{"id":304677,"date":"2024-07-17T19:00:42","date_gmt":"2024-07-17T13:30:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=304677"},"modified":"2024-07-17T18:37:51","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T13:07:51","slug":"national-quantum-mission-significance-and-challenges-explained-pointwise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/national-quantum-mission-significance-and-challenges-explained-pointwise\/","title":{"rendered":"National Quantum Mission- Significance and Challenges- Explained Pointwise"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The launch of <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">National Quantum Mission in 2023<\/span>, <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">put<\/span> <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">India among the top six leading nations<\/span> involved in the <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">research and development<\/span> in <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">quantum technologies<\/span>. The National Quantum Mission <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">worth Rs. 6,003.65 crore<\/span>, is <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">planned during 2023-2031<span style=\"color: #333333;\">.<\/span><\/span> The mission aims to strengthen India\u2019s research and development in the quantum arena. However, the mission also faces several challenges in the achievement of its objectives.<\/p>\n<p>In this article, we will delve deeper into the advantages of quantum technology, the National Quantum Mission, its challenges and the way forward.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_304691\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-304691\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-304691\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/NQM.png?resize=500%2C404&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"NQM\" width=\"500\" height=\"404\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/NQM.png?w=778&amp;ssl=1 778w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/NQM.png?resize=300%2C242&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/NQM.png?resize=768%2C620&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-304691\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source- The Indian Express<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<table style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; border-style: solid;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%; text-align: center;\"><strong>Table of Content<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\"><a href=\"#toc1\">What is quantum computing technology? What are its areas of application and advantages?<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#toc2\">What are the Salient Features of the National Quantum Mission?<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#toc3\">What is the significance of the National Quantum Mission?<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#toc4\">What are the Challenges with the Mission?<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#toc5\">What Should be the way Forward?<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><a id=\"toc1\"><\/a>What is quantum computing technology? What are its areas of application and advantages?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Quantum Computing Technology-<\/strong> Quantum computing is a rapidly emerging technology that <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">leverages the principles of quantum mechanics<\/span> to solve complex problems that are beyond the capabilities of classical computers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Principle behind Quantum Technology-<\/strong>\u00a0 Quantum computing utilizes the principles of <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">quantum mechanics<\/span>, which <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">describe the behavior of particles at the subatomic level<\/span>. This includes phenomena like <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">superposition<\/span> and <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">entanglement<\/span>, which allow quantum bits (qubits) to exist in multiple states simultaneously and interact with each other in complex ways.<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; border-style: solid;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\">Read More- <a href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/quantum-computing-technology-and-associated-applications\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Quantum computing technology and associated applications \u2013 Explained, pointwise<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>Applications and advantages of Quantum Technology<\/strong><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; border-style: solid;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 21.5863%;\"><strong>Higher Problem-solving capabilities<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 78.4137%;\">Quantum computing has the <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">potential to solve complex problems<\/span> in areas such as <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">cryptography<\/span>, <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">optimization<\/span>, <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">materials science<\/span>, and <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">drug discovery<\/span> that are currently intractable for classical computers.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 21.5863%;\"><strong>Enhanced AI Models<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 78.4137%;\">Quantum computing <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">can dramatically improve machine learning algorithms<\/span>, enabling more efficient and accurate AI models for various applications.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 21.5863%;\"><strong>Optimization<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 78.4137%;\">Quantum computing optimizes complex processes, such as <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">supply-chain management<\/span> and <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">financial portfolio optimization<\/span>, by exploring multiple solutions simultaneously.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 21.5863%;\"><strong>Secure Communication<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 78.4137%;\">Quantum computers can enable <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ultrasecure communication using quantum encryption<\/span>, making it nearly impossible for hackers to intercept sensitive information.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 21.5863%;\"><strong>New Medicines<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 78.4137%;\">Quantum computing <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">can help simulate complex molecular interactions<\/span>, allowing researchers to discover new drugs and optimize existing ones.