Quantum Antyodaya: How India's 6000 Crore Bet Is About Development, Not Dominance - Swarajyamag

India's quantum computing strategy must address continental-scale challenges: reducing logistics costs consuming 13-18% of GDP, optimising renewable energy integration, securing 1.4 billion digital identities, and accelerating drug discovery.

This must happen whilst building sovereign capabilities in software, sensing, and cryptography before quantum cyber-threats materialise within 2-3 years.

Civilisations advance by discovering ever more refined ways to relate knowledge, power, and responsibility. Each such advance is preceded by a rupture in how certainty itself is understood.

Quantum physics marked one such civilisational inflection, not because it promised boundless power, but because it stripped certainty of its privileged status. It was the logical continuation of science's long dismantling of absolutism: first of space, then of time, then of causality, and finally of the very distinction between waves and particles.

At the quantum scale, nothing remained absolute. And in that non-absolutism lies the wonder that is our reality!

As Carlo Rovelli once said, in the Seven Brief Lessons in Physics:

Reality revealed itself as probabilistic, constrained, and fundamentally relational, defined by correlations, interactions, and limits on what can be known. Quantum computing emerges from this insight. It recognises computation as a physical process, bounded by energy, time, noise, decoherence, and irreversibility.

Its power lies not in eliminating uncertainty or seeking exact answers, but in extracting optimal outcomes from incomplete information within finite physical limits. Superposition, entanglement, and interference do not abolish uncertainty; they structure it, directing probabilistic evolution towards measurable advantage.

Quantum computation therefore works not by transcending nature's constraints, but by operating precisely at their edge, where the maximum usable information can still be reliably obtained.

This logic finds an unexpected but profound resonance with Antyodaya. Inclusive development does not unfold where information is plentiful and risk is evenly distributed. It unfolds at the last mile, where uncertainty is highest, margins are thinnest, and the cost of error is borne disproportionately by the most vulnerable.

Progress, in this sense, resembles quantum measurement: outcomes acquire meaning only when abstract possibility is translated into concrete action at the point of interaction. Development, like physics, becomes real only when it is instantiated.

Quantum Antyodaya therefore demands more than elite laboratories, centralised infrastructure, or symbolic technological prowess. It calls for the diffusion of quantum advantage: embedding frontier computation into the decision systems that shape agriculture, healthcare, logistics, climate resilience, finance, and public welfare at scale.

Just as quantum systems derive strength not from isolated components but from coherence across distributed states, a Viksit Bharat would derive its resilience not from peaks of excellence alone, but from the reach of knowledge to its margins. This reflects the wisdom inherent in the following shloka of the Muṇḍakopaniṣad:

This quantum logic, where certainty dissolves into probability and relation, finds its profound echo not merely in modern physics, but in the deepest strata of Bharatiya thought. It resonates with the Jain wisdom of Anekantavada, the doctrine of manifold truths, which teaches that no single, absolute perspective can capture the multifaceted nature of reality.

Just as a quantum system exists in a superposition of states, Anekantavada prepares the mind to hold multiple, seemingly contradictory truths in a coherent whole. Yet, to navigate this manifold reality, one must transcend the paralysis of infinite perspectives.

This is the call of Turiyavaad, the ideology of truth and transcendence. It moves beyond the binaries and fragments to a fourth state (Turiya), a position of holistic insight where evidence (Satya) from the empirical world guides action without being constrained by rigid dogma.

Quantum mechanics operationalises this: the act of measurement collapses the wave of possibilities into a singular, actionable truth, much as Turiyavaad calls for grounding transcendent understanding in context-specific, evidence-based action for lokasangraha.

Therefore, India's quantum ambition is far more than a technological project. It is a civilisational homecoming. It is the moment where our ancient epistemic strength (the ability to think in superpositions through Anekantavada and act from a place of transcendent truth through Turiyavaad) meets the scientific framework that mirrors it.

This positions Bharat not as a latecomer to the quantum race, but as its natural philosophical pioneer, uniquely equipped to build a Viksit Bharat from the very principles that define our reality and our thought.

As we marked the United Nations International Year of Quantum in 2025 (commemorating a century since Werner Heisenberg's revolutionary formulation of quantum mechanics), Bharat stands at a decisive civilisational moment.

Heisenberg urged the world to move beyond the metaphysical obsession with what is towards the disciplined inquiry of what can be measured. This shift finds a natural resonance in India's own intellectual tradition, which has long valued anubhava (direct experience), karma (action), and prayojana (purpose) over abstract theorising.

For India today, the quantum question is therefore not one of theoretical dominance, but of measurable outcomes: security strengthened, livelihoods improved, systems made more resilient, and national capability made real. The question is not whether quantum computing represents a technology of the future, but whether India can transform it into a capability of consequence for Viksit Bharat by 2047.

Quantum computing represents more than just faster computation. At its most fundamental level, computing is the transformation of information, and modern physics highlights the physicality of information in instantiated computing.

