India debuts ITES-Q report to bolster quantum tech

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During the commemoration of World Quantum Day on April 14, India unveiled the inaugural edition of the International Technology Engagement Strategy–Quantum (ITES-Q), marking a pivotal step in shaping the country’s global approach to Quantum Science, Technology, and Innovation (QSTI). This strategic document aims to drive scientific breakthroughs, promote innovation, and support integrating quantum technologies into key sectors.

The strategy paper comes at a time when India’s NITI Aayog, the government’s central public policy think tank, has raised concerns that the rapid advancement of quantum computing presents significant opportunities and serious challenges for national security.

According to an official statement, the first edition of ITES-Q offers an in-depth analysis of domestic and international quantum landscapes, highlighting trends in investment, talent development, institutional capabilities, research output, intellectual property, startups, supply chain dynamics, and industrial engagement. It reflects India’s strategic vision and technological strengths in the quantum field while outlining potential areas for international collaboration across various QSTI domains.

“India has to invest in quantum hardware. We have to reduce our dependencies on imports, and advancements in all areas of quantum computing can help with that,” said Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.

As quantum science and its applications progress, future ITES-Q report editions will expand on this initial groundwork, offering more nuanced insights and strategic direction to strengthen further the country’s international collaborations and leadership in quantum technologies.

“We need to bring much more funds for startups, and de-risk the investment—which means we need to create markets for the products. And this is where all the players, be it government, private sectors, academia, or startups, play a role to create this ecosystem,” Sood explained.

“We need to be an active player in defining the global standards for quantum tech. This is a gap we need to fill. Because once we have that, we will also play a role in standardisation efforts, and that is what leads to strategic autonomy. We have to do that very proactively and ensure that we have these global standards because our market is not only the Indian market but global,” Sood added.

One of the report’s standout features is its practical focus on India’s National Quantum Mission (NQM), providing comprehensive details about leading researchers, institutions, and key thematic areas. This makes it easier for international partners to identify collaboration opportunities. The report is also intended to serve as a valuable resource for diplomatic missions, supporting efforts to deepen bilateral and multilateral engagement in this high-priority field.

To advance quantum technology in the country, the government has introduced multiple initiatives, with the NQM standing out as its flagship effort. Backed by a substantial budget of Rs 6,003.65 crore (about $735 million), the NQM aims to position India as a global leader in quantum research and innovation. Approved by the Union Cabinet on April 19, 2023, the mission will be implemented over eight years, from 2023–2024 through 2030–2031, reflecting India’s commitment to embracing cutting-edge technological advancements.

Researchers and academia have mostly led India’s quantum efforts, focusing on basic science over applied technology or commercialization. Recently, startup activity has grown, especially in quantum software and cryptography, though funding remains modest. Government support, like the QuEST program, has helped, but hardware efforts are still small-scale.

QuEST is a multi-institutional networked program of the Department of Science and Technology (DST). It supports 50 research projects covering many areas of quantum science and technology and is grouped into four themes.

Investment activity

The report also highlighted that unlike global counterparts, where deep-tech venture capitalists (VCs) play a key role, India’s quantum ecosystem relies heavily on angel investors, with limited participation from institutional investors like VCs, tech corporates, and private equity. l Locaquantum startups need long-term capital, which institutional investors can provide to scale. In comparison, countries like the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom use government-backed VC funds, public-private partnerships, and corporate-led consortia to attract institutional investment and reduce risk.

Quantum key in India’s tech missions

The South Asian powerhouse is rising as a key player in a sector traditionally dominated by the U.S., European Union, and China, the report pointed out. India’s strong foundation in fundamental sciences drives research and development in quantum technologies. India’s digital economy and initiatives like the National Supercomputing Mission, IndiaAI Mission, and Digital India highlight the importance of quantum advancements. With a growing focus on tech-driven progress, India benefits significantly from quantum science and technology developments, supported by its talent pool, research landscape, intellectual property, and international collaborations.

According to the Economic Survey of India 2024-2025, India accounts for 28% of the global STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) workforce. Despite having a large workforce in STEM and a strong IT industry, there is a lack of Indian companies that primarily work on quantum-related stacks (digital/data). Currently, all the popular quantum software stacks are primarily developed by global technology organizations such as IBM Qiskit (NASDAQ: IBM), Google Cirq (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Xanadu PennyLane, and Microsoft Q# (NASDAQ: MSFT), the report said.

Experts have confirmed a gap in integrating India’s large pool of software engineers with quantum software and algorithms development. While most current resources are open-source and accessible, major organizations’ future export controls or restrictions could disrupt India’s quantum ecosystem.

Quantum startups

According to the ITES-Q report, the quantum startup ecosystem evolved from minimal activity in 2010 to accelerated growth beginning in 2018, with peaks in 2021 and 2023.

Quantum Computing startups (45) lead the sectoral landscape, followed by Quantum Communications and Cryptography, indicating stronger market interest in these verticals than in quantum materials and quantum sensing verticals.

The report indicated that nearly half of quantum computing startups are still in the early conceptual phase, that is, the ideation phase, indicating that this is an emerging area with significant focus but is not yet mature. Moreover, very few of these startups have reached the scaling stage, highlighting the nascent state of quantum computing commercialization in India. The report stated that this could suggest significant potential for collaboration from an international collaboration perspective.

Globally, most quantum startups are in Quantum Optics, followed by Quantum Computing and Quantum Communications. Experts note strong investor interest in quantum computing, which aligns with startup activity in related areas like ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits), software, and optics.

The U.S. leads globally with over 300 quantum startups, attracting the most private investment and topping in unicorns and acquisitions. At the same time, China receives significant investment despite having only 63 startups, the report added.

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