Science Advisor Voiced Concerns Over Local Firms in Quantum Tech
India's top science advisor signals alarm over the near-complete lack of indigenous enterprises in the field of quantum stacks and quantum security, claiming that an excessive reliance on imports could cause disruptions in the rapidly developing home ecosystem of the rapidly rising sector.
Since quantum technology is essential for strategic autonomy, no nation wants to fall behind in this field, according to Professor Ajay Sood, the government's principal scientific adviser.
Only 2.6 percent of the researchers surveyed said that they receive industrial support for their work, according to the paper, which analyzed PhD and postdoctoral researchers in India and found that industry funding is now at a restricted stage.
It said that a review of research publications in India revealed that financing for quantum research across verticals was coming from nations including China, Japan, Germany, and others.
"The aspect of international funding flowing in research publications in India highlights collaboration between Indian and international counterparts but may also point towards concerns regarding research security," the report said.
It claimed that the financial industry was one of the first in the world to embrace quantum technology, with HSBC Bank joining the UK's quantum secure metro network in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh and Bank of America holding the most patents in the fields of quantum communication and cryptography.
"The Indian financial sector does not have much participation in the domain of quantum security and risks lagging behind," the report said.
Professor Sood made a compelling case for spending money developing quantum gear in order to lessen reliance on imports.
"The participation of Indian financial service providers is currently limited in this regard, highlighting a critical gap in the quantum readiness of the sector."
"We need to bring much more funds for startups and de-risk the investment, which means we need to create markets for the products. And this is where all the players, be it government, private sectors, academia, or startups, play a role to create this ecosystem," he added.
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"We need to be an active player in defining the global standards for Quantum Tech. This is a gap we need to fill. Because once we have that, we will also play a role in standardisation efforts, and that is what leads to strategic autonomy," Prof Sood added.