When we accept that physical processes are information processes and information as physical (as formalised in principles like Landauer's principle and the Bekenstein bound), we realise that quantum computing offers a fundamentally different paradigm. This paradigm shift arises from the fact that quantum mechanics expands the space of physically realisable information transformations.

Seth Lloyd, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), once famously said:

Classical computation is constrained to definite states and deterministic transitions, bounded by energy dissipation and signal locality. Quantum systems, by contrast, exploit superposition, entanglement, and interference: features that allow information to be represented and processed in ways inaccessible to classical devices.

The computational state of a quantum system scales exponentially with the number of coherent degrees of freedom, yet remains governed by strict physical limits on measurement, decoherence, and control.

Crucially, quantum computation does not circumvent physical laws; it operates at their limits. Bounds such as the quantum no-cloning theorem (it is impossible to create an exact, independent copy of an arbitrary unknown quantum state), the Holevo bound (an upper limit on how much information can be contained in a quantum system, using a particular ensemble), and the thermodynamic cost of erasure define what information can be extracted, transmitted, and preserved.

Algorithms like Shor's for factorisation and Grover's for searching elements do not provide arbitrary speedups, but carefully structured advantages rooted in the geometry of Hilbert space and the constructive use of interference. In this sense, quantum computing is not about unlimited power, but about optimal use of limited physical resources: time, energy, coherence, and error tolerance.

From a scientific perspective, the challenge of quantum computing is therefore one of control rather than abstraction. Qubits must be engineered, isolated, and coupled with extreme precision, whilst error correction must trade redundancy for robustness under noise.

The feasibility of scalable quantum computation hinges on maintaining coherence across many-body systems long enough to perform meaningful transformations, all whilst respecting thermodynamic and information-theoretic constraints.

Progress is measured not only by qubit counts, but by logical depth, error rates, and the ability to reliably map real-world problems onto quantum processes.

Seen through this lens, quantum computing represents a natural continuation of the history of physics-driven computation (from vacuum tubes to transistors to nanoscale devices), where each advance follows from deeper alignment with the fundamental structure of nature. Its significance lies not in speculative promise, but in its grounding in experimentally verified principles of quantum information theory, which define both its power and its limits.

So let us see where Bharat stands on this front and what could be the path ahead.

Mission Quantum: The Sovereign Imperative

In April 2023, India's Union Cabinet approved the National Quantum Mission with a budget of ₹6,003.65 crore (approximately USD 730 million) spanning 2023-24 to 2030-31. This eight-year mission-mode programme establishes India amongst serious global players, with explicit targets to develop intermediate-scale quantum computers featuring 50-1,000 physical qubits, positioning the country squarely in the Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) technology frontier.

Such systems have the ability to perform quantum operations, but with significant noise and errors that limit their capabilities. In formulating this Mission and as per the recent analysis by the Niti Aayog given in its December 2025 roadmap document titled 'Transforming India into a leading Quantum-Powered Economy', Bharat's ambition is clear: it aims to be amongst the top three quantum economies by 2035, capturing over 50% of the global quantum software and services market.

The vision includes incubating 10+ quantum start-ups each with cumulative revenue exceeding USD 100 million, achieving 1,000+ annual patent filings in quantum domains, and becoming a net exporter of quantum hardware, software, and solutions.

To contextualise this ambition, global investment in quantum technologies has intensified dramatically. China has invested an estimated USD 15.5 billion, whilst the United States authorised USD 1.275 billion through its National Quantum Initiative for 2019-23, with private funding exceeding USD 40 billion from 2023-2025 alone.

Japan announced USD 7.4 billion in government quantum investments for 2023-2025, Germany USD 3.2 billion, and the UK USD 3.3 billion. India's investment, whilst significant regionally, positions it between European-level projects and the mega-programmes of the US and China.

India's quantum ecosystem demonstrates several notable strengths. The nation produces over 91,000 STEM graduates annually in quantum-relevant fields, ranking second globally. This vast human resource provides the foundation for quantum R&D, with India's IT-BPM sector contributing approximately 7-8% to GDP and producing large pools of engineers and computer scientists.

Indian researchers have achieved significant milestones. IISc Bangalore demonstrated a six-qubit all-photonic quantum system with deterministic gates, generating a 6-qubit entangled state: a first for India.

IIT Delhi demonstrated trusted-node fibre-based Quantum Key Distribution over 380 km in 2023, whilst also showcasing free-space entanglement-based QKD. Indian IT majors including Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCL, and LTIMindtree have established quantum Centres of Excellence and labs.

Notably, India is the second-largest user of IBM's quantum computing systems by active user count globally. The deployment of IBM Quantum System Two in Amaravati Quantum Valley by 2026 will provide crucial infrastructure.

Additionally, start-ups like QNu Labs (quantum communications), BosonQ Psi (quantum algorithms), and Pristine Diamonds (quantum materials) have moved beyond laboratory stages to develop commercial products.

