The Indian government may allocate up to Rs 10,000 crore for the establishment of supercomputing and quantum computing hubs in collaboration with the private sector, leveraging public-private partnerships, according to a report by The Economic Times (ET). The anticipated announcement may be made during the Global Artificial Intelligence Summit and Awards scheduled for the end of the week, on January 18 and 19.
These proposed hubs aim to provide startups, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and other companies with access to high-performance computing, either on lease or through a "compute-as-a-service" model, according to ET. Initially, quantum computing hubs will be established in prominent higher education academic institutions and government research and development (R&D) centres. The development of complete computing strength is projected to take up to a decade.
The Union Cabinet approved the National Quantum Mission (NQM) in April 2023, with a total outlay of Rs 6,003.65 crore for the period 2023-24 to 2030-31. This initiative aimed to boost research and development and create an innovative quantum technology ecosystem in India. The programme had initially been announced in the 2020 Budget with a commitment of about Rs 8,000 crore, however, it was delayed by nearly two years.
As earlier reported by Business Standard, according to a Nasscom-Avasant Research report in April, nearly 100 government-supported projects related to quantum and allied technologies are underway. Additionally, the adoption of quantum technologies could potentially add $280-310 billion of value to the Indian economy by 2030.
The International Data Corporation (IDC) at the time also projected that the worldwide customer spending for quantum computing will grow to $8.6 billion by 2027. Experts also believe that advancements in quantum computing will play a crucial role in solving complex problems in healthcare, energy, drug design, and space applications.
As part of the NQM, four thematic hubs (T-Hubs) will be established, focusing on quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum sensing and metrology, and quantum materials and devices. This move has been welcomed by the tech industry, including Indian firms like TCS, IBM, and Tech Mahindra, actively pursuing research and development in quantum computing.
In October 2023, the government also considered a proposal to set up a cluster of 25,000 GPUs under public-private partnerships to support Indian companies working on artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies.
Besides the investment in computing hubs, the government is expected to announce the adoption of most proposals from seven working groups on AI, submitted in October last year. These suggestions encompass setting up a data management office, a national center for AI, skilling initiatives, and ensuring responsible implementation of a national AI strategy.