A dream to create Andhra Pradesh's own Silicon Valley in Amaravati
Cyberabad, the bustling township which the HITEC city evolved into over the years, is today home to many IT and IT-Enabled Services (ITES) companies.
That was the time when he spearheaded the IT revolution with some valuable contributions from a host of luminaries, notably Bill Gates, under whose stewardship Microsoft India Development Centre (MSIDC) was set up in Hyderabad. MSIDC was Microsoft's largest software development centre outside its headquarters in Redmond, Washington.
As the Chief Minister of the successor State of Andhra Pradesh now, Mr. Naidu plans to develop a Quantum Valley (QV) in Amaravati, on the lines of Silicon Valley, aimed at leading the State in quantum technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The idea is to make Andhra a preferred destination for an assortment of IT, Electronics, Communications and related companies specialising in cutting-edge technologies.
Going by its name, the QV will have physical and digital infrastructure of the highest order, for which the spadework has begun. The QV project is in alignment with the National Quantum Mission (NQM) that was approved by the Union Cabinet in April 2023.
The objective of the NQM is to 'seed, nurture and scale up scientific and industrial R&D and create a vibrant & innovative ecosystem in Quantum Technology (QT) and accelerate QT-led economic growth, nurture the ecosystem in the country and make India one of the leading nations in the development of Quantum Technologies & Applications (QTA)'.
According to the QV concept paper, it is modelled as India's first dedicated quantum computing and deep tech ecosystem in Amaravati and is set to be inaugurated by January 1, 2026; specific timelines have been fixed to facilitate this goal.
The QV project has three key components, namely Quantum Valley Tech Park, academic integration, and public sector applications. It will focus on quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum sensing and metrology, and quantum materials and devices.
The government will soon appoint a Director for the Quantum Mission, which is going to be anchored by IBM. The Quantum Valley Tech Park is proposed to be developed in collaboration with IBM, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and Larsen & Toubro (L&T).
As on date, the plan is to rope in IBM to install a 156-qubit Quantum System Two, touted to be the largest quantum computer in India, L&T to handle infrastructure development, and TCS to provide quantum computing services and hybrid computing solutions, and integrating quantum capabilities into sectors such as healthcare, finance and manufacturing.
As far as academic integration is concerned, the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education directed the State universities to introduce quantum computing courses as a first step, and the relevant domain expertise of reputed institutions like the IIT-Madras, Purdue University (USA) and the University of Tokyo (Japan) has already been enlisted.
Coming to public sector applications, the State aimed to leverage quantum technologies to enhance public services and to develop India's first quantum governance framework.
It is to be noted that the Andhra Pradesh Government has already taken the lead in rendering citizen services through WhatsApp, and, of pertinence is the fact that Visakhapatnam — given its metropolitan character and superior connectivity — is the only city in Andhra that marquee companies in the IT & ITES sector are currently looking at as the ideal place to do business.
To start with, the Andhra government allocated 50 acres for the establishment of a state-of-the-art quantum computing centre envisioned to be the largest of its kind in India, and is expected to receive a substantial portion of the funding under the NQM.
Since quantum computing hardware relies heavily on advances in cryogenics, nanofabrication, and semiconductor technologies, the QV is likely to include startups and research labs working on next-gen chipsets, quantum dot arrays and cryo-electronics.
The QV's infrastructure is being designed to integrate quantum systems with classical supercomputers to enable hybrid computing architectures intended to be used for climate modelling, genomics and encryption, among other things.
While boasting of QV as the one-of-its-kind model in India, the Andhra Pradesh Government acknowledged that similar projects exist in other parts of the world, namely the Quantum Valley in Waterloo (Canada), which is focused on academic research and startups, China's National Labs (Hefei) (a large-scale defence industry ecosystem) and the Silicon Valley in the U.S. that is a hub for major quantum companies but purportedly not a centralised hub.
The DeepTech Park within the QV is meant for the establishment of space and defence institutions; discussions are under way with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to set up a testing lab, and the DRDO to form a Centre of Excellence.
A sum of ₹4,000 crore has been allocated for the QV project to be rolled out in two phases, the first one of which will be focused on infrastructure development, education and research, and pilot programmes and the second on propelling Andhra Pradesh towards global leadership and boosting commercialisation and export capabilities.
The QV is a daunting task that the government has taken; given that it is to be built from scratch in Amaravati, which itself is in a state of flux for multiple reasons, makes it even more daunting.
From starting off in an iconic building proposed to be built by L&T to reaching completion, QV has a long way to go. While the resolve and vision of Mr. Naidu is a big positive for the project, developing such a modern, technology-intensive ecosystem is indeed a formidable task because the basic infrastructure can be created but giving it the final shape in the remaining four years of the NDA government is easier said than done.
Therefore, time is of the essence here; just as the HITEC City did not become what it is today overnight, the Quantum Valley too is not a dream that can be realised at the mere drop of a hat.
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