Despite these achievements, India faces substantial strategic dependencies. Currently, over 90% of critical quantum hardware components (including superconducting qubit chips, cryogenic systems, and dilution refrigerators) are imported.

Whilst institutions like BARC's Cryogenics Technology Division have demonstrated advanced capabilities at 4 Kelvin, the more complex sub-Kelvin (milli-Kelvin) technology required for quantum computing remains largely imported. The hardware gap extends beyond cryogenics. India lacks indigenous capabilities in several critical areas.

Significant gaps exist in quantum computing hardware and base software layers. Whilst BARC and TIFR are developing indigenous room-temperature control electronics for qubits, this expertise has traditionally been imported. There is still a heavy reliance on imports for optics, cryogenics, and electronic components.

The intellectual property landscape is equally concerning. Of 176 Indian-founded unicorns, only 67 remain domiciled in India; 109 have moved overseas, taking IP and control with them. India does not feature in the top 10 countries for quantum patent ownership, and only approximately 10% of Indian quantum publications appear in top-tier journals.

With just 2% of global quantum publications compared to China's 34.5%, India's research output requires both quantitative and qualitative enhancement. Private investment remains minimal compared to international peers.

India currently has 53 quantum start-ups, predominantly in early ideation or validation phases, compared to 309 in the United States and 63 in China. Risk-averse capital and complex regulatory burdens contribute to this gap, with India spending only approximately 0.65% of GDP on R&D, ranking around 53rd globally.

Beyond computing and communication, quantum sensing offers near-term commercial applications with substantial strategic value. IIT Bombay's P-Quest team unveiled India's first Quantum Diamond Microscope using nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond for 3D nanoscale magnetic imaging. This QDM can map buried currents in microchips and biological samples with unprecedented resolution.

The National Quantum Mission roadmap explicitly includes development of ultra-sensitive atomic magnetometers and atomic clocks. Applications span defence, navigation, geological exploration and medical imaging.

DRDO has discussed using precision quantum magnetometers to detect submarines by sensing nanoscale magnetic anomalies, of the order of pico-Teslas. Inertial navigation systems have started using quantum technology for GPS-denied environments, with systems like India's QMNS and Q-CTRL's Ironstone Opal demonstrating breakthroughs in precise, self-contained navigation.

Gravimeters for precise groundwater mapping and early geological fault detection can use quantum sensing technology, as can ultra-precise diagnostics for neuroscience and biomedical research. These sensors have dual-use benefits and represent areas where India could achieve early commercialisation success whilst building expertise transferable to computing applications.

Lab to Lok

The transformative potential of quantum computing for India lies not in abstract computational superiority, but in addressing the nation's large-scale developmental challenges. India's intellectual heritage has never treated knowledge as an end in itself, but as a means towards lokasangraha (the welfare of all), making quantum science meaningful only insofar as it alleviates collective suffering.

When this ethic of lokasangraha is translated into the language of modern infrastructure, it directs attention towards systems that silently shape everyday life: logistics networks, energy grids, mobility corridors, and climate models, where inefficiency compounds at national scale.

In a nation of continental scale, collective suffering often emerges not from scarcity of intent, but from friction within systems too vast, too interdependent, and too complex for incremental solutions alone.

For instance, India's logistics costs currently consume 13-18% of GDP.

The National Logistics Policy 2022 aims to reduce this to the global benchmark of 8-10%. Quantum optimisation algorithms (such as the Quantum Approximate Optimisation Algorithm, QAOA) could be instrumental in achieving this target.

With the Indian freight and logistics market projected to reach USD 484 billion by 2029 (from USD 317 billion in 2024), even marginal efficiency improvements translate to billions in savings. A concrete example is Volkswagen's 2019 pilot in Lisbon, where quantum optimisation (using D-Wave systems) was applied to real-time traffic and fleet routing during the Web Summit, reducing congestion and improving route efficiency under live city conditions.

Similarly, DHL has run quantum-computing pilots for vehicle routing and container packing, demonstrating that quantum and quantum-inspired optimisation can deliver measurable efficiency gains in real logistics operations, even at today's hardware scale.

The PM GatiShakti initiative (an INR 11.17 lakh crore programme integrating 44 ministries and over 91 operational multimodal cargo terminals) represents exactly the kind of complex optimisation problem where quantum algorithms could provide substantial advantages.

Similarly, urban mobility challenges in congested cities like Mumbai and Delhi, along with domestic air travel projected to hit 300 million passengers by 2030, present opportunities for quantum-enhanced route optimisation and resource allocation.

In the DLR QCMobility Rail Transport project in Germany, organisations including d fine and planqc (consortium leads), Hessische Landesbahn, DB InfraGO, ÖBB Infra, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Cognitive Systems (IKS) are collaborating with the DLR Institutes of Transportation Systems and Quantum Technologies to test how quantum based optimisation can improve real rail scheduling, routing, and timetable planning using real operational data, with the aim of making rail transport more efficient, reliable, and resilient than conventional methods allow.

