Relevance: GS-3: Science and Technology - developments and their applications and effects in everyday life; indigenization of technology and developing new technology; Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers

Key Phrases: Quantum computing, Qubits, processing capabilities, quantum advantage, Quantum communication, National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications, Quantum Simulator, QuEST (Quantum Enabled Science and Technology).

Why in News?

• Senior VP and Director of IBM Research, in his recent visit to India, met some government officials including Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, with whom he shared how IBM could help create a national quantum plan in India.

Key Points:

• In modern day computing, information is relayed and stored in binary digits or bits, that is, 0 or 1.
  • In quantum computing, information sharing, and storage is done in qubits, which exist as 0 or 1 or a combination of both.
  • This allows for a quantum computer to perform a multitude of applications at the same time, at a much faster rate, surpassing the processing ability of a conventional computing system.

  

• Quantum computers will exponentially increase the processing capabilities of a modern-day computer and address impediments linked to combinatorics.
• Near-term and long-term quantum applications will augment AI solutions, improve financial forecasting, drastically reduce failures in the manufacturing sector, accentuate drug development, and push for better cybersecurity paradigms.
• At present, quantum technology is in its nascent stage and will take a few years before it can be practically implemented.
  • We still haven't crossed the threshold of quantum advantage ( It is a point when a quantum system performs functions that today's classical computers cannot).

Need:

Most of the computation will continue to run on classical computers whether in CPUs (central processing units) or accelerators (GPUs or gaming processor units), or AI, but there are several important problems that are very well suited for quantum computers.

• One of them is the dimension of simulating and modeling our world.
  • There are also mathematical problems of great importance that are well suited to quantum computers such as cryptography and factoring.
  • Blockchain, crypto, and other such technologies are going to have to be adapt and change because of the advances of quantum.
• The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) estimates that Quantum computing will have a value addition of US $5 to $10 billion in the next three to five years.
  • The Group also suggests that this figure is expected to reach US $450 billion in the next fifteen years.
• IBM has over 180 institutions that are part of the IBM Quantum Network and they include some of the largest corporations in the world from the financial sector like Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo, Mizuho Bank, and others such as Daimler and also big energy companies in the oil and gas sector, and some materials companies.
• There’s also a huge appetite in university and students with research laboratories participating in this.
• Moreover, Quantum technology can put the present-day encryption at risk, which can pose a threat to a country’s critical cyber infrastructure, thereby, putting its national security at stake.
  • Confidential military and strategic information can be decrypted easily once quantum computers and their applications become a reality.
  • Considering these potential risks, India needs to ramp up its efforts to match pace the US and China, both of which have achieved quantum supremacy.

Government Steps:

• Government has proposed an outlay of ₹8000 crore over a period of five years for the National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications.
• The Indian government in August 2021, launched a Quantum Simulator (QSim) which will allow developers, scientists, and students to research advancements in quantum computing.
  • Quantum Simulators are devices that allow scientists to study quantum effects, which are otherwise difficult to study in a lab. They are important tools for developing and debugging quantum algorithms.
  • The simulator is a software library that simulates quantum computation on our classical computers.
• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has also announced a collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) earlier, to develop a Quantum Computing Applications Lab in the country, meant to provide access to quantum computing development environments to developers, academics etc.

• Raman Research Institute (RRI) in Bengaluru has joined hands with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to develop the quantum technologies that ISRO‘s satellites would need to establish such a network.
• Keeping that in view, they have initiated a mega project called ―Quantum Experiments Using Satellite Technology.
• The directed research program of QuEST (Quantum Enabled Science and Technology) is launched by DST.
  • The scheme draws upon the existing deep strengths within academic institutes across India to support interdisciplinary research projects in key verticals involving quantum technology, while simultaneously developing key foundational strengths in important core areas.

Issues:

• Firstly, the quantum ecosystem in India is loosely built. While India has given a billion-dollar push to quantum computing, a comprehensive multi-stakeholder network is amiss.
• Next, metrics to assess the outcomes of India’s quantum efforts are not clearly defined. Merely achieving quantum supremacy will not necessarily safeguard India’s national interests.
• When it comes to capacity and skilled professionals, India has a small talent pool in the realm of quantum computing. Compared to China or the US, India lags far behind.
• Also, quantum application development will require various aspects of the technology, like quantum information theory, quantum communication, storage, quantum computation, and quantum hardware development to come together.
• India will also need to increase its computer power and work towards developing more complex semiconductor chips to realise its quantum potential.
  • At present, research is carried out in silos and knowledge exchange is not structured. A common platform for all quantum research and development in the country is lacking.
• In the last several decades, India has not been able to develop its strength in hardware manufacturing.
  • For developing a quantum computer at home, India will need superconducting materials, physical qubits, a data plane, chips, processors, and fabrication labs.
• Lastly, most quantum-related research and development is carried out at university campuses. While academia can provide for well-researched prototypes, industry connect is essential for developing them into scalable applications.
  • Translating research into real-world applications should be at the core of India’s quantum efforts.

Way Forward:

For India to move from being an importer of quantum technology to an exporter, it needs to revisit and rework its technology policy objectives, frameworks, and deliverables.

• To address gaps at the policy-level, India should develop metrics to assess the success of its strategy and action plan.
  • E.g., though QuEST program seems detailed and visionary on paper, a periodic feedback system needs to be developed to map the progress of its objectives.
• Entrepreneurship, innovation, university courses at all levels, scholarships, fellowships, training programmes, and consulting in quantum technology will be crucial towards developing a knowledge ecosystem and bridging the skill gap.
  • This will lead to the creation of a dedicated quantum community in India, capable of collaborating with researchers and industry professionals worldwide.
• India must also give a boost to its investor ecosystem which can help amplify production of hardware components of a quantum computer and its applications.
• Moreover, as the demand for semiconductor chips goes up with the coming of these computers, India needs to give a push to its semiconductor industry simultaneously.
  • The government can also support them with production-linked incentive schemes and offer support to market players, like Intel and AMD, through initiatives like the Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors.

Conclusion:

• We are coming to an era where the traditional computing power growth, through the traditional means of silicon and semiconductor power is drawing to a close.
• We’re not going to see the next generation of computing power growth come from a combination of software, new architectures and an overall system redesign and paradigm.
• That is where Quantum Computing comes in and is clearly going to be at the cutting edge of future demands of computing power.

Source: Live Mint  Orfonline

Mains Question:

Q. While India’s quantum technology strategy appears promising, various policy-level and implementation-level gaps need to addressed in a timely manner, so as to ensure India emerges as a world leader in the quantum technology space. Analyse critically.