India’s quantum leap: Waghmare’s blueprint
India’s quantum leap could soon give the country a leadership role in quantum technology among Global South nations, the government’s top science official has said, as New Delhi begins shaping the next phase of its flagship technology missions. Umesh V. Waghmare, Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology, told ET in an interview that the Centre is likely to prepare a blueprint for the second phase of the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems, or NM-ICPS 2.0, which would combine the mission with physical artificial intelligence. He said the first phase of NM-ICPS ends in December 2027 and that work on the successor proposal is already under formulation, with its fine print depending on technologies demonstrated in the coming year. The remarks signal the government’s ambition to position India at the forefront of a strategically vital technology.
National Quantum Mission gathers pace
Waghmare also offered an upbeat assessment of the National Quantum Mission, the youngest of the country’s technology missions, which is now into its third year. The Union Cabinet approved the mission in April 2023 with a budget allocation of Rs 6,003.65 crore for the period 2023-24 to 2030-31, and it is one of nine initiatives under the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council aimed at positioning India as a global leader in quantum technology. The mission has done a brilliant job in certain directions, Waghmare said, with good leaps in quantum communication and continued DST support for exploratory research. Under the national programme, dedicated efforts are underway to develop quantum-resilient encryption techniques and post-quantum cryptographic frameworks, intended to ensure the safety and sovereignty of the country’s critical database systems in the quantum era, when future quantum computers could threaten conventional encryption. Officials say India’s quantum leap reflects a deliberate strategy linking research funding, institution-building and industry.
NM-ICPS 2.0 and the physical AI push
The original NM-ICPS was approved by the Cabinet in December 2018 for an initial five-year term with an outlay of Rs 3,660 crore and is implemented by the Department of Science and Technology. Waghmare said the fund allocation for the second phase would be comparable with the earlier phase, though it was too early to make a final call on the details. He confirmed India’s quantum leap would remain a central goal as the NM-ICPS 2.0 proposal takes shape. The planned combination with physical AI reflects a shift towards technologies connecting digital intelligence with the physical world. Speaking recently at the curtain-raiser for the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave 2026, Waghmare pointed out that autonomous systems, physical AI and robotics could support safer and more productive applications in manufacturing, precision agriculture, healthcare and rehabilitation, logistics, infrastructure monitoring and disaster response. He stressed developing technologies that are reliable, safe, affordable and suited to Indian conditions. Under NM-ICPS, the DST has established 25 Technology Innovation Hubs, including TiHAN at IIT Hyderabad, IHFC at IIT Delhi and ARTPARK at IISc Bengaluru, connecting research with engineering and real-world applications. The ESTIC 2026 conclave itself, organised by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, will be held from October 27 to 29 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, and will showcase how India’s quantum leap is turning laboratory research into start-ups and products.
Why India’s quantum leap matters for the Global South
The framing of India’s quantum leap as a leadership opportunity for the Global South carries diplomatic as well as technological weight. As quantum research accelerates, developing nations risk being locked out of a technology that could redefine secure communication, drug discovery and financial modelling. By investing in indigenous capabilities, from quantum communication networks to fabrication facilities, India is positioning itself as a potential partner and technology provider for countries that lack the resources of the United States or China. Nations across Africa and Southeast Asia could benefit from affordable quantum-safe technologies emerging from India’s quantum leap. Waghmare invited scientists, academic institutions, industry leaders, start-ups, investors and young innovators to participate in ESTIC 2026 and work towards translating creative ideas into deployable technologies. For India’s deep-tech ecosystem, the coming year will be decisive: technologies demonstrated under current missions will shape the NM-ICPS 2.0 blueprint and determine how fast India’s quantum leap moves from laboratories into products, start-ups and strategic deployments. If the missions deliver, India’s quantum leap could redefine the country’s place in the global technology order.