National Quantum Mission – Current Updates (July, 2024)

July 19, 2024

India set up the National Quantum Mission in 2022 with a budget of Rs 6,000 crore, which is about $0.75 billion. India is now one of only a few countries that is actively spending in quantum technology in order to use it to solve problems in energy, healthcare, and other areas. India knows it needs to speed up its efforts to catch up to leading countries like China and the US in quantum sciences, even though it already has a strong study base in the field.

Understanding Quantum Technologies

Quantum technologies use the strange and often counterintuitive behavior of subatomic objects like electrons, which can be in more than one place at the same time (superposition) and be entangled over long distances. After being tested in many experiments, these qualities are now being used in real-world things like quantum computing, communications, sensors, and materials.

The Scale of Global Investment and Competitiveness

In the area of quantum science, China and the US are investing and producing a lot more than India. China is investing about $15 billion, while the US is investing about $3.75 billion, which is more than India is spending right now. These countries also do a lot more research and invention filings than India does. This makes the competition in this field very tough.

India’s Current Standing and Potential

India is not starting from scratch, even with these problems. In terms of the amount of students studying quantum topics, the country has more than China and the US combined. It also has strong research groups led by 110 to 145 senior scientists. Indian experts are the best at some things, like quantum communications and sensing. This shows that India might be able to close the technology and innovation gap in these areas.

Strategic Steps Forward

Many people see the National Quantum Mission as the start of a planned and serious effort to make India better at using quantum technologies. To help reach this goal, India should strongly encourage young people to become scientists. This could help the country build a devoted group of quantum scientists, similar to what it does in the atomic energy or space science fields. The goal of this strategic aim is to build an ecosystem that can finally lead to technological leadership and big economic gains. India wants to catch up to and maybe even beat its global competitors in quantum technologies by building on its current strengths and focusing on strategy development and working with other countries.

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