India's National Electricity Plan targets 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030. Integrating this renewable energy into the grid (managing intermittency, load balancing, and distribution) creates documented needs for advanced optimisation. Quantum algorithms could optimise grid management and renewable integration at scales intractable for classical methods.

The India Meteorological Department operates computationally intensive monsoon prediction models using multi-model ensembles. Enhanced quantum simulation capabilities could improve prediction accuracy for a nation where agricultural productivity depends critically on monsoon patterns, with agriculture accounting for approximately 18% of GVA and 40% of total employment.

Recent research highlights quantum simulation's role in designing tin oxide quantum dots with organic ligand stabilisation, achieving high stability and superior energy capacity for solar cells and batteries. This capability could directly support the National Green Hydrogen Mission's target of 5 Million Metric Tonnes annual production by 2030, requiring advances in catalyst and electrolyser material science.

In pharmaceuticals, quantum-chemical and variational quantum simulations have aided in optimising SARS-CoV-2 protease inhibitors and are being used to model kinase-inhibitor interactions for cancer therapeutics. These simulations explore chemical spaces intractable to classical computing, potentially accelerating drug discovery for India's population of 1.4 billion.

India's robust financial sector (encompassing banking, insurance, and securities markets regulated by RBI, IRDAI, and SEBI) could benefit from quantum algorithms for portfolio optimisation, risk profiling, fraud detection, and customer targeting.

Two real-world precedents include JPMorgan Chase, which tested quantum algorithms for portfolio optimisation and risk modelling to improve asset allocation, and HSBC, which ran a quantum-assisted trial with IBM to enhance bond trading and pricing efficiency. These examples show how quantum computing can provide faster, more effective financial decision-making than classical methods.

Quantum machine learning could revolutionise trading strategies and regulatory compliance monitoring at scales required for India's rapidly digitalising economy.

India's Digital Public Infrastructure (including Aadhaar, UPI, and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission) generates massive, interoperable datasets on identity, payments, and health records, which could be leveraged by quantum algorithms for optimisation and secure data handling, similar to how Quantinuum's Quantum Origin service uses quantum techniques to enhance cryptographic security in large-scale digital systems.

The Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme and ABDM manage large-scale health data for resource allocation; quantum algorithms could optimise vaccine distribution, hospital resource management, and epidemic response planning.

Whilst quantum computing offers immense opportunities, it simultaneously poses serious risks to current public key cryptography: algorithms like Shor's could in principle break widely used RSA/ECC, motivating global and Indian efforts towards Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC) to protect digital infrastructure.

Bodies like C-DAC are researching and developing quantum resistant cryptographic algorithms, and CERT-In (under Section 70B of the Information Technology Act) can issue security guidelines and audits to enhance the resilience of critical systems such as Aadhaar, UPI, and banking networks.

India has demonstrated significant capabilities in quantum communication. DRDO has developed and tested indigenous Quantum Key Distribution and Quantum Random Number Generator systems for secure communications. The demonstrated 380 km fibre-based QKD provides a foundation for quantum-secured networks.

However, global advances highlight the competitive landscape. China has demonstrated fibre-based QKD over 1,002 km and operates the world's largest quantum communication network, whilst the United States has demonstrated QKD over 1,707 km.

By 2035, satellite-based quantum communication over 2,000 km is expected to become mainstream, with inter-city QKD networks widely deployed. India must accelerate development of quantum communication infrastructure not only for defensive purposes (securing critical infrastructure against quantum cyber-attacks) but also to maintain strategic autonomy.

The National Quantum Mission includes plans for quantum communication testbeds accessible via cloud-based platforms, but implementation timelines must align with threat evolution.

India's participation in global standards bodies (including IEC/ISO JTC and ITU Focus Groups via BIS and TEC) is essential to avoid normative dependence. If India doesn't actively participate in standards development, it will become a rule-follower adopting foreign norms that may not suit its industry or security requirements.

A national quantum ethics taskforce is recommended to address emerging challenges including explainability in quantum machine learning, data sovereignty for quantum-generated sensor data, and workforce inclusion. The ethical framework must manage disruptions including job displacement from quantum-AI convergence whilst ensuring quantum education access in Tier II/III cities to prevent deepening digital divides.

Building the Quantum Workforce

Perhaps the most critical determinant of India's quantum future is human capital development. Global quantum workforce demand is projected at 6,00,000 by 2040, with India needing approximately 1,20,000-1,50,000 deployed professionals (representing 20-25% of global demand).

The National Quantum Mission explicitly includes human resource development as a core component. DST and AICTE have launched dedicated quantum curricula at the undergraduate level, including an 18-credit minor in quantum technologies covering computing, communication, sensing, and materials. This scheme funds teaching labs and faculty development nationwide.

The National Education Policy 2020 mandates integration of emerging disciplines into higher education. Government platforms including SWAYAM and the National Digital Library host quantum-related courses, whilst fellowship programmes like the Prime Minister's Research Fellowship (PMRF) and DST's INSPIRE Fellowship support quantum research.

