Karnataka Unveils ₹1,000 Crore Quantum Mission; Q-City to Come Up Near Bengaluru

Bengaluru I July 31:

Karnataka has launched a ₹1,000-crore Quantum Mission with the vision of transforming the state into a $20 billion quantum economy by 2035 and establishing it as the “quantum capital of Asia.”

As a key pillar of this mission, the government announced the development of Q-City, a futuristic integrated hub for quantum innovation, research, manufacturing, and skilling, to be located near Bengaluru.

The announcement was made during the Quantum India Summit 2025, inaugurated in Bengaluru and jointly organised by the Department of Science & Technology (DST) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Minister for Science & Technology N. S. Boseraju outlined a comprehensive roadmap to position Karnataka at the forefront of global quantum technology development.

“By 2035, we aim to create 10,000 high-skilled jobs and establish Karnataka as the quantum capital of Asia,” said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

The CM further announced the creation of a Quantum Technology Task Force to drive policy and regulatory frameworks. Additionally, a Quantum Venture Capital Fund will be established to support over 100 startups and generate at least 100 patents in the quantum sector. The overall initiative is expected to create over 2 lakh direct jobs.

Minister Boseraju revealed that Q-City would house world-class facilities that integrate academic institutions, innovation centres, quantum hardware manufacturing clusters, ancillary units, and research hubs backed by high-performance quantum computing (HPC) data centres.

“As part of this effort, our government will establish Q-City where world-class facilities will be provided. This city will integrate academic institutions, innovation centres, manufacturing clusters for quantum hardware, processors, ancillary units, and R&D hubs supported by quantum high-performance computing (HPC) data centres,” Boseraju said.

The minister also highlighted a significant milestone: India’s first commercially deployable quantum computer, developed indigenously in Bengaluru by a team of Kannadigas.

“This computer is not just a proof of concept but a testimony to determination. Developed indigenously, it is already delivering commercial services,” he added.

The state has already set up a Quantum Research Park at IISc Bengaluru, which has supported over 55 R&D projects and 13 startups, training more than 1,000 quantum professionals annually. An additional ₹48 crore has been sanctioned to boost its operations.

Further, the government announced plans to establish India’s first Quantum Hardware Park, along with four innovation zones and a dedicated quantum chip fabrication facility, which is expected to be operational by the end of the year.

“Quantum chip fabrication capability will be operational by the year-end. This will enable domestic production of advanced quantum components and devices,” Boseraju said.

Calling for greater policy flexibility from the Union government to foster innovation at the state level, the minister urged decentralised implementation of the National Quantum Mission.

“The Government of India has launched the National Quantum Mission with an outlay of ₹6,000 crore. For its successful implementation, the Centre must allow Karnataka to lead with innovative and decentralised approaches,” he said.

To nurture talent across the state, Karnataka will introduce quantum curriculum at the higher secondary level in both English and Kannada under its Stream Labs initiative. The state will also launch quantum skilling programmes in 20 colleges, expand DST-funded PhD fellowships to 150 students, and extend these programmes to tier-2 and tier-3 cities and over 20 universities.

The government’s strategic roadmap is structured around five pillars: talent development, R&D pilots, infrastructure development, industry support, and global partnerships. Karnataka also aims to develop 1,000-qubit quantum processors and pilot real-world applications in fields such as healthcare, cybersecurity, agriculture, governance, and early disease detection.

With these announcements, Karnataka has positioned itself to be a national and global leader in quantum technology, marking a major leap toward the future of science and innovation.