On April 19, the Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh announced that the Union Cabinet had officially greenlit the National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications (NM-QTA), which the finance minister had previously announced during the Budget speech for the financial year 2020. After announcing its intention to develop India’s quantum ecosystem way back in 2019, this is the major policy decision that the Union government has come out with, for the development of the field.
What’s in the National Mission?
After lying dormant for almost three years, the NM-QTA has officially kicked off with an initial allocation of Rs 6,000 crore for quantum technology’s scientific and industrial development. Originally, in the Budget for the fiscal year 2020-21, the government announced the NM-QTA with a total outlay of Rs 8000 crore over five years. The mission also outlined the necessary actions that needed to be taken in order to achieve those said aims. The main targets of the mission included:
- Developing quantum processors, communication devices, memory devices, accelerators, and simulators.
- Developing quantum clocks, sensors, and imaging devices and designing advanced materials for civil and military applications.
- Enhancing the research base and strengthening cross-border collaborative research in the field of quantum technologies.
The current decision by the Union Cabinet builds on the above objectives by seeking to establish a Secretariat comprising a Governing Council (headed by a renowned scientist or technology entrepreneur) as well as a Mission Technology Research Council (headed by the Principal Scientific Advisor).
The National Mission also seeks to maintain a holistic approach towards building a quantum ecosystem in the country by setting up four thematic hubs (T-Hubs) in top academic and national research and development institutes. Each of the R&D hubs will focus on one specific emerging application domain of the quantum field — quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum sensing and metrology, and quantum materials and devices. This will ensure that the country will devote adequate funds and resources to developing all areas of the quantum value chain.
As per the press briefing by the minister, some of the targets of the National Mission will include building quantum computers (ranging from 50 to 1000 qubits across both superconductors and photonic technologies in the next eight years), developing satellite-based secure quantum communications in the country (covering a range of almost 2000 km) and also creating multiple quantum key distribution (QKD) links (ranging close to 2000 km) supported by a multi-mode quantum network for encrypted communications.
Current Transnational Quantum Policies
The primary strategic aims for governments to invest in quantum tech are twofold: economic and security related. With hundreds of billions in value creation forecast for quantum technologies (especially quantum computing), governments are keenly aware of the economic imperative to nurture this emerging technology for their businesses, industries, and broader commercial and social spill over effects. Secondly, the possibility that a quantum computer that is not so advanced can also break any existing public encryption key means that governments are in a race to secure their own data and information while also wishing to be in an offensive position to gain the technology for advantage over their rivals. So, while not a totally zero-sum game, sovereignty or relative autonomy in quantum technology for countries will mean gaining comparative strategic advantages in multiple spheres.
Unlike some emerging technologies (like Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and IoT that are solely based on software modelling and infrastructure), quantum requires a huge amount of initial investment, physical infrastructure, and human capital in the form of scientists and advanced researchers to build large hardware devices that have quantum capabilities. Accordingly, we see that only 25 countries around the world have ongoing quantum programmes and initiatives, with large variances between the top and bottom tiers in terms of investments, programmes, and technology readiness. For these reasons, governments tend to focus efforts on a two-fold strategy: bringing together academic and industry players to spur R&D, while also creating an ecosystem where the outputs of the research can be commercialised and seeded for general application purposes.
How can India’s National Mission Become Better?
Establishing Research Centres Within Universities
For a critical and emerging technology like quantum, the focus on research and development is imperative. Cutting-edge research in technical fields is heavily concentrated in higher education institutes and university laboratories. The same can be said for quantum technologies too. An increased focus on academia is needed for the returns that these research centres offer through critical intellectual property (IP) development. Gaining IP rights in technologies like quantum can help India gain the upper hand both economically (licensing fees) and strategically (patent rights) across multiple industries where this technology can be applied.
Secondly, the enormous and relatively low-cost talent pool that educational and research institutes offer can help immensely in strengthening the domestic workforce. The number of skilled professionals in the realm of quantum science and technology within India is currently small, with just a few hundred researchers, industry professionals, academicians, and entrepreneurs in the field. Connecting academic institutions and industry must be encouraged and facilitated in order to translate research into real-world applications.
Coordinating Efforts Across Union and State Governments
It should come as no surprise that the involvement of various pertinent Indian state administrations is essential for forging the domestic quantum industry, even if the Union government is the lead player involved in formulating the overall policies for quantum technology within the country. This is especially the case in the manufacturing and fabrication process of basic quantum devices using advanced semiconductor technology. With state governments playing an integral role in setting up fabs in the near future, quantum technology can benefit from coordination across domestic manufacturing facilities and units.
Other than investments, it is the government’s responsibility to establish a conducive fiscal and legal environment to foster innovation. This will attract potential international collaborators to conduct their research in the country while involving Indian talent. Sufficient funds along with investment-friendly laws (trade policies to remove barriers and lowering imports for manufacturing equipment) by the government can also credibly help in the establishment and improvement of India’s quantum industry.
Harnessing the Power and Promise of Corporations and Start-ups
There is a heightened need to engage with the private sector to develop and grow the domestic quantum ecosystem. While university labs are largely involved on the research side, quantum tech corporations and start-ups are vital in converting and commercialising this research into applications and products that can be of use. With big-tech companies like Google, IBM and Microsoft leading the way in quantum computing, there is also the emergence of smaller players to serve the burgeoning market. There is, therefore, a need for the government and industry bodies to facilitate collaboration between big technology corporations and fledgling start-ups.
The government must also ensure the allocation of funds to provide targeted microeconomic support (like subsidies and tariff cuts) to both established companies and scaling start-ups. Similar to the semiconductor package, production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes could be provided for quantum technology companies. Upfront capital expenditure support, tax deductions, and interest-free loans could also be introduced through a scheme similar to the SPECS and designed specifically for companies engaged in quantum technologies.
The announcement of the NM-QTA has provided the required spur to accelerate the development of quantum technology in the country. However, the National Mission should not be restricted to the Union government alone and must involve a multi-stakeholder approach, focusing on building a synergy between academia, state governments and the industry. This would ensure that India would move from a small step towards a giant leap in the quantum domain.
Arjun Gargeyas is an IIC-UChicago Fellow and a Consultant at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India. Views expressed are personal.
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