Despite producing more than 91,000 STEM graduates each year in quantum-relevant disciplines, India currently has only around 170 professors actively engaged in quantum technology research. This mismatch constitutes a fundamental structural bottleneck in the national quantum ecosystem.

Any emerging talent pipeline also risks being constrained by a well-recognised structural weakness in India's public R&D ecosystem: excessive procedural complexity and institutional risk aversion. Multi-layered procurement rules (largely designed for standardised or commodity purchases) remain poorly suited to frontier research, routinely delaying the import of specialised equipment such as dilution refrigerators and advanced cryogenic components by many months.

Strategic laboratories in defence, railways, and other public sectors, which could otherwise act as early adopters of quantum optimisation and sensing technologies, often operate under audit and compliance frameworks that prioritise procedural conformity over mission outcomes.

Building a quantum-ready workforce therefore requires parallel reform in governance. This includes dedicated fast-track procurement pathways for strategic technologies, greater financial and decision-making autonomy for mission directors, and audit mechanisms that emphasise transparency and performance rather than ex-ante risk avoidance.

Recent proposals to create administratively relaxed innovation zones are a welcome step, but their impact will depend on whether they are genuinely insulated from the broader administrative machinery and empowered to operate at the pace demanded by quantum science.

Critical shortages persist not only in core quantum science, but in enabling domains such as cryogenics, microwave engineering, photonics, systems integration, and techno-business leadership. Without deliberate intervention, this gap between educational output and deployable capability will continue to constrain scale, translation, and absorption of quantum technologies.

Addressing this challenge requires a rapid and coordinated expansion of the quantum workforce. India must aim to grow its deployable quantum talent by an order of magnitude within the next few years, with a long-term target of approximately 1,20,000 professionals deployed across academia, industry, start-ups, and government by 2040.

This expansion cannot rely solely on traditional physics pathways. Dedicated quantum engineering programmes (at undergraduate, master's, and doctoral levels) are essential to produce system builders, control engineers, and application specialists alongside theorists.

A remarkable initiative on this front was expanded upon, in The Indian Express, on 25 November 2025:

This is a commendable step in promoting Quantum Antyodaya. Equally important is the implementation of globally competitive remuneration structures in academia and deep-tech start-ups to prevent the continued loss of trained talent to international markets.

Strong industry–academia bridges, including joint development platforms between technology creators and end-user industries, are necessary to ensure that skills translate into usable systems and applications. Strong industry–academia collaborations worldwide in quantum computing include IBM Quantum Network (MIT, ETH Zurich), Microsoft Azure Quantum partnerships (University of Sydney, Delft University), and Google Quantum AI collaborations (Stanford, UC Santa Barbara), jointly advancing algorithms, hardware access, and industrial applications.

At the same time, quantum technologies risk exacerbating existing digital and capability divides due to high capital costs and concentrated expertise. Ensuring inclusion and access must therefore be an explicit design principle of India's quantum strategy.

Quantum education and training should extend beyond elite institutions to Tier II and Tier III cities; currently, fewer than 10% of universities outside metro areas offer courses in quantum science or computing, highlighting the need for broader geographic participation.

Workforce diversity is limited (women constitute roughly 15% of quantum researchers in India), necessitating targeted interventions across gender and socioeconomic backgrounds. Mechanisms should ensure that quantum-enabled benefits, such as improved agricultural forecasting, logistics optimisation, and climate resilience, reach rural regions rather than remaining confined to urban centres.

Existing programmes offer promising foundations: the DST's Vigyan Jyoti initiative, which encourages female students in grades 9–12 to pursue STEM, could embed quantum-specific mentorship, whilst DBT-SEED (Science for Equity, Empowerment and Development) provides a scalable model to engage scientists and institutions nationwide, ensuring quantum capacity-building is distributed beyond traditional elite centres.

A remarkable initiative on democratising quantum technology worldwide is, as published by Ildar Shar's First Principles:

Strategic autonomy in quantum technologies introduces a parallel but distinct set of considerations. Achieving Atmanirbharata in this domain does not imply isolation from global science and supply chains, but rather deliberate control over critical technological choke points.

India's experience with ISRO, the nuclear programme, and large-scale digital public infrastructure illustrates that sovereignty is achieved through selective self-reliance combined with international collaboration, not through complete domestic replication of all components.

Within this framework, indigenous efforts must be sharply prioritised. Quantum software, algorithms, simulators, and application-layer development represent a domain where India's existing IT and software talent base can realistically achieve global leadership and capture significant market share.

Photonic quantum computing aligns well with India's electronics and semiconductor manufacturing ambitions and builds on demonstrated domestic capabilities. Trapped-ion platforms leverage India's long-standing expertise in ultra-high-vacuum systems developed within ISRO and DRDO.

