Karnataka Allocates Land For Quantum City Near Bengaluru

After launching the INR 1,000 Cr Quantum Mission, the Karnataka government has approved allocation of 6.17 acres of land in Hesaraghatta in Bengaluru to build a Quantum City (QCity). 

Announcing the development on X, Karnataka’s science and technology minister NS Boseraju said QCity will be Karnataka’s dedicated hub for state-of-the-art research laboratories, startup incubation and industry-academia collaboration. It will also have production clusters for quantum hardware and processors and a quantum high performance computing data centre. 

With the Quantum Mission, the state government aims to build a $20 Bn quantum economy by 2035 and create more than 2 Lakh jobs. 

Notably, Karnataka has also sanctioned 8 acres of land for ICTS-TIFR (International Centre for Theoretical Sciences – Tata Institute of Fundamental Research) in Hesaraghatta to expand research and academic excellence in theoretical sciences. 

“This is a historic step for Karnataka. The Quantum City at Hessarghatta will attract global talent, investments, and firmly place Bengaluru on the world’s quantum map,” the minister added in the X post. 

India’s Quantum Computing Push

At the time of the launch of the Quantum Mission, chief minister Siddaramaiah said that a Quantum Technology Task Force will guide policy and quantum parks, manufacturing zones, and QCity will boost innovation in the state. 

The government is also looking to launch quantum skilling programmes in 20 colleges and offer 150 PhD fellowships throughout the state.

Siddaramaiah also mentioned then that Karnataka will establish India’s first Quantum Hardware Park, along with four innovation zones and a dedicated fabrication facility to strengthen domestic production of quantum components.

The state further plans to set up a Quantum Venture Capital Fund to support over 100 startups.

The developments come at a time when the Centre is also promoting the quantum computing sector. As part of this, the Union cabinet approved the National Quantum Mission (NQM) in 2023 with a total budget outlay of INR 6,003.65 Cr for the period from FY24 to FY31. 

The mission aims to “seed, nurture, and scale up” scientific and industrial research and development while fostering a dynamic and innovative ecosystem in quantum technology. The NQM announced plans to offer grants to 10-15 startups engaged in quantum technology last year. 

Earlier this year, QpiAI raised $32 Mn in its Series A funding round co-led by Avataar Ventures and National Quantum Mission. In another such funding, quantum cybersecurity startup QNu Labs secured INR 60 Cr in Series A funding round led by the NQM.