India’s quantum mission and the future of innovation

Quantum mechanics teaches us the universe is built not on certainties but on probabilities. Perhaps it’s the right metaphor for this moment

- NISHANT SAHDEV

In 2023, while much of the world was fixated on elections, wars, and artificial intelligence, India quietly launched something far more consequential: its National Quantum Mission (NQM).

Two years on, this initiative deserves to be recognised for what it is—one of the boldest bets any country has placed on its scientific future. If India can sustain its ambition here, it may run at “6G speed”—rewriting not just its own destiny but also the balance of global innovation. What India has embarked upon is not merely a research programme; it is a declaration of intent. It says: we will not remain passive consumers of tomorrow's technologies; we will build them ourselves, Approved in April 2023, the NQM is an eight-year, Rs 6,000 crore ($730 million) effort to make India a global hub for quantum science. Its focus spans four frontier areas— quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum sensing, and quantum materials.