India’s Quantum Leap: From National Mission to Market Readiness – Is the Ecosystem Ready?

News

1. OpenAI’s GPT-5 is Finally Here

2. UST and ThinkBio.Ai Partner to Boost AI-Led R&D in Biopharma

3. AWS, WinZO Double Down on GenAI for Indian Gaming

4. Masters’ Union, Rabbitt AI, AIWO Launch Classroom AI Program

5. Indian IT Recasts Talent Strategy as AI Reshapes Operations

6. TCS to Shed 12,000 Jobs This Fiscal, Says AI Isn't the Reason

Last week, the Karnataka government hosted the Quantum India Bengaluru 2025 summit, in collaboration with the Department of Science & Technology and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. The summit hosted global scientists, technocrats, and policymakers to work together on R&D, skilling, and hardware development in quantum computing, communication, sensing, and materials.

The event marked the launch of the Karnataka Quantum Roadmap, which outlined the vision to build a $20 billion quantum economy in the state by 2035.

In terms of employment, the state plans to create over 2 lakh direct jobs. Another ambitious goal that the roadmap outlines is to capture 20% of the global quantum technology market. Further, a key pillar of the roadmap is the establishment of a Q-City (quantum city) in Karnataka.

However, the question is: Is our ecosystem ready for India’s big quantum leap?

Quantum is Still in the Lab

Despite the high-profile announcements, the summit highlighted the gap between research and real-world implementation.

Varun Raghunathan, associate professor at IISc, provided a reality check as he spoke about his team’s work in optical microscopy. “There’s a lot of exciting potential. This field represents what’s possible in optical imaging. But is it ready for applications like healthcare? Honestly, I don’t have a definitive answer yet,” he said. 

It was clear that deep research is underway, but real-world deployment is still a few steps away.

Pranab Dutta, CEO & founder of GDQLabs, echoed the sentiment through an example in healthcare. His company is developing a Magnetic Cardiogram (MCG) using quantum sensors, a non-invasive diagnostic alternative for heart disease that could be a game-changer in India’s fight against early heart attacks.

“In India, 20–25% of heart attacks occur in individuals under 40. Conventional diagnostics like ECG and stress tests often fail to detect coronary artery disease. We need something faster, safer, and more accurate. MCG, powered by quantum tech, could be it,” he said.

Still, this too is in early stages. The technology is promising, but a large-scale, affordable rollout remains a future aspiration.

India and Quantum

Beyond Karnataka, other Indian states are stepping into the quantum race. In Andhra Pradesh, the government recently approved the Amaravati Quantum Valley Declaration, targeting $1 billion in investments by January 2029 to build a robust quantum ecosystem.

Meanwhile, at the national level, the Indian government has earmarked ₹4,000 crore under the National Quantum Mission (NQM) to accelerate R&D, talent development, and innovation in quantum computing, communication, materials, and sensing. An additional ₹2,000 crore is being allocated through departments such as space, defence, and atomic energy.

Speaking at Quantum India Bengaluru 2025, Ajai Chowdhry, Mission Governing Board (MGB), National Quantum Mission of India, said, “Quantum is not just another emerging tech, it’s a strategic priority. We’re already showing global leadership in quantum communication thanks to pioneering work from institutions like IIT Madras. Similarly, research in quantum sensors from IISc and IIT Bombay is world-class. We still have ground to cover in quantum computing, but we’re moving fast, startups are emerging, and mission-driven R&D is now structured around measurable goals.”

State IT minister Priyank Kharge was upbeat. “We’ve been the start-up capital, the innovation capital, the IT policy pioneers. Quantum is just the next frontier. From ESDM to GCCs to renewable energy, we’ve always moved early. Our educational institutions, defence production capabilities, and engineering talent pool offer the perfect ground for quantum innovation.”

What’s Next?

Chowdhry stressed that every financial institution, tech company, and organization must start preparing for the quantum era. They need to think of themselves as “quantum consumers”, because the day isn’t far when a quantum computer could pose a real-world threat. So, from a utilization standpoint, no one can afford to stay on the sidelines.

“When it comes to applications, there’s growing interest in specific markets. Even within Bengaluru, some ecosystems are beginning to explore use cases like quantum-driven drug discovery. Similar developments are emerging from cities like Guwahati. However, the number of active players remains very limited,” he said. 

According to him, unlike global technology giants such as Google, Amazon, and Meta, which have made massive investments in quantum technologies, Indian tech companies are yet to catch up. This is a significant gap that India is actively working to bridge.

To address this, a large number of software companies were invited to the MQM (triennial conference on molecular quantum mechanics) for in-depth discussions, urging them to start investing in quantum. India has also reached out to educational institutions across the country to launch quantum programs at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. 

“Our goal is broad-based: we want to ensure the availability of skilled talent and enable markets to build in-house quantum capabilities. This calls for a 360-degree approach. Of course, this transformation won’t happen overnight,” Chowdhry said. 

He added that he would like to see more software companies, especially those based in Bengaluru, allocating a portion of their R&D and projects to quantum. Soon, the customers will ask, “Can you deliver this using quantum?” And if companies aren’t prepared, they risk losing business opportunities.