@@ -88,6 +89,8 @@ type BuiltIn =
             BuiltIn.EnableTestingViaName
             BuiltIn.DumpMachine
             BuiltIn.DumpRegister
+            // in Microsoft.Quantum.Llvm
+            BuiltIn.ReadCycleCounter
             // in Microsoft.Quantum.Canon
             BuiltIn.NoOp
             // in Microsoft.Quantum.Convert
@@ -250,6 +253,14 @@ type BuiltIn =
             Kind = Function(TypeParameters = ImmutableArray.Create "T")
         }
 
+    // dependencies in Microsoft.Quantum.Llvm
+
+    static member ReadCycleCounter =
+        {
+            FullName = { Name = "ReadCycleCounter"; Namespace = BuiltIn.LlvmNamespace }
+            Kind = Operation(TypeParameters = ImmutableArray.Empty, IsSelfAdjoint = false)
+        }
+
     // dependencies in Microsoft.Quantum.Canon
 
     static member NoOp =
diff --git a/src/QsCompiler/QirGeneration/QIR/Functions.cs b/src/QsCompiler/QirGeneration/QIR/Functions.cs
index 83724384bd..703be51de9 100644
--- a/src/QsCompiler/QirGeneration/QIR/Functions.cs
+++ b/src/QsCompiler/QirGeneration/QIR/Functions.cs
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ public Functions(GenerationContext sharedState)
             optBuiltIn.Add(QsCompiler.BuiltIn.RangeReverse.FullName, this.RangeReverse);
             builtIn.Add(QsCompiler.BuiltIn.Message.FullName, this.Message);
             builtIn.Add(QsCompiler.BuiltIn.Truncate.FullName, this.DoubleAsInt); // This redundancy needs to be eliminated in the Q# libraries.
+            builtIn.Add(QsCompiler.BuiltIn.ReadCycleCounter.FullName, this.ReadCycleCounter);
             builtIn.Add(QsCompiler.BuiltIn.DumpMachine.FullName, this.DumpMachine);
             builtIn.Add(QsCompiler.BuiltIn.DumpRegister.FullName, this.DumpRegister);
             optBuiltIn.Add(QsCompiler.BuiltIn.DumpRegister.FullName, this.DumpRegister);
@@ -279,6 +280,13 @@ private IValue Message(IValue arg)
             return this.sharedState.Values.Unit;
         }
 
+        private IValue ReadCycleCounter(IValue arg)
+        {
+            var func = this.sharedState.Module.GetIntrinsicDeclaration("llvm.readcyclecounter");
+            var call = this.sharedState.CurrentBuilder.Call(func);
+            return this.sharedState.Values.FromSimpleValue(call, Int);
+        }
+
         private IValue DumpMachine(IValue arg)
         {
             var value = arg.Value;
diff --git a/src/QsCompiler/QirGeneration/Subtransformations/ExpressionKindTransformation.cs b/src/QsCompiler/QirGeneration/Subtransformations/ExpressionKindTransformation.cs
index c11126c627..7c255c5b84 100644
--- a/src/QsCompiler/QirGeneration/Subtransformations/ExpressionKindTransformation.cs
+++ b/src/QsCompiler/QirGeneration/Subtransformations/ExpressionKindTransformation.cs
@@ -860,6 +860,12 @@ IValue InlineSpecialization(QsSpecialization spec, TypedExpression arg)
             {
                 throw new InvalidOperationException("Q# declaration for global callable not found");
             }
+            else if (kind == QsSpecializationKind.QsBody // adjointable and controllable operations are not evaluated by the runtime
+                && this.SharedState.Functions.TryEvaluate(callableName, arg, out var evaluated))
+            {
+                // deal with recognized callables provided by the runtime
+                return evaluated;
+            }
             else if (NameGeneration.TryGetTargetInstructionName(callable, out var instructionName))
             {
                 // deal with functions that are part of the target specific instruction set
@@ -1480,14 +1486,9 @@ public override ResolvedExpressionKind OnFunctionCall(TypedExpression method, Ty
                 // deal with local values; i.e. callables e.g. from partial applications or stored in local variables
                 value = this.InvokeLocalCallable(method, arg);
             }
-            else if (this.SharedState.Functions.TryEvaluate(callableName, arg, out var evaluated))
-            {
-                // deal with recognized runtime functions
-                value = evaluated;
-            }
             else
             {
-                // deal with other global callables
+                // deal with global callables
                 value = this.InvokeGlobalCallable(callableName, QsSpecializationKind.QsBody, arg);
             }
 
