Quantum computing will commence operations from Andhra Pradesh’s Amaravati on February 3, 2027, in collaboration with IBM, TCS and L&T. This will mark Andhra Pradesh's evolution from a mere consumer to a producer and exporter of quantum hardware systems.
Speaking at the Pan-IIT Amaravati Summit 2026 in Vijayawada on Saturday, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu unveiled a series of initiatives aimed at putting Andhra Pradesh on the global technology map. He proposed the Rs. 500 crore Pan IIT Amaravati Venture Fund, designed to support DeepTech startups, innovation and investment.
The state government and Pan-IIT alumni representatives also signed the Pan-IIT Amaravati Declaration, in the presence of Naidu. The declaration proposes a permanent Pan-IIT Amaravati Council in partnership with the Andhra Pradesh government and Pan-IIT Alumni India.
For Naidu, the IIT network is not merely a source of prestige, but a potential development engine. “India’s 23 IITs have produced around five lakh graduates. Many of them occupy influential positions across technology, industry, research and business worldwide. Andhra Pradesh wants to bring this intellectual capital into its development story,” he said, in his 45-minute address at the summit.
Spending more than six hours with IITians and deep tech innovators at the B.R. Ambedkar Kala Vedika centre, an overwhelmed Naidu said that the proposed council will become the nodal institution for deeptech development in the state. It is expected to work with universities, industries and startups and provide recommendations for Andhra Pradesh’s deep tech policy. He said the idea is to create a chain running from classroom to laboratory, from laboratory to startup and from startup to industry.
Naidu also said the Pan-IIT Council would help update academic curricula in line with rapidly changing technology and industry requirements. The government also wants entrepreneurship skills to be developed among students from the high-school level.
Artificial intelligence is at the heart of this push
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s national target of creating one crore AI professionals, Naidu said Andhra Pradesh had set a target of contributing 50 lakh AI-skilled professionals to the national mission. He also said that steps were taken to set up a Sovereign AI Stack and cited the 18 percent GST revenue increase achieved through adoption of AI as an example of the potential of AI and related technologies.
Naidu’s most striking pitch, however, is in quantum computing. “Quantum technology companies had indicated that commercial quantum computers could be manufactured within the next two years. Andhra Pradesh is already positioning itself around the technology, with mini quantum test laboratories, including Q-Shiva systems, being made available ahead of the proposed 156-qubit quantum system in Amaravati,” he said.
But Naidu's ambition does not stop at installing quantum computers. He wants Andhra Pradesh to eventually manufacture and export quantum computing equipment. “That would mark a significant shift from being a consumer of advanced technology to becoming a manufacturing and research base for it. It would also fit into the state’s broader effort to attract high-technology industries to Amaravati and other emerging centres,” he explained.
To achieve this ambition, the Pan-IIT declaration will come up with a framework, he noted. The declaration proposes 10 Industry Chairs in universities and educational institutions, in partnership with industry, to strengthen research and skill development. It also envisages a network of 100 global IIT mentors to guide startups and aspiring entrepreneurs.
He also announced that a Rs 500 crore Pan IIT Amaravati Venture Fund will be established to promote DeepTech startups, innovation and investments. DeepTech companies typically require longer development cycles and substantial investment before commercialisation. The fund, along with the proposed council and industry-academia partnerships, is intended to create a pipeline from research and ideas to investment and commercial applications. Naidu described this ecosystem as a way to convert innovative ideas into practical solutions, enterprises and employment.
The state is also trying to build several technology ecosystems simultaneously. The declaration identifies quantum computing, AI, semiconductors, space and defence, healthcare, agritech and water technologies as areas in which the Pan-IIT Council could support advanced technology development.
Naidu also linked the technology push to regional development. The government, he said, is pursuing initiatives such as the Global Horticulture Hub to transform Rayalaseema’s agricultural and economic landscape. Reliance Industries, he added, has come forward to support the establishment and operation of the Indian School of Agriculture.
Pan-IIT Alumni India chairman Prabhat Kumar, vice-chairman Amitabh Ranjan, Pan-IIT AP Summit chair Swadeep Pillarisetti, secretary of ITE&S Department of GoAP Katamneni Bhaskar and several other IITians took part in the day long programme.
