Information technology services major Tech Mahindra announced a partnership with I-HUB Quantum Technology Foundation (I-HUB QTF), a technology hub hosted by the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, to accelerate the development of India's indigenous trapped-ion quantum computing capabilities. According to reports from Business Standard, this collaboration aims to create value by accelerating access to indigenous quantum infrastructure for Indian researchers, startups, students, enterprises and strategic-sector innovators. As quantum computing technology is starting to take shape in commercial forms, Tech Mahindra is playing a leading role by helping to make this technology available in India in partnership with I-Hub. The partnership is strategically positioned to advance India's sovereign AI capabilities and strengthen the country's quantum computing ecosystem.
I-HUB QTF is developing a full-stack, 20-qubit quantum computer based on a trapped-ion platform, as reported by Business Standard. As part of the partnership, Tech Mahindra and I-HUB QTF will develop middleware for a trapped-ion quantum computer. This middleware layer will enable seamless communication between the trapped-ion quantum hardware and its underlying control electronics, supporting the efficient execution of quantum workloads. The platform is expected to support research, algorithm development, quantum machine learning (QML) and post-quantum cryptography (PQC), while serving as a valuable training environment for researchers, students, startups and technology professionals. Quantum computing is poised to amplify AI by solving highly complex computational problems beyond the capabilities of traditional systems, making indigenous quantum infrastructure crucial for India's technological advancement.
The project is anticipated to be completed by December 2026, with commercialisation activities expected to begin thereafter, according to Business Standard. Leveraging its expertise in engineering and advanced technologies, Tech Mahindra will help build a scalable software foundation for the trapped-ion quantum computing platform. When ready, the trapped-ion quantum computing facility will be opened up for access to the Indian community for industrial and academic usage, significantly enhancing India's quantum computing capability. The partnership will enable users to experiment, build skills and develop applications in areas such as drug discovery, logistics, cryptography and defence. This facility will significantly enhance the quantum computing capability of India, positioning the country to compete in next-generation enterprise applications.
Nikhil Malhotra, chief AI and innovation officer at Tech Mahindra, stated that quantum computing has the potential to open new possibilities for enterprises, research and strategic sectors. As reported by Business Standard, he emphasized that to unlock this potential for India, robust indigenous capabilities combining advanced research with scalable engineering are essential. The partnership combines I-HUB QTF's deep scientific expertise with Tech Mahindra's engineering excellence to help accelerate India's trapped-ion quantum computing ecosystem and create future-ready solutions. Kunj Tandon, Chief Executive Officer of I-HUB QTF, emphasized the importance of collaboration between academia and industry, noting that effective partnerships between industry and academia are necessary to move quantum technology from the lab to market. I-HUB QTF was established through the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) with support from the Department of Science and Technology (DST), and is mandated to develop and translate technology to productization, develop human resources and incubate and support start-ups.
