Vijayawada: With quantum computing set to usher in revolutionary changes in many sectors, the proposed Amaravati Quantum Valley (AQV) is expected to play a key role in India’s ‘quantum mission’. The AP govt organised a curtain-raiser event with representatives from IBM, TCS, and LTI Mindtree as a precursor to the workshop to be held on June 30 to mark ‘National Quantum Mission Day’. Explaining the steps taken by the govt towards the development of Quantum Valley, PS Pradyumna, secretary to the chief minister, said Andhra Pradesh is at the forefront of leading the quantum computing revolution that is set to unfold in the next three-four years. “Quantum computers can perform parallel processing in solving complex problems that conventional computers cannot solve or would take years to solve. For example, if a conventional computer takes one month to crack a password, a quantum computer will crack it within a minute through parallel processing. With this kind of speed, all existing cybersecurity systems will become susceptible to cyber-attacks, and there will be an inevitable need to upgrade to solutions like post-quantum cryptography,” he explained, while adding that many companies have already started upgrading their systems.As pioneers in computing and having a perfect ecosystem with a policy framework in place, AP can lead the change from conventional to quantum computing, not only in India but across the world, Pradyumna said. The state govt is inviting experts and end users to the workshop on June 30, during which the ‘Amaravati Quantum Declaration’ would be announced setting future goals.ITE&C secretary Bhaskar Katamaneni said an ecosystem is being built to enable industries to bring their challenges and develop algorithms using the quantum computing facility. “This will be the first full-stack quantum infrastructure in India, which can be accessed remotely by users across the country,” he said, adding that the state govt expects that around 90,000 to 100,000 high-end jobs will be created once the Quantum Valley is fully operational.Prof Anil Prabhakar from IIT Madras, Amith Singhee, director of IBM Research India, and Vijaya Rao from LTI Mindtree attended the event.
