In a quiet lab in Bengaluru, a 25-qubit quantum computer hums softly—its superconducting circuits cooled to near absolute zero. It’s not much to look at, but it represents a tectonic shift in India’s scientific ambition. This machine, developed by QpiAI under the National Quantum Mission (NQM), is India’s first full-stack quantum computer. And it’s just the beginning.
India’s roadmap to quantum supercomputing is no longer a speculative dream. It is a structured, state-backed, and scientifically ambitious journey that aims to place the country among the global leaders in quantum technology by 2047—the centenary of Indian independence.
But while government initiatives and startups are building the hardware, a quieter revolution is unfolding in the realm of theory and molecular-scale computation. At its heart is Dr. Anirban Bandyopadhyay, an Indian physicist whose radical ideas about quantum information processing at the molecular level may one day redefine what we mean by a “quantum computer.”
Launched in 2023 with a budget of ₹6,003.65 crore, the National Quantum Mission (NQM) is India’s most ambitious scientific initiative since the Green Revolution. Its goals are sweeping: build quantum computers with up to 1,000 qubits, develop secure quantum communication networks, and create quantum sensors and materials for strategic applications.
The roadmap is structured in phases. By 2028, India aims to standardize quantum cryptographic devices and simulate superconducting materials. By 2034, it plans to develop proprietary quantum algorithms and simulate spintronics. And by 2047, the goal is to manipulate individual atoms and molecules for quantum computing and materials science.
Four Thematic Hubs (T-Hubs) have been established at premier institutions like IISc Bengaluru and IIT Madras, focusing on quantum computing, communication, sensing, and materials. These hubs are not just research centers—they are incubators for India’s quantum future.
On World Quantum Day 2025, Bengaluru-based QpiAI unveiled India’s first full-stack quantum computer, powered by 25 superconducting qubits. Named QpiAI-Indus, the system integrates quantum hardware, AI-enhanced software, and scalable control systems.
“This is not just a machine—it’s a platform for solving real-world problems,” said QpiAI CEO Dr. Rajeev Ranjan. “From drug discovery to climate modeling, quantum computing will change how we think about computation itself.”
The system is already being tested for applications in logistics optimization, materials science, and life sciences. It marks India’s entry into a club that includes the U.S., China, and the EU—nations with operational quantum computers.
While QpiAI builds the hardware, Dr. Anirban Bandyopadhyay is reimagining the very architecture of quantum computation. A Principal Research Scientist at Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Bandyopadhyay’s work straddles nanotechnology, molecular electronics, and biophysics.
His most radical idea? That computation doesn’t need silicon or even superconducting circuits—it can happen inside molecules.
In his book Nanobrain (2020), Bandyopadhyay describes a wheel-like molecular architecture capable of parallel information processing. His “nano brain” uses 32 molecular motors and switches embedded in a dendritic molecule to perform logic operations. These self-operating nanomachines mimic the brain’s decentralized processing and could, in theory, outperform classical computers in specific tasks.
In a 2024 paper, Bandyopadhyay and his team demonstrated an optical quantum computer that combines quantum logic gates with quantum annealing—a hybrid model that could bridge the gap between current quantum prototypes and scalable systems.
Bandyopadhyay’s work also ventures into the controversial. He has studied microtubules—protein filaments inside neurons—as potential quantum processors. Using scanning tunneling microscopy, he observed that these structures resonate at high frequencies, suggesting they could process information far faster than traditional neurons.
“Contrary to all current scientific understanding, the neuron wasn’t the essential, or first cause of the human thought process,” wrote journalist Steve Volk in Discover Magazine, summarizing Bandyopadhyay’s findings.
While the idea of quantum consciousness remains debated, the implications for quantum computing are profound. If biological systems can perform quantum operations at room temperature, they could inspire a new class of bio-quantum machines—far more efficient than today’s cryogenic systems.
India’s push into quantum computing is not just about scientific prestige. It has real-world implications for national security, economic competitiveness, and technological sovereignty.
Quantum computers could break current encryption systems, making secure communication a matter of national defense. They could revolutionize drug discovery, optimize supply chains, and model climate systems with unprecedented accuracy.
“Quantum technology is the new space race,” said Dr. Gita Gopinath, First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF, during a 2024 panel in Davos. “And India, with its talent pool and policy momentum, is well-positioned to lead.”
Despite the progress, challenges remain. Quantum hardware is fragile, error-prone, and expensive. India must invest in cryogenic infrastructure, quantum-safe cryptography, and a skilled workforce.
Moreover, the theoretical models proposed by researchers like Bandyopadhyay need experimental validation and scalable engineering. But the seeds have been sown.
The government’s plan to build quantum computers with up to 1,000 qubits by 2031 is ambitious but achievable—if public and private sectors collaborate effectively.
In 2047, when India turns 100, it may well unveil a quantum supercomputer capable of solving problems that today’s machines cannot even define. That machine may be built in a lab in Bengaluru, but its soul could trace back to a molecule studied by a Bengali physicist in Japan.
India’s roadmap to quantum supercomputing is not just a policy document—it is a declaration of intent. An intent to lead, to innovate, and to imagine computation not just as a tool, but as a new language of reality.
As Dr. Anirban Bandyopadhyay once said, “The future of computing is not in bits or qubits—it is in rhythms, in patterns, in the dance of molecules.”
And India, it seems, is learning the steps.
