The Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) has announced the establishment of Quantum-Hub@MAHE (Q-HUB@MAHE) at the Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), Bengaluru, aimed at advancing India’s indigenous quantum hardware ecosystem in line with the country’s National Quantum Mission.

The initiative is envisioned as a comprehensive design-to-deployment platform that integrates quantum hardware experimentation, deep-tech startup incubation, component innovation, workforce development, testing infrastructure, and translational research within an academic framework. Through this effort, MAHE seeks to strengthen India’s sovereign capabilities across the quantum technology value chain.

Under the multi-campus strategy, MIT Bengaluru will serve as the operational hub for advanced hardware experimentation, supported by cryogenic and radio-frequency infrastructure, as well as structured quantum engineering education and training.

In its first phase, the facility will deploy a 25-qubit dilution refrigeration (DR) open-architecture system to support advanced training and experimentation. The hub plans to gradually expand its capabilities, moving from sub-50 qubit training systems to 50–150 qubit proof-of-concept platforms, and eventually toward industrial-scale quantum systems exceeding 1,000 qubits.

Unlike vendor-locked quantum platforms, Q-HUB@MAHE has been designed as an open-architecture ecosystem to support indigenous component development, calibration technologies, hardware integration, and scalable manufacturing. The long-term goal includes developing indigenous Quantum Processing Units (QPUs) and industry-ready quantum hardware solutions.

The initiative has been formalized through Memorandums of Agreement with global and national technology partners including QuantrolOx and Bluefors from Finland, QBLOX from the Netherlands, ConScience from Sweden, and India’s Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

These collaborations outline a Year-1 roadmap focused on workforce development, hardware experimentation, intellectual property co-development, and the establishment of national testing infrastructure aligned with the objectives of the National Quantum Mission.

As part of its training initiative, Q-HUB@MAHE aims to train 100 quantum engineers by December 2026 through a certification programme combining online coursework, assessments, and hands-on laboratory experience.