As the world celebrates 2025 as the International Year of Quantum (IYQ), India is stepping up its push to emerge as a global force in next-generation technologies by funding quantum teaching laboratories in 100 engineering colleges across the country. Each selected institution will receive Rs. 1 crore to establish dedicated labs for training undergraduate students in quantum technology.
The origins of quantum science date back more than a century. German physicist Max Planck laid the foundation of quantum theory on December 14, 1900. The term quantum mechanics was formally coined in 1925 by Werner Heisenberg, Max Born, and Pascual Jordan. A year earlier, in 1924, Indian physicist Satyendra Nath Bose had already published his path-breaking work, laying the foundation for quantum statistics. His contribution firmly links India to the global story of quantum computing.
The United Nations declared 2025 as the International Year of Quantum to mark 100 years since the birth of quantum mechanics, with the aim of raising public awareness about the transformative potential of quantum science.
India’s quantum education push was announced by Abhay Karandikar, Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology. The labs will support a new undergraduate minor programme in quantum technologies, launched in collaboration with the All India Council for Technical Education.
This initiative falls under India’s ambitious National Quantum Mission, approved in April 2023 with a total outlay of Rs. 6,003.65 crore till 2031. The mission aims to establish a national ecosystem across four key domains: quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum sensing, and quantum materials.
According to Prof. Karandikar, significant research is already underway at leading institutes. IIT Bombay and IIT Kanpur are working on quantum sensing, while IIT Madras is developing quantum communication technologies. Strategic agencies such as the DRDO and ISRO are also involved for defence and space applications.
Strengthening this push, Jitendra Singh, Union Minister for Science and Technology, has unveiled Rs. 720 crore worth of quantum fabrication facilities at IIT Bombay, IISc Bengaluru, IIT Delhi, and IIT Kanpur to indigenize the production of quantum chips and sensors, thereby reducing dependence on foreign facilities.
According to the DST, training young engineers in quantum technologies will have long-term benefits across defence, energy, environment, healthcare, and civil applications. The push also has a strong cybersecurity dimension. With India processing billions of digital transactions every month, especially through UPI, the country faces growing risks from cybercrime. To counter this, the government has established a multi-sectoral task force to develop a quantum-safe digital security framework that protects financial systems and national digital assets.
By combining historical legacy, education, advanced infrastructure, and cybersecurity, India’s quantum strategy signals a decisive shift toward securing its technological future in the quantum age.