Opinion | Quantum Technologies: India's Next Strategic Frontier

Atul Tripathi,Rajesh Dhuddu

For India, investing in quantum today is not merely a technological choice; it is an economic imperative and a strategic investment in long-term national competitiveness.

The next global race for economic and technological leadership will not be won by the nations with the largest populations or economies alone. It will be won by those who invest early in strategic technologies. Quantum technologies are rapidly moving to the top of that global agenda.

Quantum technologies are emerging as the defining capability that will shape economic competitiveness, cybersecurity, defence, scientific leadership and national resilience over the next two decades.

Has Trump Brought Meloni And Macron Closer? How Europe Is Closing Ranks Against The US

Icebreakers: Why Donald Trump Wants These Big Beautiful Boats And Their Finnish Connection

Why Trump Is Suddenly Eyeing Kazakhstan: The Answer Lies In A Little-Known Metal And America's China Strategy

Pay For OTT Subscription, Ad-Free & Paywall Content: Can You Stream Past The Web Of Charges?

The Numbers Tell The Story

Global public investment in quantum technologies has already crossed US$45–50 billion.

Industry analysts estimate that quantum technologies could create over US$1 trillion in economic value by 2035–2040 across sectors such as finance, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, defence, logistics, energy, telecommunications and healthcare.

More than 30 countries now have dedicated national quantum programmes.

There are more than 1,500 quantum start-ups globally.

Over 100 governments, universities and corporations are running national-scale quantum programmes.

Why India Cannot Afford To Wait

For India, the implications extend far beyond technological advancement. Quantum technologies will strengthen national security by enabling next-generation defence systems, quantum-secure communications and resilient intelligence capabilities. They will reinforce financial stability by protecting digital payments, banking infrastructure, stock exchanges and capital markets against future quantum-enabled cyber threats through post-quantum cryptography.

At the same time, advances in quantum materials and photonics will accelerate India’s semiconductor ambitions, while quantum sensing will modernise defence platforms with GPS-independent navigation, precision surveillance and enhanced situational awareness.

Together, these capabilities will strengthen India’s technological sovereignty and reduce dependence on critical foreign technologies.

Quantum technologies have the potential to transform the very engines of India’s economic growth by solving complex optimisation challenges that conventional computing struggles to address. Quantum computing can optimise railway networks, multimodal logistics,........

© News18