How India became the hottest date in quantum computing

Skull and Bones · Sep 2, 2023

India has bold ambitions to harness its latent quantum potential. It’s courting partnerships with nations all around the globe — except China.

Professor Bhupendra Dev got an exciting delivery in May: an ultra-low temperature dilution refrigerator built by a Finnish company Bluefors. It suited Dev’s purposes perfectly. The device will, the professor explains, provide temperatures close to absolute zero (−273.15°C) — a stark contrast from the tropical climate on the streets outside the researcher’s lab in Kolkata, India. “People sometimes joke that Finland is a cold country and that’s why they can provide the refrigeration systems,” says Dev.

The icy extremes are essential for Dev’s research at the Centre for Quantum Engineering, Research and Education (CQuERE), where he’s trying to build one of India’s first quantum computers. Most of the electronics are already in place, except for a few couplers, and Dev hopes to begin working with his first qubit — the basic unit of quantum information — in about six months. “We’ll proceed pretty slowly, because at this stage [we] have to train the students,” says Dev.

Although it’s still in development, quantum computers have the potential to perform complex calculations exponentially faster than their so-called ‘classical’ counterparts. As such, these exotic devices could accelerate scientific breakthroughs and streamline supply chains, as well as enhance navigation and detection systems and offering a fool-proof form of encryption. That’s why there’s such a dash to uncover its secrets: the nations that manage to harness the technology first will, naturally, be the first to reap its promised rewards.

More ominous, however, is the fact that quantum computers’ speedy mathematical prowess could enable them to completely overwhelm our existing encryption standards — a pivotal event that researchers call ‘Q-Day.’ “If it works, it will change everything,” says Emily Harding, a senior fellow on the CSIS International Security Program. “Anything from secret government communications to bank transactions could, in theory, be decrypted by a functioning quantum computer.”

Quantum, therefore, is increasingly seen as a game-changer — both for economic development and for international security. As such, the latent technology is already turning into a geopolitical minefield, even before many of its ambitious promises come to fruition. India, which has previously lagged behind other nations in the field, is frantically trying to leapfrog its competitors, especially in light of its growing fear of China. The country is charting an ambitious path — backed by a hefty package of government funding and an extensive catalogue of collaborations with researchers scattered across the globe.

India’s National Quantum Mission

On April 19, 2023, India’s federal government approved a $730mn funding package for the country’s inaugural National Quantum Mission (NQM). The project aims to deliver intermediate-scale quantum computers with 50-1,000 physical qubits by 2031 and “make India one of the leading nations in the development of Quantum Technologies & Applications (QTA).”

India’s government says that the programme – which covers everything from homegrown quantum computing capacities to Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), and quantum sensing – will boost sectors like communications and health. It’s also sure to be harnessed to enhance the nation’s military capacities. Specifically, India is also hoping to enable satellite-based secure quantum communications over a range of 2,000 km, as well as building intercity, land-based, QKD capacities over the same distance. That would be a big advance on the nation’s existing capacities. In 2022, local start-up QNU Labs, which worked alongside the Indian Army on the project, announced it could share encrypted keys over distances of up to 150 km.

India’s current push for quantum development makes a lot of sense, says Harding. The country has both a wealth of technical expertise and the drive – spurred by concerns about China – to channel this expertise towards quantum innovation. There are also plenty of avenues for international collaboration, including with global leaders like the US, which has been actively exploring numerous avenues to boost its collaboration with India.