Quantum India Summit 2025: India must build labs, train talent to stay in Quantum tech race, says Nobel Laureate Duncan Haldane | Bengaluru News
Bengaluru: Even as quantum computing continues to be a work in progress, countries like India must not wait on the sidelines, said Nobel-winning physicist Prof Duncan Haldane.Delivering a keynote address at the Quantum India Summit 2025, titled “The Modern Quantum Mechanics is 100 Years Old; Why All the Excitement Today,” the Princeton professor and 2016 Physics Nobel Laureate said the future of quantum technology won’t be shaped by govts and large corporations alone, but also by smaller players, who focus on real-world, niche applications like quantum sensing.Haldane said while full-scale quantum computers are still being developed by the likes of IBM, Google, and national labs, the immediate opportunity lies in areas like high-precision magnetic sensing, brain imaging, AI-powered geolocation, and even gravitational field mapping. “Quantum computing may still be a dream, but quantum technology is here today. Sensors based on quantum principles are already being used in real applications. These are not just for computing — they are changing how we sense the world around us,” said Haldane.Encouraging countries like India and its states to seize this moment, Haldane said smaller players can make a big impact by identifying niche sensor applications. But to fully participate in this second quantum revolution, he stressed, govts must invest in building a strong foundation of science education and fundamental research.He said: “Govts need quantum-literate researchers, trained in vibrant universities doing world-class science.” He urged Indian policymakers to invest in top-tier laboratories and training institutions, noting that young people need to see real science happening around them in order to be inspired.Haldane also outlined what he called the three essential communities that must come together to make quantum technology a success: physicists and theorists, who build models and conceptual systems; materials scientists and engineers, who turn those ideas into physical devices; and entrepreneurs, who assess the commercial potential and take the leap to build them. Haldane said the quantum future will belong to those countries that invest not just in tech, but in people — scientists, students, and risk-taking innovators.
