‘Quantum today is where AI was five years ago’

Ajai Chowdhry

| Photo Credit: File photo

With a large concentration of research institutions, software and hardware companies, and startups, Karnataka, and in particular Bengaluru, is key to India’s quantum ambitions.After the Union Cabinet approved the National Quantum Mission (NQM) in 2023 to build capabilities in quantum technologies, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) was selected as one of the hubs under the mission. Bengaluru is also home to most of the startups backed by the mission.Ajai Chowdhry, Chairman of the Mission Governing Board of the National Quantum Mission of India, speaks to The Hindu about achievements from the State in the quantum sector, progress made by the mission so far, the importance of sovereign technology and expected breakthroughs in the coming days.

Is NQM on track in terms of achieving its targets?

National Quantum Mission (NQM) is a mission-mode project based on the concept of ‘lab to market.’ We were given ₹4,000 crore for this project. ₹2,000 crore, in addition, is sitting with four other institutions, including the Department of Defence, Department of Space and Atomic Energy, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of India and Department of Telecom, which are also working in parallel on quantum technologies.