India's quantum story runs from Satyendra Nath Bose, whose 1924 work seeded quantum statistics, to the QuEST programme of 2018 that funded the first cluster of quantum labs. For years the effort was scattered across universities; the push since 2020 has been to knit it into a single national mission with real money behind it.
Quantum Technology
Quantum Technology
India's quantum programme runs from Satyendra Nath Bose, whose 1924 work with Einstein gave the world Bose-Einstein statistics, to the National Quantum Mission approved in April 2023 — a ₹6,003 crore, eight-year programme that placed India among a select group of nations with a dedicated national quantum mission. Four thematic hubs at IISc Bengaluru, IIT Madras, IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi bring together over 150 researchers, and in 2025 a Bengaluru startup unveiled India's first full-stack quantum computer. This timeline traces the programme.
₹6,003 cr
National Quantum Mission
17
Startups supported (Apr 2026)
4 hubs
IISc, IIT-M, IIT-B, IIT-D
National Quantum Mission
2018
QuEST seeds the field
The Quantum-Enabled Science & Technology programme (₹250 crore) funds the first cluster of quantum labs across India.
2020
A national mission is flagged
2023
National Quantum Mission approved
2024
Four thematic hubs go live
2025
India's first full-stack quantum computer
2026
1,000-km quantum network
2018
1milestones
20182026
Latest
QuEST seeds the field
The Quantum-Enabled Science & Technology programme (₹250 crore) funds the first cluster of quantum labs across India.
Why it matters Quantum computing breaks the encryption that protects banking, defence and government communication — so a country either builds the capability itself or depends on those who have. Beyond security, quantum sensing sharpens navigation and mineral prospecting, and quantum simulation speeds up drug and materials discovery. Starting now is what keeps India a designer rather than a buyer when the technology matures.
- National Quantum Mission approved April 2023 — ₹6,003 crore over eight years (2023-31).
- In April 2026 the mission demonstrated a 1,000-km quantum communication network and was supporting 17 startups.
- Four thematic hubs: IISc Bengaluru (computing), IIT Madras (communication), IIT Bombay (sensing), IIT Delhi (materials).
- Target: quantum computers of 50 to 1,000 physical qubits within the mission period.
- India's first full-stack quantum computer, QpiAI-Indus (25 qubits), unveiled on World Quantum Day 2025.
History
The mission
The National Quantum Mission, approved in 2023 with ₹6,003 crore over eight years, makes India one of only a handful of countries with a dedicated quantum programme. It aims for quantum computers of 50 to 1,000 physical qubits, satellite-based quantum-secure communication over 2,000 km, and indigenous quantum sensors and materials — organised through four thematic hubs at IISc Bengaluru, IIT Madras, IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi. Early hardware has followed: QpiAI's 25-qubit Indus (2025), a 64-qubit processor, and the Amaravati Quantum Valley, whose foundation stone was laid in February 2026.
How it works
Quantum technology exploits the strange physics of the very small — where particles can be in many states at once — to build machines that could crack problems ordinary computers can't. India pursues it through the National Quantum Mission, which funds a small number of specialist thematic hubs in top institutes, each focused on one area: quantum computing, secure quantum communication, sensing, and materials. It is deliberately long-horizon, foundational research.
Outlook
The National Quantum Mission (₹6,003 crore, 2023-2031) sets concrete targets: a home-built quantum computer of 50-1,000 qubits within eight years, and secure quantum communication over 2,000 km. India is early rather than late here — the next step is turning lab research into working hardware and a domestic quantum industry, and racing the handful of countries (US, China, EU) investing heavily, since quantum could one day break today's encryption.
By the numbers
National Quantum Mission ₹6,003 crore (2023-31); target 50 to 1,000 physical qubits and 2,000 km satellite quantum links; 4 thematic hubs, 150-plus researchers across 40-plus institutions; first full-stack 25-qubit computer (QpiAI-Indus, 2025); 17 startups supported and a 1,000-km quantum network demonstrated (April 2026). Sources: Department of Science & Technology; PIB.
Data current to: Mission 2023-24 to 2030-31; progress to April 2026
Source: Union Cabinet, via PIB (19 April 2023, linked) — the National Quantum Mission was approved at ₹6,003.65 crore for 2023-24 to 2030-31, an approved outlay rather than money spent, targeting intermediate-scale quantum computers of 50–1,000 physical qubits in eight years, satellite-based secure quantum communication over 2,000 km and four thematic hubs. Later milestones come from DST and PIB releases: hubs announced in September 2024; a 1,000-km quantum communication network demonstrated and 17 startups supported by April 2026. Milestones 2018–2026. · link