In a landmark development for India’s quantum computing ambitions, scientists at BITS Pilani, working with IBM Quantum, have simulated the behaviour of subatomic particles on 120 qubits of an IBM quantum processor, achieving in 20 seconds what a classical computer would take two hours to compute. Crucially, this result has been independently verified as “active” by the Quantum Advantage Tracker (QAT), a rigorous peer-review mechanism launched in November 2025 by IBM along with the Flatiron Institute, making it one of only a handful of results worldwide, and the first from an Indian laboratory, to survive this scrutiny.
This achievement matters profoundly for India’s science and technology policy because it demonstrates tangible progress under the National Quantum Mission, the Rs 6,003 crore programme approved by the Union Cabinet in 2023 to build India’s quantum computing, communication, and sensing capabilities. For UPSC aspirants, this is an important case study in India’s strategic technology positioning, illustrating both genuine scientific achievement and the structural gap that remains: India has algorithmic talent but lacks indigenous, high-end quantum hardware, forcing researchers to rely on machines located abroad.
💡 Get AI-powered exam prep on your phone!
Dr Indrakshi Raychowdhury of BITS Pilani’s physics department led the team that tackled a problem in high-energy physics — simulating quarks and gluons governed by the strong nuclear force — a domain where classical computers struggle to track particle evolution in real time due to the exponential complexity of the calculations involved. The team’s algorithm reduced mathematical redundancy so effectively that it could scale from 27 qubits used by prior researchers to 120 qubits, and Dr Raychowdhury has stated that it could scale seamlessly to a 1,000-qubit machine if one became available.
Background and Context
Quantum computers excel at simulating complex interacting quantum systems where particles mutually influence each other, a task that is exponentially difficult for classical computers, even though quantum computers are comparatively poor at simple arithmetic tasks that classical calculators handle trivially. Understanding precisely where this “quantum advantage” applies is the central challenge driving global investment in the field.
Five Important Key Points
- BITS Pilani researchers, working with IBM Quantum, simulated subatomic particle behaviour on 120 qubits of an IBM processor in 20 seconds, a task that would take a classical computer approximately two hours to complete.
- The result has been certified “active” by the Quantum Advantage Tracker (QAT), launched in November 2025 by IBM and the Flatiron Institute, making it the first Indian laboratory result to survive this rigorous verification process out of roughly 220 submissions logged, of which only about a dozen remain active.
- The research addressed a genuinely useful problem in high-energy physics — simulating quarks and gluons bound by the strong nuclear force — unlike earlier “contrived” quantum advantage demonstrations such as Google’s 2019 claim, which had no practical application.
- India’s National Quantum Mission, approved by the Union Cabinet in 2023 with a Rs 6,003 crore outlay, is funding quantum algorithm research and hubs, including in Bengaluru, but the country currently has no high-end indigenous quantum hardware, forcing reliance on foreign machines.
- The BITS Pilani team’s encoding method stripped away mathematical redundancy so effectively that their algorithm, which previously ran on at most 27 qubits, was scaled to 120 qubits, with researchers stating it could extend seamlessly to a 1,000-qubit processor.
Scientific and Technical Significance
The team’s achievement lies in solving one of only three problems useful to physicists that had, until now, remained beyond the reach of classical supercomputers, according to expert assessments cited in reporting. Unlike Google’s celebrated 2019 quantum supremacy claim, which solved an artificial problem chosen specifically because it suited quantum hardware with no real-world use, the BITS Pilani-IBM work addresses a live question in particle physics: understanding how quarks and gluons evolve dynamically inside protons, a calculation central to the Standard Model of particle physics. Researchers at CERN, the European nuclear research organisation, have expressed interest in whether this Indian-developed approach can extend their own simulations of particle behaviour.
Institutional Framework: The National Quantum Mission
The National Quantum Mission (NQM), approved in April 2023 with a budget of Rs 6,003 crore over eight years, aims to build indigenous capabilities in quantum computing, communication, sensing, and materials, with the establishment of four Thematic Hubs across premier institutions. The Mission targets developing a 50 to 1,000 physical qubit quantum computer within the fifth to eighth year of the programme. The BITS Pilani result demonstrates that India possesses strong algorithmic and theoretical capability even while indigenous hardware development remains in progress, underscoring the Mission’s dual focus on both software and hardware tracks.
Governance and Structural Challenges
A critical structural weakness highlighted by this achievement is India’s continued dependence on foreign quantum hardware providers such as IBM. Dr Raychowdhury’s own observation that “without algorithms, the hardware is useless” cuts both ways: without indigenous hardware, India’s algorithmic advances remain contingent on continued access to foreign quantum processors, a dependency that could become a strategic vulnerability if geopolitical tensions restrict technology access, similar to concerns raised in the semiconductor sector.
Bihar’s Connection to India’s Quantum and Higher Education Ecosystem
While the specific breakthrough originated at BITS Pilani’s Goa campus, Bihar’s higher education institutions, including IIT Patna and the Central University of South Bihar, are increasingly being integrated into India’s national quantum research ecosystem through the Department of Science and Technology’s outreach programmes and collaborative research grants under the National Quantum Mission. As India expands its network of Thematic Hubs, there is a strong case for extending targeted quantum computing and quantum algorithm research fellowships to Bihar-based institutions, which would help address the significant regional disparity in advanced STEM research infrastructure between eastern and southern/western India, a disparity evident in the concentration of quantum research primarily around Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi-NCR.
Comparative Global Context
India’s position in the global quantum race remains modest compared to the United States and China, both of which have invested tens of billions of dollars and possess indigenous quantum hardware manufacturing capability. However, India’s approach of prioritising algorithmic efficiency and problem-specific optimisation, as demonstrated by the BITS Pilani team, represents a resource-efficient strategy suited to a country still building its hardware base, similar to India’s historical strength in software services relative to hardware manufacturing.
Way Forward
India should accelerate indigenous quantum hardware development under the National Quantum Mission’s hardware track to reduce dependency on foreign processors; expand the Quantum Advantage Tracker-style rigorous verification culture domestically to build credibility for Indian quantum research; establish dedicated quantum computing access programmes for institutions in under-represented regions, including Bihar and other eastern states; and deepen international collaboration, such as the emerging CERN interest in the BITS Pilani algorithm, while simultaneously building safeguards against overdependence on any single foreign hardware provider.
Relevance for UPSC and SSC Examinations
For UPSC Mains, this topic is relevant to GS Paper III under “Achievements of Indians in Science and Technology,” “Indigenisation of Technology,” and “Developments and their Applications and Effects in Everyday Life.” It also connects to Essay paper themes on technology and self-reliance. For SSC exams, this is relevant under Science and Technology current affairs sections. Key terms include Qubit, Quantum Advantage, National Quantum Mission, Quantum Advantage Tracker (QAT), and Standard Model of Particle Physics.