diff --git a/src/QsCompiler/Tests.Compiler/TestCases/QirTests/TestBuiltInIntrinsics.qs b/src/QsCompiler/Tests.Compiler/TestCases/QirTests/TestBuiltInIntrinsics.qs
index 828814b513..07386a6338 100644
--- a/src/QsCompiler/Tests.Compiler/TestCases/QirTests/TestBuiltInIntrinsics.qs
+++ b/src/QsCompiler/Tests.Compiler/TestCases/QirTests/TestBuiltInIntrinsics.qs
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 namespace Microsoft.Quantum.Testing.QIR {
     open Microsoft.Quantum.Intrinsic;
     open Microsoft.Quantum.Diagnostics;
+    open Microsoft.Quantum.Llvm;
 
     newtype Options = (
         SimpleMessage: (String -> Unit),
@@ -22,7 +23,7 @@ namespace Microsoft.Quantum.Testing.QIR {
     }
 
     @EntryPoint()
-    operation TestBuiltInIntrinsics() : Unit {
+    operation TestBuiltInIntrinsics() : Int {
         let options = DefaultOptions()
             w/ SimpleMessage <- Message
             w/ DumpToFile <- DumpMachine
@@ -31,6 +32,7 @@ namespace Microsoft.Quantum.Testing.QIR {
         options::SimpleMessage("Hello");
         options::DumpToFile("pathToFile");
         options::DumpToConsole();
+        return ReadCycleCounter();
     }
 }
 
@@ -47,3 +49,10 @@ namespace Microsoft.Quantum.Diagnostics {
         body intrinsic;
     }
 }
+
+namespace Microsoft.Quantum.Llvm {
+
+    operation ReadCycleCounter() : Int {
+        body intrinsic;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/QsCompiler/Tests.Compiler/TestCases/QirTests/TestBuiltInIntrinsics1.ll b/src/QsCompiler/Tests.Compiler/TestCases/QirTests/TestBuiltInIntrinsics1.ll
index 009ddc3540..ec324c1359 100644
--- a/src/QsCompiler/Tests.Compiler/TestCases/QirTests/TestBuiltInIntrinsics1.ll
+++ b/src/QsCompiler/Tests.Compiler/TestCases/QirTests/TestBuiltInIntrinsics1.ll
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-define internal void @Microsoft__Quantum__Testing__QIR__TestBuiltInIntrinsics__body() {
+define internal i64 @Microsoft__Quantum__Testing__QIR__TestBuiltInIntrinsics__body() {
 entry:
   %0 = call { %Callable*, %Callable*, %Callable* }* @Microsoft__Quantum__Testing__QIR__DefaultOptions__body()
   %1 = bitcast { %Callable*, %Callable*, %Callable* }* %0 to %Tuple*
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ entry:
   store %String* %24, %String** %27, align 8
   call void @__quantum__rt__callable_invoke(%Callable* %19, %Tuple* %25, %Tuple* null)
   call void @__quantum__rt__callable_invoke(%Callable* %14, %Tuple* null, %Tuple* null)
+  %28 = call i64 @llvm.readcyclecounter()
   call void @__quantum__rt__capture_update_alias_count(%Callable* %17, i32 -1)
   call void @__quantum__rt__callable_update_alias_count(%Callable* %17, i32 -1)
   call void @__quantum__rt__capture_update_alias_count(%Callable* %19, i32 -1)
@@ -71,5 +72,5 @@ entry:
   call void @__quantum__rt__tuple_update_reference_count(%Tuple* %21, i32 -1)
   call void @__quantum__rt__string_update_reference_count(%String* %24, i32 -1)
   call void @__quantum__rt__tuple_update_reference_count(%Tuple* %25, i32 -1)
-  ret void
+  ret i64 %28
 }