Post-quantum cryptography, given its implications for national security and critical infrastructure, must remain fully indigenous in design, implementation, and standardisation. Finally, quantum sensing presents near-term commercialisation opportunities with both defence and civilian relevance, offering a practical bridge between laboratory research and real-world deployment.

Together, these dimensions (workforce scale, inclusion, and strategic autonomy) define whether quantum technologies in India remain confined to elite research enclaves or evolve into a nationally embedded capability of consequence.

Strategic autonomy in quantum technologies is inseparable from national security in an age of techno-geopolitics. China's billions of dollars of investment are not merely economic; they constitute a pillar of its Civil-Military Fusion (CMF) strategy, aiming for quantum dominance in sensing, encryption, and computing for both market and battlefield.

The West's response, through the Wassenaar Arrangement and 'friendshoring', often views India through a lens of strategic ambiguity (as a partner but also a potential competitor).

India's goal of atmanirbharta therefore cannot mean autarky; it must mean sovereign control over the critical choke-points: the design of post-quantum cryptography (a digital swadeshi shield), the fabrication of photonic chips (a silicon swaraj), and the architecture of our quantum communication networks (a sovereign akashvani).

Our collaborations with France and Japan are valuable, but they must be founded on the principle of asymmetric reciprocity: we bring unique strengths to the table, and we must protect core IP as a national asset.

For areas requiring massive capital or where India lags significantly (such as superconducting qubits and dilution refrigerators), strategic collaborations are essential. India has established bilateral quantum research collaborations with France and Japan, focusing on co-development in photonics and cold atoms.

The India Semiconductor Mission, with ₹76,000 crore investment in fabs and chip design, will bolster quantum hardware production long-term. These fabrication facilities could eventually produce custom quantum chips (for instance, qubit circuits in Nb or Si) and components, reducing import dependence.

A critical recommendation is creating "yellow zones" and "green zones" in strategic sector labs for start-up and academia collaboration, with the delineation of these zones as:

Currently, complex procurement and audit processes (operating on a presumption of malfeasance) slow adoption in defence, railways, and other government sectors. Streamlined collaboration pathways could accelerate technology transition whilst maintaining security.

Government should lead by example: PSUs, defence establishments, railways, and banks should adopt quantum technologies for complex optimisation problems, creating alpha customers for Indian start-ups and validating solutions at scale.

The Atmanirbhar Quantum Economy

At present, quantum research and development in India is largely driven by government laboratories and academic institutions, but the long-term success of the national mission will depend critically on mobilising private-sector R&D and manufacturing through robust public–private partnerships.

Deep-tech innovation, particularly in quantum technologies, requires sustained capital, early customers, and translational pathways that government and academia alone cannot provide at scale. Without deliberate incentives for industry participation, quantum capability risks remaining confined to research settings rather than evolving into deployable systems and globally competitive products.

Translating quantum R&D into inclusive economic activity also requires extending public–private collaboration beyond metropolitan research hubs into India's towns and districts. This can be achieved by establishing district-level quantum application and manufacturing nodes, co-located with engineering colleges, MSME clusters, and industrial training institutes, focused on quantum-adjacent value chains such as cryogenic assembly, precision machining, RF and microwave components, photonics packaging, control electronics, and quantum-secure hardware integration.

Government laboratories and public-sector undertakings can serve as anchor customers, issuing problem-driven procurement contracts for subsystems, whilst start-ups and local manufacturers build, test, and iterate components under controlled access regimes.

Cloud-based access to national quantum computers and simulators would allow algorithm development and testing from Tier II and Tier III towns without requiring local capital-intensive hardware, whilst simplified tax structures, streamlined import–export clearances for research equipment, and assured early procurement through public infrastructure projects (such as power grids, railways, and digital public infrastructure) would reduce risk for private capital.

Absent such mechanisms, India's start-up ecosystem will continue to face structural barriers, including risk-averse financing, long development timelines, regulatory friction, and limited access to early "alpha customers." These challenges are reflected in the fact that 109 Indian-founded unicorns are domiciled overseas compared to only 67 within India, underscoring persistent disadvantages in domestic incorporation, IP retention, and deep-tech capital formation.

Overcoming these constraints requires coordinated policy and financial interventions. Simplified and predictable tax regimes for deep-tech start-ups would reduce compliance burdens and improve capital efficiency. Incentives to retain intellectual property and corporate domicile within India are essential to ensure long-term value capture.

Risk capital mechanisms such as the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund announced in 2025 must scale significantly to meet the capital intensity of quantum ventures. Procurement reform is equally critical; streamlined government procurement processes can provide start-ups with early customers and reference deployments.

Industry-focused challenge grants and sectoral sandboxes would further enable validation of quantum solutions in real-world environments, accelerating adoption and credibility.

Mission-oriented technology development has historically succeeded in India through structured consortium models, particularly in space and defence. Programmes linking ISRO and DRDO with public-sector units, private firms, and academic institutions have enabled coordinated risk-sharing and systems integration.

