MeitY- QCAL to support 60 tech institutions in its second cohort

The central government plans to support more than 60 technology institutions as part of the second cohort of the Quantum Computing Applications Lab (QCAL). QCAL is collaboration between the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud computing arm of Amazon.

MeitY-QCAL was established in January 2021 aiming to accelerate research and development in quantum computing and facilitate new scientific discoveries. During its first cohort, MeitY-QCAL provided quantum computing as a cloud-based service to 16 institutions, including government entities, researchers, scientists, academia, and developers. The initiative's main focus is to drive advancements in key sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, and aerospace engineering.

“The MeitY- QCAL completed its first cohort of 16 different organizations. We have learned a lot and we are excited about the new cohort that is forming, that now will have more than 60 participants,” Max Peterson, vice president of worldwide public sector at AWS told BT.

The inaugural cohort of MeitY-QCAL received research proposals from esteemed academic institutes across India, including Indian Institutes of Technologys (IITs), Indian Institutes of Science (IISc.), Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER), Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), National Institute of Technology (NIT), and Indian Statistical Institute (ISI). The proposals covered a wide range of topics related to quantum computing, such as quantum computation, quantum information, exploration of quantum algorithms, quantum simulators/hardware, quantum machine learning, optimisation problems, and the application of quantum systems in domains like drug discovery and materials research.

Quantum computing is an emerging field that utilises the principles of quantum mechanics to develop powerful information processing tools. It has the potential to solve computational problems that surpass the capabilities of classical computers, leading to transformative breakthroughs in areas such as chemical engineering, material science, drug discovery, financial portfolio optimization, and machine learning.

The government currently is evaluating the proposals, senior officials told Business Today. A senior official at MeitY stated that the QCAL lab will provide AWS Braket quantum computing as a service to researchers, scientists, and developers in various fields, including manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, and aerospace engineering.

“Amazon Internet Services Pvt Ltd (AISPL) will offer technical and programmatic support to QCAL, and the fully managed quantum computing service, Amazon Braket, will enable researchers and developers to explore quantum technology and expedite their research and discoveries,” said the official adding that additionally, AISPL will assist in upskilling project investigators, students, and postdocs involved in these projects, organizing workshops and immersion days to familiarize researchers with the AWS cloud and Amazon Braket.

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