India Launches ₹720-Cr Quantum Fabrication Hubs to Drive Deep-Tech Future

Dr. Singh emphasised that under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India became one of the earliest nations to frame a national-level strategy for quantum technologies.

India took a significant leap toward technological sovereignty with Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh announcing the establishment of four state-of-the-art Quantum Fabrication and Central Facilities worth ₹720 crore. These centres—coming up at IIT Bombay, IISc Bengaluru, IIT Kanpur and IIT Delhi—form the backbone of India’s ambitious National Quantum Mission (NQM) and are poised to place the country among the world’s quantum-technology leaders.

The announcement was made during Dr. Singh’s visit to IIT Bombay, amid the presence of prominent scientific leaders including Dr. Sireesh (Director, IIT Bombay), Dr. Abhay Karandikar (Secretary, DST), Dr. N. Kalaiselvi (DG, CSIR), Dr. Rajesh Gokhale (Secretary, DBT), senior faculty, researchers, innovators, and representatives from the Technology Innovation Hubs and start-up community.

A Historic Leap Under the National Quantum Mission

Dr. Singh emphasised that under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India became one of the earliest nations to frame a national-level strategy for quantum technologies. He described the new facilities as “foundational hardware ecosystems”, essential for sovereign development of quantum sensing, quantum computing, advanced materials and secure communications.

These facilities will remain open-access, catering not only to NQM projects but also to researchers, industry leaders, start-ups, and strategic sectors. This approach is expected to accelerate India’s transition into a global quantum hub.

Strategic Roadmap: What Each Institute Will Lead

The newly sanctioned centres will house fabrication, characterisation and device-development infrastructure across the following domains:

IIT Bombay & IIT Kanpur – Quantum Sensing and Metrology

These institutes will anchor national capabilities in high-precision sensing, measurement science and quantum-enhanced detection platforms. Their work will strengthen sectors ranging from defence to navigation, medical imaging and climate monitoring.

IISc Bengaluru & IIT Bombay – Quantum Computing Hardware

These centres will advance India’s fabrication expertise in:

• Superconducting qubits

• Photonic qubits

• Spin qubits

This will allow India to build, prototype and scale its own quantum processors—critical for national-security-grade computing.

IIT Delhi – Quantum Materials and Device Fabrication

IIT Delhi will become the hub for developing India’s materials ecosystem for quantum technologies, including cryogenic devices, quantum-compatible materials and next-generation nano-fabrication capabilities.

Dr. Singh said these combined efforts will enable end-to-end indigenous development, from materials and devices to full-stack quantum systems.

The Evolution of Modern Science and the Quantum Shift

Reflecting on India’s scientific journey, Dr. Singh noted the dramatic transition from invasive diagnostic methods of earlier decades to today’s non-invasive, physics-driven and AI-supported therapeutics. Quantum technologies, he said, will catalyse revolutionary progress in:

• Healthcare and medical diagnostics

• High-resolution imaging

• Predictive modelling

• Materials science

• Secure communication

He predicted that future medical education may integrate physics as a mandatory foundation due to the growing fusion of healthcare and high technology.

Breaking Silos: A New Era of Collaborative Innovation

The Minister stressed that India must overcome institutional silos. He cited his own efforts in encouraging multi-institutional collaborations involving IITs, AIIMS, IIMs, CSIR labs, and communication institutes.

These strategic partnerships, he said, will:

• Bridge research with market demand

• Improve public awareness of scientific advances

• Strengthen engagement with farmers, students and young innovators

IIT Bombay’s Technology Innovation Hub: A National Benchmark

Praising IIT Bombay’s Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) under the NM-ICPS mission, Dr. Singh highlighted its achievements:

• 96 technology development projects supported

• 50+ deep-tech start-ups incubated

• 23 portfolio companies

• Combined valuation: ₹466 crore

He cited these as examples of how academic research can translate into impactful, scalable innovations.

India’s AI Sovereignty: BharatGen Takes Centre Stage

Dr. Singh underscored the national importance of BharatGen, India’s first sovereign multilingual and multimodal AI ecosystem, building Large Language Models (LLMs) across 22+ Indian languages.

He highlighted flagship applications:

• Krishi Sathi – AI for farmers

• e-VikrAI – digital marketplace intelligence

• Docbodh – healthcare and diagnostics assistance

These advances, he said, cement India’s leadership in AI, data sovereignty and inclusive digital transformation.

Taking Science to Every Citizen

The Minister urged institutions to demonstrate scientific breakthroughs directly to those who need them most, noting that many farmers and citizens remain unaware of available technologies. Examples from IMD, CSIR, agricultural missions and biotech innovations, he said, show that grassroots outreach is essential.

He called upon NQM institutions to organise:

• Demonstrations for farmers

• Hands-on sessions for students

• Early-learning programmes for school children

These steps, he noted, will help nurture India’s next generation of scientists.

Democratizing Innovation: From Villages to Global Platforms

Dr. Singh celebrated the rise of rural innovators and non-degree-holding entrepreneurs, citing examples such as lavender-based biotech start-ups from Jammu & Kashmir. This trend, he said, demonstrates that innovation is no longer restricted to elite labs but is becoming a nationwide movement.

A Vision for Viksit Bharat 2047

Concluding his address, Dr. Singh said the National Quantum Mission, NM-ICPS and BharatGen collectively represent India’s bold strides toward deep-tech leadership, knowledge sovereignty and Atmanirbhar Bharat.

He affirmed that the new ₹720-crore quantum facilities will act as the springboard for globally competitive quantum hardware development, accelerating India’s path to becoming a Viksit Bharat by 2047.

“These facilities,” he said, “will empower India to design, fabricate and scale its own quantum technologies, ushering in an era of sovereign, secure and world-class scientific innovation.”