NEWS – Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a Rs 1,000-crore fund dedicated to Karnataka’s Quantum Mission focusing on research and development, talent skilling, infrastructure, and startup growth.

• The roadmap was unveiled at the inaugural Quantum India Bengaluru Summit, aiming to build a $20 billion quantum economy and position Karnataka as a global quantum hub by 2035.

HIGHLIGHTS

Q-City: Quantum Innovation Hub

• A state-of-the-art Q-city will be established near Bengaluru, integrating academic institutions, innovation centers, manufacturing clusters for quantum hardware and processors, and R&D clusters supported by quantum HPC data centers.

Five Pillars of the Quantum Roadmap

1. Talent Development: Quantum skilling programs will be rolled out in over 20 colleges, with a new quantum curriculum for higher secondary students in English and Kannada.
2. R&D Excellence: Focus on cutting-edge quantum research and pilot projects.
3. Infrastructure Creation: Development of India’s first Quantum Hardware Park, four Innovation Zones, and a FabLine for domestic manufacturing of components.
4. Industry Support: Launch of Quantum Venture Capital Fund to scale startups.
5. Global Partnerships: Expanding international collaborations for technology and market access.

Phased Implementation and Job Creation

• The mission will be implemented in four phases: foundational infrastructure and capacity building, R&D and pilots, manufacturing and commercialization, and becoming a quantum export powerhouse.
• Karnataka aims to generate over 10,000 high-skilled jobs by 2035 and capture 20% of the global quantum technology market. Expected benefits include early disease detection, secure communication, and smarter agriculture.