New Delhi, Sep 24 (NVI) The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has signed its first high-value deep-tech project agreement with a start-up under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme for indigenous development of a 20 millikelvin dilution refrigerator for quantum applications.
The agreement was signed between the Director, TDF, and Zero mK India Private Limited, Alwar, Rajasthan, in New Delhi, the DRDO said.
It is the first high-value agreement under the Rs 500-crore corpus approved for deep-tech and cutting-edge projects, it said.
Dilution refrigerators are specialised cryogenic systems capable of achieving extremely low temperatures in the millikelvin range. Such ultra-low temperatures are required for the operation and testing of several quantum computing platforms and related technologies.
The indigenous development of a 20 mK-class dilution refrigerator is aligned with the National Quantum Mission and is aimed at strengthening India’s capabilities in quantum technology, advanced cryogenics and strategic technologies, the DRDO said.
The project is also expected to reduce dependence on imported cryogenic infrastructure and support the development of the domestic quantum technology ecosystem.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented the DRDO, industry and other stakeholders involved in the project and said the partnership could set an important precedent for future collaborations between the defence research organisation and industry in emerging technology domains.
Defence Secretary and Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and DRDO Chairman Rajesh Kumar Singh congratulated the teams and wished them success in achieving the project objectives.
Senior officials, including the Director General, Micro Electronic Devices and Computational System and Cyber Security, Director General, Technology Management and Director, Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL), were present on the occasion.
The project is being monitored, mentored and supported by the Director, SSPL, and his team, the DRDO said.—(NVI)