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><a id=\"toc2\"><\/a>What are the Salient Features of the National Quantum Mission?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The mission will be implemented by the <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Department of Science &amp; Technology<\/span> (<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">DST<\/span>) under the Ministry of Science &amp; Technology. The mission planned for 2023-2031 aims to seed, nurture, and scale up scientific and industrial R&amp;D and create a vibrant &amp; innovative ecosystem in <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Quantum Technology<\/span> (QT).<\/p>\n<table style=\"height: 240px; width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; border-style: solid;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"height: 60px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 25.2007%; height: 60px;\"><strong>Development of Quantum Computers<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 74.7993%; height: 60px;\">The mission targets to <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">develop intermediate scale quantum computers<\/span> with <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">50-100 physical qubits<\/span> in <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">5 years<\/span> and <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">50-1000 physical qubits<\/span> in <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">8 years<\/span>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 120px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 25.2007%; height: 120px;\"><strong>Development of quantum materials\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 74.7993%; height: 120px;\">The mission will also <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">support design and synthesis of quantum materials<\/span> such as superconductors, novel semiconductor structures and topological materials for fabrication of quantum devices. The mission will help <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">develop magnetometers<\/span> with high sensitivity for precision timing (atomic clocks), communications, and navigation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 30px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 25.2007%; height: 30px;\"><strong>Secure communication<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 74.7993%; height: 30px;\">The mission aims to facilitate <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">satellite based secure quantum communications <span style=\"color: #333333;\">between ground stations over a<\/span> range of 2000 km within India<span style=\"color: #333333;\">, and <\/span><\/span>Long distance secure quantum communications with other countries.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 30px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 25.2007%; height: 30px;\"><strong>Establishment of T-Hubs<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 74.7993%; height: 30px;\">The mission aims to set up <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Four Thematic Hubs<\/span> (T-Hubs) would be set up in top academic and <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">National R&amp;D institutes in the domains of Quantum Technology<\/span>-Quantum computation, Quantum communication, Quantum Sensing &amp; Metrology and Quantum Materials &amp; Devices.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><a id=\"toc3\"><\/a>What is the significance of the National Quantum Mission?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>1. Improve India&#8217;s standing in new economic order- <\/strong>New age technologies like <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">quantum computing<\/span>, <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Artificial intelligence<\/span>, <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Internet-of-Things<\/span> (IoT), <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">machine learning<\/span> etc. are re-writing the world economic order. The National Quantum Mission will help in India&#8217;s accommodation in a new economic order.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Economic Growth and Job Creation-<\/strong> According to experts, the <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">adoption of quantum technologies<\/span> in India can contribute <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">$280-310 billion<\/span> to the economy by <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">2030<\/span>. The mission will help to spur job creation in research, development, and the manufacturing of quantum devices and systems.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Boost to Industries-<\/strong> The National Quantum Mission <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">will boost the industrial ecosystem in India<\/span> which includes industries in the sector of aero-space engineering, weather prediction, simulations, cyber security, advanced manufacturing, health, agriculture, and education.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Improvement of security infrastructure-<\/strong> The mission will help to <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">secure the communication\u00a0<span style=\"color: #333333;\">(Quantum Key Distribution)<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">financial transactions infrastructure<\/span> in India.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5. Complement the efforts of Socio-economic development-<\/strong> The National Quantum Mission will complement and support other national socio-economic development programs like <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Digital India<\/span>, <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Make in India<\/span>, and the progress towards <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Sustainable Development Goals<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>6.\u00a0Streamline the material and device requirements for the core quantum technology-<\/strong> The mission will help in the fulfillment of these objectives by<br \/>\na) building infrastructure for new materials and devices with <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">in-house R&amp;D<\/span>.<br \/>\nb) <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">synergising the diverse<\/span> and <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">geographically distributed material workforce in India<\/span> to achieve mission deliverables.<br \/>\nc) <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ensuring efficient resource utilisation<\/span> as well as <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">minimising redundancy and duplication of resources<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>7. Solving modern age problems-<\/strong> The National quantum mission will help in finding radical solutions to some of the most intractable problems of our age, such as <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">clean energy<\/span> and affordable healthcare.