Another bold quantum push signals India’s leap towards sovereign high-tech capabilities, as three IITs and IISc Bangalore secure ₹7.2 billion to build world-class quantum fabrication infrastructure.
On Tuesday, the Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh, announced the launch of four advanced quantum fabrication and central facilities worth ₹7.2 billion during a visit to IIT Bombay. The facilities will be set up at IIT Bombay, IISc Bangalore, IIT Kanpur and IIT Delhi under the National Quantum Mission (NQM).
Dr Singh said the initiative marks a significant step towards technological self-reliance and places India among the limited group of countries developing next-generation quantum hardware. He said the new infrastructure will support research in quantum sensing, quantum computing and quantum materials, forming the foundation for secure and scalable systems. These facilities will be accessible to researchers from academia, industry, startups and strategic sectors.
Senior leaders from DST, CSIR, DBT and IIT Bombay attended the event. The Minister acknowledged IIT Bombay’s long-standing partnership with the Department of Science and Technology and its leadership in deep-tech research.
He outlined the distribution of responsibilities: IIT Bombay and IIT Kanpur will lead quantum sensing and metrology; IISc Bengaluru and IIT Bombay will strengthen fabrication for superconducting, photonic and spin qubits; and IIT Delhi will drive quantum materials and device development.
Dr Singh highlighted the growing convergence between physics, healthcare and engineering, noting that quantum technologies will transform diagnostics, imaging and advanced computing. He said India’s innovation ecosystem now demands interdisciplinary training and closer collaboration between major institutes. He cited new MoUs connecting IITs, AIIMS, IIMs and CSIR labs as examples of this shift.
The Minister also praised IIT Bombay’s Technology Innovation Hub, which supports dozens of deep tech startups, and highlighted the national significance of BharatGen, India’s sovereign multilingual AI initiative.
