National Quantum Mission

National Quantum Mission
 

News: Recently, the union cabinet has approved the National Quantum Mission (NQM) to aid scientific and industrial research and development in quantum technology.
 

What is National Quantum Mission?

1. The mission will be implemented by the Department of Science & Technology (DST) under the Ministry of Science & Technology from 2023 to 2031.
2. The mission aims to seed, nurture and scale up scientific and industrial R&D and create a vibrant & innovative ecosystem in Quantum Technology.
 

Key features of NQM:

* It will target developing intermediate scale quantum computers with 50-100 physical qubits in 5 years and 50-1000 physical qubits in 8 years.
* Satellite-based secure quantum communications between ground stations over a range of 2000 kilometers within India.
* Long distance secure quantum communications with other countries
* Inter-city quantum key distribution over 2000 km
* Multi-node Quantum network with quantum memories
* The mission will help develop magnetometers with high sensitivity for precision timing (atomic clocks), communications, and navigation.
* It will also support design and synthesis of quantum materials such as superconductors, novel semiconductor structures and topological materials for fabrication of quantum devices.
* Four Thematic Hubs (T-Hubs) will be set up in top academic and National R&D institutes on the domains:
1. Quantum Computing
2. Quantum Communication
3. Quantum Materials & Devices
4. Quantum Sensing & Metrology
 

Significance of National Quantum Mission

1. India will be the seventh country to have a dedicated quantum mission after the US, Austria, Finland, France, Canada, and China.
2. It will accelerate Quantum Technology led economic growth and make India one of the leading nations in the development of Quantum Technologies & Applications (QTA).
3. Beyond its civilian applications, quantum technology is the newest frontier in military communication and has the potential to be a game-changer in conflicts.
4. The mission will help India to compete with China in the field of quantum communication technology.
5 A country with quantum communication can keep a country’s electricity, aviation, defense, energy, and other critical infrastructure safe from attacks by an enemy country.
 

Conclusion

National Quantum Mission can take the technology development ecosystem in the country to a globally competitive level. The mission would greatly benefit communication, health, security, financial and energy sectors as well as drug design, and space applications.