India’s National Quantum Mission: A Bold Bet On The Future Of Science

In 2023, while much of the world was fixated on elections, wars, and artificial intelligence, India quietly launched something far more consequential: its National Quantum Mission (NQM). Two years on, this initiative deserves to be recognised for what it is—one of the boldest bets any country has placed on its scientific future.

When I listened recently to Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak on National Space Day, I could not help but think of the NQM. If India can sustain its ambition here, it may run at “6G speed”—rewriting not just its own destiny but also the balance of global innovation.

I write this not as a politician or policymaker but as a physicist who has watched the “quantum race” unfold across continents. What India has embarked upon is not merely a research programme; it is a declaration of intent. It says: we will not remain passive consumers of tomorrow’s technologies; we will build them ourselves.

Approved in April 2023, the NQM is an eight-year, Rs 6,000 crore ($730 million) effort to make India a global hub for quantum science. Its focus spans four frontier areas—quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum sensing, and quantum materials.

People often consider “quantum” as pure science fiction. But it’s real. In this strange world, the rules are nothing like what we see every day. A tiny particle can be in two states at once—like a light switch that is both on and off at the same time.

Even more surprising, two particles can stay connected so that if one changes, the other reacts instantly, even if they are miles apart. If scientists can tap into these strange tricks of nature, we can create super-fast computers, unbreakable ways of sending messages, and sensors that are so sharp they could change medicine, travel, and national security.

India’s targets are ambitious: build homegrown quantum computers with up to 1,000 “qubits” (the basic unit of quantum information), establish satellite-based communication links across 2,000 km, and design quantum sensors that could transform everything from healthcare to the military.

Why It Matters? History shows what happens when nations commit early to foundational technologies. The US invested in semiconductors in the 1950s, and Silicon Valley was born. China poured resources into the Internet and e-commerce in the 1990s and 2000s, changing its economy. Quantum technology is today at a similar inflection point.

If India succeeds, it will not just be a consumer of devices built in California or Shanghai. It will help set the rules, become a trusted supplier of secure technologies, and extend its influence far beyond South Asia. The stakes also involve security. Quantum computers will one day break today’s encryption methods. Quantum communication networks, by contrast, can make messages unhackable. For a region as geopolitically fraught as South Asia, this could be a game-changer.

The Early Signs: The mission is no longer an idea on paper. Four “thematic hubs” are already active—at IISc Bengaluru (computing), IIT Madras with C-DOT (communication), IIT Bombay (sensing), and IIT Delhi (materials). Together, they connect more than 150 researchers from 43 institutions. Startups are entering the race too.

In 2025, Bengaluru-based QpiAI unveiled India’s first homegrown quantum computer, Indus, a 25-qubit machine now used in healthcare and finance. Andhra Pradesh has announced a “Quantum Valley” in Amaravati to attract talent and investment. India’s defence and space agencies are also moving fast.

The DRDO has demonstrated a secure quantum key distribution over 100 km of optical fibre, while ISRO has tested free-space quantum communication—even encrypting a video call. These are modest but meaningful milestones in building a secure digital future.

Still, it would be naïve to think the road ahead is smooth. The biggest challenge is hardware. Unlike software, where India has long excelled, building quantum devices requires ultra-precise engineering, specialised materials, and fabrication facilities. Here, India still lags far behind the US and China. Money is another hurdle.

The Rs 6,000 crore allocation is significant but modest compared to the billions spent by other countries. Quantum breakthroughs don’t arrive on election timelines—they take decades. India will need long-term funding insulated from political cycles.

Finally, there is the matter of people. Quantum research demands not just physicists but also engineers, mathematicians, and computer scientists who can think in fundamentally new ways. Training and retaining such talent will require bold reforms in education and incentives for collaboration with global peers.

What India Could Do Differently: As a physicist, I find India’s model inspiring because it is more collaborative. In the US, quantum research is often siloed inside corporations, with commercial secrecy slowing the spread of knowledge. India’s hub approach—bringing universities, startups, and government labs into one ecosystem—could prove more inclusive and resilient.

The story of quantum technologies is not only about machines. It is about what kind of future a society chooses to build. When ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 landed on the Moon in 2023, it was not just a technical triumph; it was proof of India’s capacity to dream big.

The National Quantum Mission carries the same potential, perhaps even greater, because quantum will touch every sphere of life—how we secure digital identities, design new drugs, manage energy, or forecast climate. And if India succeeds, the benefits will not stop at its borders. Just as India became the world’s pharmacy by producing affordable medicines, it could one day provide low-cost, secure quantum technologies designed with the Global South in mind.

Quantum mechanics teaches us that the universe is built not on certainties but on probabilities and entanglements. Perhaps that is the right metaphor for this geopolitical moment. No nation can monopolise the quantum revolution. But those who invest early and collaborate widely will shape its trajectory. India has chosen to step in boldly. The rest of us—scientists, policymakers, citizens—should not watch from the sidelines.

Nishant Sahdev is a theoretical physicist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, US.

Published on: Friday, October 03, 2025, 07:19 PM IST