Karnataka unveils Quantum Mapto lead deep-tech decade

Bengaluru: Karnataka Wednesday unveiled what it described as India's first Quantum Ecosystem Map and formally launched Phase-1 of its quantum technology roadmap, marking a coordinated push to organise and scale activity in the sector.At a World Quantum Day event, state science and technology minister NS Boseraju said the map, prepared by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), provides a comprehensive snapshot of the state's capabilities across research institutions, startups and industry.The exercise, he said, is meant to identify strengths and gaps while enabling faster translation of research into applications.As per the department, the mapping effort is the first step in a broader plan to structure Karnataka's quantum ambitions, at a time when countries are investing heavily in computing, communication and sensing technologies based on quantum science.A central element of the roadmap is "Q-City", a proposed hub designed to bring together academia, startups and industry on a single platform. The govt said the project aims to act as a single-window ecosystem to support collaboration, testing and commercialisation.A detailed project report for the Q-City will be initiated shortly and overseen by the state's Quantum Task Force, Boseraju said. He announced that IISc professor Arindam Ghosh has been appointed the chairman of the task force, which will guide implementation and ensure time-bound execution of projects under the roadmap.The state also announced a Rs 10 crore grant to support skilling, research and startup growth in quantum technologies. The focus, as per the department, will be on building a talent pipeline alongside strengthening existing research infrastructure.IT&BT minister Priyank Kharge said the initiative aligns with Karnataka's broader push into deep-tech sectors. He pointed to a Rs 400 crore fund aimed at supporting emerging technologies and said existing startup programmes have already attracted significant private investment."We have officially declared the upcoming decade as the ‘Deep Tech Decade', backing it with a dedicated Rs 400 crore fund. By providing equity-free grants of up to Rs 50 lakh to more than 1,300 startups, we actively catalysed the venture capital community to disburse a record Rs 732 crore in a single day," Kharge said.The govt said it also plans to expand innovation activity beyond Bengaluru through wider state investments, while leveraging its existing base of research institutions and global capability centres.——----—-——-Vision and ambition-Govt says Karnataka is the first state to map its entire quantum ecosystem-Q-City designed to bring together academia, startups and industry on a single platform -IISc professor Arindam Ghosh to chair the new quantum task force-Rs 10 crore initial grant announced for skilling and startupsQuoteWhile Bengaluru proudly reigns as the world's fourth-largest tech cluster with more than 1,000 global capability centres, we're now rapidly expanding this growth. Through our local economic acceleration programme (Leap) and a massive Rs 1,000 crore investment, we are taking this unmatched innovation ecosystem to cities across the entire state-Priyank Kharge, IT&BT minister