national quantum mission

India and Japan on Wednesday strengthened their cooperation in emerging technologies and health research, with both countries exchanging agreements in the fields of quantum science and medical devices during a high-level bilateral meeting in New Delhi.

India's naval strength is bolstered with the arrival of INS Mahendragiri, an advanced stealth frigate from Project 17A. This delivery by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd. highlights the nation's growing self-reliance in warship construction, featuring cutting-edge stealth, weaponry, and indigenous technology. The frigate represents a significant leap in naval design and capability.

India has launched advanced silicon photonics technology. This includes a Process Design Kit and a photonic chip test engine. These developments aim to strengthen India's chip design capabilities. They are expected to support industry, startups, and research organizations. This marks a significant step towards technological self-reliance in advanced chip design.

Amidst global supply chain disruptions, India's economic leaders are prioritizing domestic strength. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted the vast Indian consumer base as a key defense, while industry titans emphasised strategic self-reliance in manufacturing and a pivot to green energy. This approach aims to leverage India's demographic dividend and workforce to navigate international volatility and accelerate national growth.

India's naval prowess is significantly enhanced with the commissioning of the indigenous stealth frigate Taragiri. This advanced warship, armed with BrahMos missiles, boasts cutting-edge stealth technology and multi-role capabilities. Representing a leap in indigenous defense manufacturing, Taragiri underscores India's commitment to self-reliance and strengthens its maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region.

The Indian Cabinet has granted approval of about Rs 6,000 crores ($808mn) for a national quantum mission to speed up the nation's development in quantum technology over eight years. The project is divided into four verticals: quantum computing, quantum communications, quantum sensing and metrology, and quantum materials and devices. Thematic hubs, managed as section eight companies, will be coordinated to explore proposals to facilitate quantum communications between ground stations in India and abroad, design satellite-based secure communications and develop highly accurate sensors to monitor navigation and timing.

The Rs 6,003 crore national quantum mission, approved by the Union cabinet last week, will start from April 2024.

The government is collaborating with IT giants like TCS, HCL, and Tech Mahindra under the national quantum mission to develop software for quantum technologies, aiming to boost research in the country.

India’s Rs 6,000 crore national quantum mission, led by Kris Gopalakrishnan, aims to enhance quantum R&D. Despite being 10th in research and 20th in citations with 339 patents, Itihaasa, N Dayasindhu, Bijoy Krishna Das, and Qnu Labs’ Sunil Gupta emphasize local needs and a $200M quantum cybersecurity market, partnering with SilTerra for multi-disciplinary research.

The Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, is developing a room-temperature quantum computer that uses photons. It functions as a GPU, employing quantum mechanics and a quantum algorithm. It aims to improve feature learning and classification in various fields as part of the national quantum mission.

L&T-Cloudfiniti partners with QpiAI to revolutionize quantum computing, focusing on Quantum Computing as a Service (QCAAS) and exploring opportunities under India’s national quantum mission. Combining L&T's industry leadership with QpiAI's technical capabilities, the collaboration will initiate joint R&D programs, developing AI and quantum computing solutions for finance, healthcare, and logistics.

Nagaland University's Dr. Biplab Pal achieved a global quantum research breakthrough, recreating fractals in the quantum world. His study, featured on a prestigious journal cover, demonstrates how naturally inspired geometries can design quantum technology building blocks. This opens new possibilities for nanoelectronic devices, quantum algorithms, and memory, significantly contributing to India's national quantum mission and expanding material science.