The Technology Development Board (TDB), under the Department of Science & Technology (DST), has signed an agreement with Bangalore-based QNu Labs Private Limited for financial support of ₹150 crore under the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund, marking a major step in strengthening India’s indigenous quantum technology and secure communications capabilities, announced PIB.

The funding forms part of a ₹300 crore project aimed at developing an indigenous technology backbone for India’s Quantum Secure and Sensing Networks (IQSN), a strategic initiative intended to strengthen the country’s technological sovereignty in critical digital infrastructure.

TDB’s support will be provided through Optionally Convertible Debt (OCD), enabling the company to accelerate the development and commercialisation of advanced quantum-security and sensing technologies.

The project is designed to advance a range of technologies from Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 4-5 to TRL-9, the stage at which systems are fully validated and ready for deployment in operational environments.

At its core, the initiative seeks to establish a sovereign quantum-security and sensing technology stack capable of supporting secure communications, trusted navigation, device authentication and resilient timing infrastructure across India.

As digital networks become increasingly interconnected, securing the authenticity of devices, protecting communications, ensuring trusted navigation and maintaining reliable time synchronisation are emerging as critical national priorities.

Quantum technologies are widely regarded as a key solution to these challenges because they offer security mechanisms capable of addressing future cyber threats and limitations associated with conventional cryptographic systems.

QNu Labs plans to build this capability around four strategic pillars: identity security, location integrity, network security and time integrity, creating a unified framework for sovereign security and sensing infrastructure.

Under the identity security pillar, the company intends to develop quantum-secure Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) and quantum-safe Trusted Platform Modules (TPMs), providing hardware-based device identity, authentication and cryptographic protection while reducing the risks associated with compromised or duplicated identities.

The location integrity component will focus on trusted navigation technologies, including compact quantum magnetometers capable of detecting electromagnetic tampering and supporting navigation in GPS-denied environments, a capability with significant applications for defence and other mission-critical sectors.

The network security segment will advance chip-based and satellite-based Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), alongside quantum-secure communication modules and encryption systems aimed at protecting data across both terrestrial and long-distance communication networks.

Under the time integrity pillar, QNu Labs will pursue indigenous atomic clock technologies and secure time synchronisation systems using QKD-authenticated distribution, helping to protect telecommunications, financial networks, critical infrastructure and defence systems.

Collectively, these technologies are expected to form an integrated quantum trust framework capable of guaranteeing device authenticity, secure communications, trusted positioning and tamper-resistant timing services.

The program will also involve extensive research, engineering refinement, system integration and validation activities intended to mature these technologies into deployable solutions and strengthen India’s indigenous quantum ecosystem.

TDB Secretary Rajesh Kumar Pathak said quantum technologies are creating new opportunities to tackle challenges in cybersecurity, communications, navigation and critical infrastructure, adding that building indigenous capabilities across these domains is essential for enhancing India’s technological self-reliance and long-term security. He noted that the RDI Fund is specifically intended to support advanced technologies that require sustained investment to progress from research and engineering efforts to fully integrated operational systems.

QNu Labs founder described the partnership as an opportunity to accelerate the company’s research and development roadmap beyond its existing quantum-security portfolio into chip-based and satellite-based QKD, quantum sensing and artificial intelligence.

The company stated that the effort will focus on device identity, location integrity, network security and time integrity while supporting defence, telecom, financial and critical infrastructure sectors, alongside collaboration with academia, industry and Start-Ups to strengthen India’s broader quantum technology ecosystem.

Beyond the immediate project objectives, the initiative aligns with India’s wider push towards quantum technologies through the National Quantum Mission and complements ongoing efforts to build sovereign capabilities in quantum communication, sensing and cybersecurity.

QNu Labs has already emerged as one of India’s leading quantum-security firms, with experience in quantum key distribution, quantum random number generation and secure communication systems, making the new TDB-backed project a significant milestone in the development of an indigenous quantum-secure technology ecosystem.

PIB