Quantum computing in India: Recent developments and future

Quantum computing combines mathematics, quantum physics, and computer science to optimise, learn, and simulate chemical, physical, and biological systems. It offers the ability to solve problems in a unique method and to speed up solutions compared to standard procedures. This computing may solve issues with intractable inputs. With the capabilities of quantum computers and the availability of quantum development kits, quantum computing is expected to become ubiquitous, and the demand for trained people is expected to rise significantly. Quantum technologies are rapidly developing globally with substantial disruptive potential. Quantum technology is opening up new frontiers in computing, communications, and cyber security with widespread applications. The range of quantum technologies is expected to be one of the significant technology disruptions that will change the entire paradigm of computation, communication, and encryption. It is perceived that the countries that achieve an edge in this emerging field will have a more significant advantage in garnering multifold economic growth and dominant leadership roles. It is expected that lots of commercial applications will emerge from the developing theoretical constructs in this area. In India, there is a growing interest in quantum computing and communication with active participation from students, developers, industry, and academia, leading to many recent initiatives and developments. This article provides an overview of some of the recent developments of quantum computing in India and the future ahead.

In its 2020 budget, the Indian government announced the National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications, which will be run by the Department of Science and Technology with a budget of 80 billion INR over five years [1]. Among the next-generation technologies that will be pushed by this mission are quantum computers and computing, quantum communication, quantum key distribution, cryptanalysis, quantum devices, quantum sensing, quantum materials, quantum clocks, and so on. The mission will focus on basic science, technology development, building up human and infrastructure resources, innovation, and new businesses to solve problems that are important to the country. By putting the mission into action, India would be able to develop and use quantum computers, secure communications through fibre and free space, quantum encryption and cryptanalysis, and other related technologies. It would also be able to deal with national and regional problems that are unique to India.

International Business Machines (IBM) and the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-Madras) joined forces in September 2022 to help India learn more about quantum computing and accelerate research [2]. With this partnership, IIT Madras becomes one of the more than 180 members of the IBM Quantum Network around the world. IIT Madras is also the "first Indian institution" to join the global community of Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, academic institutions, and research labs working with IBM quantum technology to improve quantum computing and find business uses for it. As a member of the IBM Quantum Network, IIT Madras will have cloud-based access to IBM's most advanced quantum computing systems and IBM's quantum expertise. This will allow to look into real-world applications and see how this technology can help business and society in a wide range of ways. International Business Machines has also taken a number of steps to promote quantum computing in India and make it more well-known. IBM has made Qiskit, an open-source software development kit for the quantum developer community. The textbook "Qiskit" is available in Tamil, Bengali, and Hindi, and students in India accessed it more than 30,000 times in 2021 alone. Through the IBM Quantum Educators Programme, IBM works together with some of India's best schools. For educational purposes, teachers and students at these schools will be able to use IBM Cloud to access quantum systems, quantum learning resources, and quantum tools.

With help from the National Security Council Secretariat, the Indian Army set up a laboratory for quantum computing and a centre for artificial intelligence at the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, in December 2021 [4]. The Indian Army's work on quantum technology will help it jump to the next generation of communication and change the Indian Armed Forces' current cryptography system to Post Quantum Cryptography. Quantum key distribution, quantum communication, quantum computing, and post-quantum cryptography are all the focus areas. In July of 2021, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology and the Centre for the Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) to collaborate on the study and development of quantum computers. The group is working together to develop quantum computers for both commercial and military applications. In 2020 December, a quantum random number generator was developed at India's DRDO Young Scientist Laboratory for quantum technologies. It can detect and convert random quantum events into a stream of binary numbers, and it represents a significant advancement for quantum technology in India.

A quantum computer is extremely challenging to design, construct, and write code on due to its robust nature. It should not be surprising how challenging it will be to train an AI model to recognise things within a picture. Quantum computers and programs are susceptible to errors in noise and defects, as well as a loss of quantum coherence, because of the complex nature of quantum computing. As the number of qubits increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain the isolation of these qubits from their surroundings. As a result, decoherence is almost certain to occur, which results in several errors being introduced. Some of the major applications areas of quantum computing, along with artificial intelligence, include financial services and healthcare, finding solutions to mathematical issues, and detecting fraudulent activity and cyber-attacks. Figure 1 summarises the recent developments in quantum computing and communications in India and the plan for the future.

In India, there is a tremendous interest in quantum computing, with active participation from students, developers, industry, and academia, leading to many initiatives and developments that have taken place recently. The country is also expected to emerge as a talent hub for quantum computing very soon. The need of the hour is to popularise the quantum computing technology and its advantages and applications among all, simultaneously build sufficient quantum computational capacity and develop skills in building and operationalising a practical size and affordable cost quantum computer. Introduce more educational courses at the university level to develop quantum science and engineering as a discipline that will produce a large number of science and technology heads.

India plans to develop a quantum computer with approximately 50 qubits by 2026, joining many countries such as Australia and Israel looking to drive broader adoption of the nascent technology. Over the next 5 years, India will invest one billion dollars in various programmes to advance its capabilities in quantum information and meteorology, quantum applications and materials, and quantum communications. India estimates that the percentage of businesses using quantum technology will increase from less than one percent in 2022 to between 35 and 45% by 2030. There are currently 14 or 15 startups in the country working on commercial uses of quantum technology, but that number is expected to climb to between 400 and 500 over the next decade.

Varun G. Menon: Conceptualisation; Data curation; Investigation; Resources; Validation; Visualisation; Writing – original draft; Writing – review & editing. Mainak Adhikari: Conceptualisation; Formal analysis; Project administration; Supervision; Writing – original draft; Writing – review & editing.