VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh is poised to make history in advanced technology with the inauguration of the country’s first indigenous Quantum Testing Reference Facility. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will launch the facility on April 14, coinciding with World Quantum Day, marking a new chapter in India’s quantum journey.
The initiative positions Amaravati as a global hub for quantum research and innovation under the National Quantum Mission. Two test beds, Amaravati 1Q at Medha Towers in Gannavaram and Amaravati 1S at SRM University in Amaravati, will provide open-access platforms for students and researchers to directly engage with quantum computing processes. Officials said the facilities will operate at cryogenic temperatures of minus 273°C, enabling precision testing of quantum hardware components.
The Chief Minister emphasised that the project is not limited to software algorithms but aims to achieve self-reliance in hardware manufacturing. Recently, he held consultations with over 30 quantum hardware firms to strengthen indigenous capabilities. The new facilities will serve as certification centres for devices tested in Amaravati, anchoring India’s quantum hardware network.
The State government has already unveiled a Quantum Computing Policy (2025–30) and is developing a “Quantum Valley” at Uddandarayunipalem over 50 acres. Plans include a 133-qubit quantum computer in partnership with IBM, supported by TCS, L&T, and national research institutions such as TIFR and CSIR.
Applications are expected across drug discovery, vaccine development, weather modelling, semiconductors, logistics, defence, and aerospace. More than 80 global companies and institutions have signed agreements to collaborate, while training programs are underway to prepare 60,000 specialists immediately and 4.5 million quantum professionals over the next five years.
Officials said Amaravati’s emergence as a quantum hub will place Andhra Pradesh among the world’s top five centres for quantum innovation, echoing the IT revolution that Naidu spearheaded three decades ago.