The India Semiconductor Mission offers a contemporary example of how government incentives, industry participation, and end-user alignment can be orchestrated at scale. International models provide complementary lessons: the US Quantum Economic Development Consortium demonstrates effective industry-led coordination; Belgium's IMEC model shows how collaborative R&D and shared IP frameworks can accelerate innovation; and Japan's phased approach (from foundational research to pilots and commercialisation) offers a structured pathway for translation.

Subnational ecosystem development also plays a critical role. Colorado's success in building a quantum manufacturing ecosystem for peripherals illustrates how targeted state-level initiatives can create durable competitive advantages.

In India, Karnataka's Quantum Research Park at IISc and Andhra Pradesh's Amaravati Quantum Valley represent promising regional anchors. If adequately resourced and integrated with national programmes, such hubs can catalyse localised talent, supplier networks, and industry engagement whilst contributing to a coherent national strategy.

Maximising quantum impact also requires integration with existing national missions.

The National Supercomputing Mission, which has deployed over 40 petaflops of high-performance computing capacity, provides an essential foundation for quantum algorithm development and hybrid classical–quantum workflows.

As quantum-centric supercomputing becomes critical by the mid-2030s, convergence between HPC and quantum systems will be indispensable. Cloud-based quantum simulators developed by Indian institutions and start-ups, including QSim released by IISc, IIT Roorkee, and C-DAC, already allow nationwide experimentation with realistic noise models, enabling meaningful progress even before large-scale quantum hardware becomes available.

Long-term quantum hardware development is often closely linked to semiconductor fabrication capabilities. Progress under the India Semiconductor Mission, including the 7 nm processor design at IIT Madras, signals growing domestic capacity. As fabrication facilities mature, they can support custom quantum devices such as silicon spin qubits and photonic integrated circuits.

Parallel efforts in defence further reinforce the strategic relevance of quantum technologies. DRDO has identified priorities in quantum communications and sensing, whilst the Ministry of Defence's iDeX scheme provides funding support to start-ups in aerospace and defence, including quantum initiatives.

The Quantum Technology Research Centre established by DRDO in 2023 focuses on applications with near-term strategic value.

Quantum technologies also intersect directly with India's climate and energy missions. Quantum simulation of catalytic processes can accelerate materials discovery for the National Green Hydrogen Mission, which targets five million metric tonnes of annual production by 2030.

Broader quantum materials research, including work on superconductors, topological materials, and silicon-based qubits at IISc and IITs, holds potential for breakthroughs in energy storage, transmission, and conversion, reinforcing the role of quantum science in sustainable development.

Beyond domestic capability, India's quantum strategy must aim to shape global trajectories. This includes aspirations to establish an India-led global quantum benchmarking consortium and to emerge as a trusted quantum partner for the Global South by 2035.

Active participation in international standards bodies is essential to this goal. Institutions such as the Telecommunication Engineering Centre and the India Quantum Coordination Committee already engage with ITU-T, IEEE, ISO, and IEC processes, helping ensure that global standards reflect Indian priorities rather than being externally imposed.

Given the risk of inflated or misleading claims in a rapidly evolving field, India has an opportunity to lead in developing transparent, verifiable benchmarking frameworks that promote trust and meaningful performance assessment.

International collaboration remains indispensable, even as quantum technologies are increasingly treated as strategic assets. Technology collaboration frameworks must balance openness with security, and restrictive cross-investment policies should be eased through carefully structured bilateral agreements.

Mechanisms such as the Indo-French Joint Committee on Science and Technology, which identified quantum technologies as a priority in 2024, enable co-development in areas like photon entanglement and NV-diamond sensing. Similarly, the India–Japan Science Cooperation Programme now supports quantum research across materials, cold atoms, and photonics, providing structured pathways for collaboration without compromising strategic autonomy.

India's ambition to become a net exporter of quantum technologies by 2035 will depend on parallel progress in trade facilitation, platform development, and manufacturing. Strong trade relationships must accommodate technology exchange despite constraints such as the Wassenaar Arrangement.

Indian firms should aim to export full-stack quantum software platforms, capitalising on the country's IT strengths, whilst also capturing market share in quantum peripherals such as cryogenics, optics, and control electronics through cost-competitive manufacturing. In services, India's IT sector is well positioned to dominate global quantum integration, consulting, and algorithm development markets.

The risks of delayed or inadequate action are substantial. Without sustained investment, India risks becoming a perpetual consumer of imported quantum technologies, paying premium prices whilst forfeiting value creation. Security vulnerabilities could persist if post-quantum cryptography migration and indigenous quantum communication capabilities are delayed.

Economic sovereignty would be weakened by dependence on foreign systems in critical sectors, whilst missed opportunities in high-value job creation could widen technology trade deficits. Talent drain would intensify, reinforcing the trend of overseas domiciling of Indian-founded companies, and lack of engagement in standards-setting would reduce India to a rule-taker in a strategically consequential domain.