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><a id=\"toc4\"><\/a>What are the Challenges with the Mission?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>1. Lesser investment as compared to other countries-<\/strong> The 6000 crore ($0.75 billion) earmarked for the mission is very low when compared to Chinese $15 billion investment, US&#8217;s $3.75 billion.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_304689\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-304689\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-304689\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/National-Quantum-Mission.png?resize=500%2C222&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"National Quantum Mission\" width=\"500\" height=\"222\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/National-Quantum-Mission.png?resize=300%2C133&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/National-Quantum-Mission.png?resize=768%2C341&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/National-Quantum-Mission.png?w=913&amp;ssl=1 913w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-304689\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source- The Indian Express<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>2. Less number of scientific research papers-<\/strong> Between 2000 and 2018, while the Indian researchers have published <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">1,711 papers on quantum-related science<\/span>, the Chinese and American researchers have published <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">12,110<\/span> and <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">13,489 papers respectively<\/span>. Among the 10% most cited papers, the US and China again lead the way, with India languishing at the 20th rank.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Less quantum technology patents-<\/strong> Between 2015 and 2020, <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Chinese and American researchers<\/span> acquired <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">23,335 and 8,935 quantum-related patents respectively<\/span>. However, Indian researchers had only 339 such patents in the same period. India ranks ninth by the number of patents obtained.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Fewer firms in tech manufacturing-<\/strong> Currently nearly 12% of start-ups in India are deep tech-related. However, <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">less than 3% of these involve manufacturing and\/or materials<\/span> related to quantum technologies.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5. Lack of adequate infrastructure-<\/strong> India <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">does not have enough infrastructure<\/span> that can <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">support the entire chain of operation<\/span> from working out the proof-of-principle to developing working prototypes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>6. Fewer and more scattered R&amp;D community-<\/strong> In 2018, India had 253 full-time equivalent researchers per million of its population. This is about 11% of the researcher density of Italy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>7. Weak Industry academia linkage-<\/strong> Lack of strong collaborations between <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">academic institutions<\/span>, <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">research organizations<\/span>, and <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">industries<\/span> has slowed down the progress of quantum computing development in India.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><a id=\"toc5\"><\/a>What Should be the way Forward?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>1. Identify and promote young talent-<\/strong> National Quantum Mission needed to identify and promote young talent. The mission should raise <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">a separate cadre of quantum scientists<\/span> like the atomic energy or space science establishments.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Well balanced R&amp;D ecosystem-<\/strong> India needs to create a well-balanced R&amp;D ecosystem where <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">material research for near-term goals and applications<\/span> needs to <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">coexist and collaborate<\/span> with <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">more fundamental and futuristic objectives<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Increased Investment Support-<\/strong> Both <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">public and private entities<\/span> should increase funding and investment in quantum computing research, development, and innovation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Improvement of infrastructure facilities-<\/strong> The government and private sector should invest in building state-of-the-art research facilities and providing resources for quantum computing development.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5. Promotion of Partnerships-<\/strong> Collaborations between academic institutions, research organizations, and industries must be enhanced to create a robust ecosystem for quantum computing development.<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; border-style: solid;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\">Read More- <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-sci-tech\/national-quantum-mission-why-india-has-a-lot-of-catching-up-to-do-9458086\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Indian Express<\/a><br \/>\nUPSC Syllabus- GS 3 Science and technology<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The launch of National Quantum Mission in 2023, put India among the top six leading nations involved in the research and development in quantum technologies. The National Quantum Mission worth Rs. 6,003.65 crore, is planned during 2023-2031. The mission aims to strengthen India\u2019s research and development in the quantum arena. However, the mission also faces&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/national-quantum-mission-significance-and-challenges-explained-pointwise\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">National Quantum Mission- Significance and Challenges- Explained Pointwise<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10357,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[130,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-304677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-7-pm","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10357"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304677"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304677\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}