The Indian government has given its approval to the National Quantum Mission (NQM), which aims to nurture and scale up scientific and industrial research and development in quantum technology. The NQM will involve a cost of Rs 6,003.65 crore from 2023–24 to 2030–31. India will be the sixth country to have a dedicated quantum mission after the US, Austria, Finland, France, and China.
The NQM is expected to accelerate quantum technology-led economic growth and nurture the ecosystem in India. The mission targets developing intermediate scale quantum computers with 50–1000 physical qubits in eight years, and it will also support the development of satellite-based secure quantum communications, long-distance secure quantum communications with other countries, inter-city quantum key distribution, multi-node quantum networks, magnetometers with high sensitivity in atomic systems, atomic clocks, quantum materials, single photon sources/detectors, entangled photon sources, and more.
Four thematic hubs (T-Hubs) will be set up in top academic and national research and development institutes on the domains of quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum sensing and metrology, and quantum materials and devices.
The NQM is expected to benefit the communication, health, financial, and energy sectors, as well as drug design and space applications. It will also provide a huge boost to national priorities like Digital India, Make in India, Skill India, Stand-up India, Start-up India, Self-Reliant India, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