At the same time, overreach carries its own risks. Excessively restrictive policies framed in the name of self-reliance could stifle innovation by limiting access to best-in-class global technologies during formative stages. Strategic autonomy in quantum technologies therefore demands discernment: clarity on where to build domestically, where to collaborate internationally, and where selective dependence is both efficient and secure.

Achieving quantum leadership for Viksit Bharat by 2047 will require coordinated, time-bound action across talent, technology, industry, and governance. In the 2025–2027 phase, the priority must be rapid capacity activation: expanding the quantum workforce by an order of magnitude through accelerated training, initiating a systematic transition to post-quantum cryptography for critical infrastructure such as Aadhaar, UPI, and banking systems, and catalysing private-sector participation through large-scale deployment of the Research Development and Innovation Fund, tax incentives, and simplified regulations.

Quantum education must move beyond elite pilots to reach over 50 universities nationwide, whilst national infrastructure (including the IBM Quantum System Two in Amaravati) is operationalised with cloud access for researchers and developers across India.

The 2027–2030 phase should focus on consolidation and early global positioning. India must demonstrate credible indigenous quantum hardware capability, achieving 50–100 qubit systems in at least two modalities, particularly photonic and trapped-ion platforms, whilst scaling a start-up ecosystem of 50 well-funded ventures, with at least five competing globally.

Quantum solutions should transition from pilots to deployment in priority sectors such as logistics, energy, and finance, alongside a decisive increase in R&D intensity, including a doubling of national research spending as a share of GDP and stronger participation in international quantum standards bodies.

Beyond 2030, the long-term objective is for India to emerge amongst the top three global quantum economies by 2035, capturing a dominant share of quantum software and services, filing over 1,000 quantum-related patents annually, and incubating a new generation of deep-tech firms, including at least ten quantum start-ups exceeding USD 100 million in cumulative revenues.

This vision culminates in India becoming a net exporter of quantum technologies, supported by a mature workforce of 120,000–150,000 quantum professionals across industry, academia, and government.

Realising this trajectory will depend on strong institutional mechanisms and governance. A national quantum ethics taskforce should be established to address issues of explainability, inclusion, security, and societal impact as quantum technologies diffuse into critical systems.

Regular public–private fora are needed to align government priorities with industry capabilities, academic research, and civil society concerns. Finally, dedicated diplomatic engagement on quantum collaboration, standards-setting, and trade will be essential to ensure that India's quantum ascent is both strategically autonomous and globally integrated.

From Uncertainty to Opportunity

The quantum revolution represents a fundamental shift in how we understand computation, information, and reality itself. As the universe sets limits on certainty and computability, progress cannot depend on perfect prediction or rigid control. It must depend on intelligent, equitable decision-making under uncertainty, guided by sound science and the principle of inclusive development.

For India, quantum computing is not merely about joining a global technology race. It represents an opportunity to build capabilities that address the nation's most pressing challenges: from optimising logistics networks reducing poverty-inducing costs, to discovering materials enabling clean energy transitions, to securing digital infrastructure protecting 1.4 billion identities.

The National Quantum Mission provides a foundation, but the scale of ambition must match the magnitude of opportunity. With estimated global quantum value of USD 1-2 trillion across industries and India's potential to capture USD 280-310 billion by 2030, the economic case is clear. With quantum cyber-threats to critical infrastructure projected within 2-3 years, the security imperative is urgent.

India possesses unique advantages: the world's second-largest STEM talent pool, a robust IT sector contributing 8% of GDP, demonstrated capabilities in photonic quantum systems and quantum communication, and successful models of mission-mode technology development from space to digital infrastructure.

The path forward requires strategic focus: dominate software and algorithms where India's talent advantage is decisive; build indigenous capabilities in photonics, trapped-ions, and post-quantum cryptography where feasibility is highest; collaborate strategically in areas requiring massive capital; and cultivate a thriving private sector ecosystem through regulatory reform and risk capital.

Most critically, India must ensure quantum technologies serve inclusive development. This means quantum education reaching Tier II/III cities, applications addressing agricultural productivity and healthcare delivery, and workforce diversity reflecting India's pluralism.

True quantum Atmanirbharta is not isolation but strategic autonomy: the capability to shape global trajectories whilst controlling critical dependencies.

As India stands at the threshold of its quantum decade, the question is not whether to invest, but how boldly. The cost of inadequate action (in security vulnerabilities, economic opportunities foregone, and talent lost) far exceeds the cost of ambitious commitment.

With clear-eyed strategy, institutional coordination, and sustained investment, quantum computing can become not just a technology India possesses, but a capability that shapes the trajectory of Viksit Bharat.

The journey from uncertainty to opportunity begins now, in 2026: a century after science embraced quantum mechanics, and two decades before India envisions itself as a developed nation. The quantum future, like quantum mechanics itself, is probabilistic. But with intelligent action, India can collapse the wavefunction of possibility into a deterministic state, that of Viksit Bharat that has attained Quantum Antyodaya.

The time for incrementalism is past.

The quantum yuga of Bharat begins…now.