CIOInsider India Magazine

Remember the time when Google claimed that it accomplished a feat in quantum supremacy that surpassed the world’s supercomputer? On the other hand, HCL Technologies and T-Hub have partnered to give a shot in exploring the realm of quantum computing. The world has been curious about the wonders this technological realm can bring and is already working towards establishing a sci-fi-like world that is projected in movies.

Nonetheless, quantum computing is a rapidly developing computational paradigm that uses quantum mechanics to execute a number of tasks faster and more efficiently than current conventional computers. Quantum computing offers exponential development in computer power in fields like cryptography, computational chemistry, and machine learning.

The Government of India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has released the country's first ‘Quantum Computer Simulator (QSim) Toolkit’. QSim is a first-of-its-kind toolkit built entirely in India, and it aims to be a useful tool for learning and comprehending the practical aspects of programming with quantum computers, ushering in a new era of Quantum Computing research in India.

Furthermore, the QSim toolkit is in sync with the country's Prime Minister's objective of making India stand entirely on its foot by 2022, as part of the central government's flagship initiative AatmaNirbhar Bharat. It's a great occasion for the entire QSim Toolbox team, who have worked tirelessly to make a toolkit for furthering Quantum Computing research in India a reality.

Students can Write and Debug Quantum Code for Quantum Algorithms
It is the country's first joint endeavor with IISc Bangalore, IIT Roorkee, and C-DAC working together to address the common problem of expanding India's Quantum Computing research frontiers. Researchers and students can certainly bank on it when it comes to cost-effective Quantum Computing research.

As participating agencies, IISc Bengaluru, IIT Roorkee, and C-DAC conceptualized the project using a multi-institutional approach. MeitY supported and funded it. Researchers and students can use QSim to write and debug Quantum Code, which is required for developing Quantum Algorithms. Researchers can use QSim to examine Quantum Algorithms under idealized conditions and make the necessary preparations for experiments to run on genuine Quantum Hardware. QSim has the potential to be a valuable educational and research tool, as well as a great way to attract students and researchers to the subject of quantum technology.

The reason for it is that the toolkit provides a platform for students and users to learn how to 'program' and 'design' genuine Quantum Hardware.

The team from IIT Roorkee assisted the teams from the Indian Institute of Science, CDAC-Bangalore, and CDAC-Hyderabad. In turn, they assisted in providing the required essence in quantum computing and developing programs to be tested and implemented on the toolkit as part of the ‘Design and Development of Quantum Computing Toolkit (Simulator, Workbench) and Capacity Building’ project.

Currently, rumors say that the X-Factor in the toolkit is its Intuitive User Interface, which combines a powerful Quantum Computer Simulator with a Workbench based on a Graphical User Interface for creating Quantum programs and visualizing the instant circuit generating simulated outputs.

“Our team worked closely with the teams from CDAC on the development of the toolkit”, Dr.Sugata Gangopadhyay, Professor, and Head, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Roorkee, said of IIT Roorkee's contribution. The knowledge offered by IIT Roorkee was important in getting the toolkit to its current condition. We're currently working on creating applications that will be used on the simulator. We are delighted to be a part of this collaboration since it has built an ecosystem in the country to foster the quantum community, which will lead to a variety of future technological breakthroughs.

While that’s that, IIT Roorkee recently introduced two introductory quantum computation courses to promote research and studies in the field. In October of this year, the E&ICT academy held its first course, which drew over 400 participants from varied backgrounds and resulted in 165 people receiving credentials from the school. In March of this year, a second course was offered to scientists and officers from various government organizations and laboratories, and about 100 people attended.

“IIT Roorkee will continue to play an active role in quantum computing teaching and research. The quantum simulator, which was just released, is positioned to be a critical enabler in this direction”, remarks Prof. Ajit K Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee, while acknowledging the institution's national achievement.

HCL and T-Hub Join Forces to Break Sweat in Quantum Computing
The two have set out on a journey to learn more about Quantum Computing and Deep Technology. Despite the fact that quantum computing has yet to realize its full potential, corporations are already working on its platform and making significant investments. T-Hub is considering affixing the HCL Technologies' eSTiP Open Innovation Program to select startups. The initiative promotes co-creation through an open innovation paradigm and is administered by the company's Enterprise Technology Office (ETO), with the goal of inventing and enforcing cooperation across various stakeholders.

The two have embarked on a quest to gain a better understanding of Quantum Computing and Deep Technology. Despite the fact that quantum computing has yet to reach its full potential, companies are already developing platforms and betting on it big time. T-Hub is thinking about partnering with HCL Technologies' eSTiP Open Innovation Program to help pick entrepreneurs. The Enterprise Technology Office (ETO) oversees the project, which encourages co-creation through an open innovation paradigm with the purpose of developing and enforcing cooperation among various stakeholders.

T-Hub's innovation skills and startup ecosystem align with all of these attributes and promises. Through its flagship program, Lab32, the company's startup innovation team has helped companies like Chitmonks, Drink Prime, and Pulse raise money since 2008. It established major international relationships with the South Korean government, the Japan Investment and Cooperation Agency (JICA), and others last year, resulting in more than 325 international startup connections.

HCL will attempt at curating startup solutions for its own clients and for specialized program objectives while gaining access to T-events Hubs and demo days.

“Our corporate membership concept is built in such a way that companies get a complete image of an innovation ecosystem with all the tools they need to stay ahead of the competition. Our relationship with HCL Technologies exemplifies this”, stated Ravi Narayan, CEO of T-Hub.