On 19 April 2023, India’s ambitious journey to harness the potential of quantum technologies took flight as its Rs 6,000 crore National Quantum Mission (NQM) got an official nod from the Union Cabinet. The mission aims to establish India as a key contender in the global quantum technology landscape, an area where over 30 governments have already pledged more than USD 40 billion in funding across a decade.
Objectives And Strategic Goals Of NQM
At its core, the NQM is designed to leapfrog traditional computational methods and establish a robust quantum technology infrastructure. One of the primary objectives of the mission is the development of a scalable quantum computer, with an aim to achieve a capacity of 50 to 1000 physical qubits using advanced superconducting and photonic technologies over the next eight years.
In 2022, the 66-qubit quantum computer named 'Zuchongzhi 2.1' completed a task in just four hours, a feat that would have required a leading-edge supercomputer approximately 48,000 years to accomplish.
Another focus of the NQM is the prioritisation of quantum communications. This involves the deployment of secure transmission systems capable of connecting ground stations across India over distances up to 2,000 kilometres, incorporating both terrestrial and satellite-based technologies. Such advancements are anticipated to be critical in securing India’s communications infrastructure against the looming threat of quantum-era cyber threats.
In addition to computing and communications, the NQM is looking to develop quantum sensors and the requisite materials for quantum computing technologies. These sensors are expected to have profound impacts on various sectors by enabling highly precise measurements that are beyond the scope of traditional technologies.
Collaborative Framework And Funding
To facilitate these ambitious goals, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) will establish four ‘thematic hubs’ across the country, each specialising in different facets of quantum technology such as hardware development and quantum communications. These hubs will serve as nodes of excellence to enable collaboration across India’s research and educational institutions.
The mission is supported by a significant budget of Rs 6,000 crore, with the DST contributing the largest share. Additional funds will be sourced from the Department of Space, Department of Atomic Energy, and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), all of which have substantial research capabilities in related fields.
“We have begun actively working on the mission’s objectives and put out requests for proposals from different research institutes. The response has been phenomenal,” said Dr. Ajai Chowdhry, co-founder at HCL, Founder & Chairman, EPIC Foundation and Chairman at Mission Governing Board, National Quantum Mission.
Engagement With Private Sector And Startups
Speaking with BW Businessworld, Chowdhry revealed that NQM is taking an inclusive approach, which will involve the private sector and startups in the Indian quantum technology ecosystem. With around 40-50 Indian startups already delving into various areas of quantum, the NQM is looking for ways to support them including through funding and scaling opportunities. Some of these startups will collaborate closely with the thematic hubs or directly with the NQM secretariat.
“NQM is working with 40-50 quantum technology-focused startups and we encourage more to reach out to us. We will be happy to support and work with them,” said Dr. Chowdhry.
While the mission will look to use quantum computers from MNCs spearheading the efforts for research purposes, Chowdhry stressed that the focus is on developing indigenous products tailored for India due to the sensitive nature of the technology. This strategic independence, NQM believes, is crucial for empowering Indian companies and enabling them to offer competitive quantum-based solutions in global markets, particularly in areas like quantum cybersecurity.
“We want to encourage private sector to work with NQM as well. Because tomorrow if a TCS or an HCL or any Indian company that goes to a global client, they may be asked for quantum cybersecurity. So, if they don’t know anything about it, they will not be able to do it. Each of them needs to work on different applications of quantum, which is where we need to bring private sector companies into our fold,” added Chowdhry.
Operational Progress And Future Prospects
As May 2024, the mission’s operational machinery has seemingly gained momentum with the establishment of a coordination cell in Noida. This cell will play a central role in managing the diverse activities of the mission to ensure synergy among the thematic hubs, and overseeing collaborations with startups.
“We are currently in the process of staffing this centre and are seeking a senior CEO to manage operations. Hiring is actively ongoing, and we aim to finalise decisions regarding the thematic hubs within the next two to three months.”
NQM is looking to have all thematic hubs fully operational by August, aligning with the directives set by the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC).
The contextual significance of the NQM for India cannot be overstated. Quantum technology potentially holds the key to revolutionary advancements in fields like finance, medicine and even national security. By developing capabilities in quantum computing and quantum communications, India can anticipate and mitigate emerging threats, including those from adversarial quantum technologies.
“To succeed in this mission and to scale its adoption India needs to focus on these four areas: Workforce & Enablement; Economic Development & Industry; Research & Development; and Quantum Services & Infrastructure.” - Venkat Subramaniam - IBM Quantum Lead, IBM Research India
Beyond NQM
According to a Nasscom report, quantum technology holds a potential of adding cumulatively about USD 310 billion the Indian economy by 2030. Maximum of this value will come from the research happening across the country along with innovations by startups. Major IT players such as Tata Consulting Services (TCS), Infosys, Wipro, HCL, Tech Mahindra and Mphasis are also actively exploring different aspects of the quantum realm.
“India’s edge in quantum computing is rooted in its established IT sector, a skilled talent pool that’s eager to learn, and strong research institutions known for their innovative capabilities,” said Venkat Subramaniam - IBM Quantum Lead, IBM Research India.
“To capitalise on these strengths, nurturing collaborations between industry and academia to identify, prioritise, and solve problems using quantum is imperative for a robust quantum ecosystem and for establishing India’s leadership,” he added.
On the research end, premier institutes such as IIT-Madras are leading the country’s quantum effort. “We work on communications and computing. Computing itself could be a of different types, such as fundamental quantum information or it could also be on application layer end, like quantum chemistry or optimisation, quantum machine learning, and more,” said Prof. Anil Prabhakar, faculty, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras, and Head, Quantum Information, Communication and Computing Centre of Excellence, IIT Madras.
In communications, IIT Madras focuses mainly on fibre optic communication and how to secure it against eavesdropping and attacks. The institute had the Metro Area Quantum Access Network (MAQAN) project running, which was funded by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for the last three years. “Now, under the NQM, we have proposed that we will replicate this at different metro areas to see if you can connect all these different metro areas together on quantum secure opticals – what we call the Quantum Internet with Local Access, or QUILA,” revealed Prof. Prabhakar.
There is a significant effort underway to develop applications in quantum computing as well at IIT-M. The institute has established a partnership with IBM is a member of the IBM Quantum Innovation Network, giving it cloud access to their quantum systems. In a similar vein, AWS has provided cloud access to IIT Madras, through a collaboration with Mphasis. These opportunities for cloud access have been instrumental in allowing IIT-M to develop expertise, create solutions and explore the vast potential of quantum computing.
“The expectation is that once the National Quantum Mission takes off and the hubs will call for proposals, we will be able to build our own quantum computers also,” Prof. Prabhakar added.
Similar quantum research and application projects are being led all over the country by top institutes including Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Hyderabad and more. All these institutes are poised to benefit significantly once NQM goes live later in 2024 along with quantum-focused startups.
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