Keeping quantum cool

An indigenous dilution refrigerator is crucial for the defence sector

7 min read

Updated On: Nov 10 2026 | 6:20 AM IST

Adam Weiss, an engineer at SEEQC, configures a dilution refrigerator at the company's testing facility in Elmsford, United States, in March 2023 (PHOTO: REUTERS)

A small deep-tech Rajasthan-based startup created a buzz when it signed an agreement with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop an indigenous dilution refrigerator aiming to secure the country’s strategic defence ecosystems and build domestic expertise in a specialised area of quantum technology infrastructure.

A dilution refrigerator is a specialised cooling system required to operate certain types of quantum computers capable of cooling quantum devices to

20 millikelvin.

It brings equipment to temperatures extremely close to absolute zero, the lowest possible temperature. It uses a mixture of two helium isotopes, helium-3 and helium-4 to remove heat at different stages and cool devices above absolute zero.

Zero mK India Private Limited signed the pact with DRDO under the latter’s Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme in September. It is the first high-value deep-tech project under a ~500-crore corpus approved for cutting-edge technologies. The project aims to reduce reliance on imported cryogenic equipment, which is used to cool and test quantum devices.

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The project also aligns with the National Quantum Mission (NQM) approved by the government in April 2023, with an outlay of ~6,003.65 crore for five years till 2031. The mission aims to advance quantum computing, communications, sensing and related technologies, while supporting the development of an indigenous research and industrial ecosystem.

Developing the refrigerator indigenously is only one part of the challenge. The equipment requires precise engineering and several specialised components, some of which India still imports. “It is not that we do not have the capability to develop dilution refrigerators. It is also a question of demand. Just for having five dilution refrigerators in India, no company can survive,” Rajendra Singh, professor, department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, said.

The problem, he said, is that research institutions may need only a small number of such systems. The gap between research and commercial manufacturing remains a challenge. Research institutions could develop technologies for their own use, but these efforts do not always translate into products that industry could manufacture and sell.

“One thing is technology development; another is technology translation to manufacturing. Manufacturing is always done by the industry,” Singh said, cautioning that companies would struggle to sustain production without sufficient demand.

The challenges also extend beyond just the main cooling system as dilution refrigerators need precision components, ultra-sensitive temperature sensors, radio-frequency wires and low-noise amplifiers. The latter helps process weak signals without introducing excessive noise, an important requirement when working with sensitive devices in a quantum state.

“We require very precise machining and precise engineering. Then we require liquid helium-3, which we do not produce in India. That also becomes a supply-chain issue,” Singh said.

He added that low-noise amplifier technology capable of operating at temperatures of around 4 kelvin was not yet available domestically in the form required by his group’s work.

“That technology is not available in India. We are developing it here,” Singh said, highlighting the research work done at the institute level. The effort to develop such components could also support other areas of scientific research which have applications beyond quantum computing.

Aditya Vyas, chief executive officer of QMD Foundation, a Section 8 company operating at IIT Delhi and working in quantum technology, said India needs to develop domestic capabilities not only to build its own quantum computers but also to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers for critical equipment and components.

“First is on the strategic side, wherein once the other countries start putting in import and export control norms, then if we have our own assets in the form of IP and equipment which is ready, we will be able to survive and withstand such restrictions,” Vyas said.

He added that Indian companies could also supply components to international manufacturers, even if they were not producing complete quantum computers.

Singh said India did not need to manufacture every component domestically. The priority should be to develop technologies considered critical while sourcing other components from abroad where necessary.

Cost is another obstacle to the wider use of quantum technology as the imported equipment is expensive, while the limited availability of suppliers could make maintenance difficult in case of a breakdown, leaving researchers without access to the equipment for months.

“As and when Indian entities come into the picture, we will make products which are our own, with our own IPs. And because of our very specific strengths as a country, I think the products will be much more economical, and at the same time the service levels will be much higher,” Vyas said.

The high cost of research and the time needed to develop commercial products make government support important for the startups working in the domain. The DRDO project is part of a wider effort to build capabilities in technologies that may have civilian as well as strategic applications.

“This Quantum Mission has given a big impetus to establishing a very vibrant quantum ecosystem in India,” Singh said.

He added that startups were working on components such as high-precision power supplies, diodes and crystals, some of which had traditionally been imported because demand was too small to support domestic production.

Vyas said the government support remained crucial to the quantum industry worldwide, as developing these technologies requires major investment and commercial applications are still limited in most areas at this stage.

“Across the world, it is only governments that are propping up quantum. If the government withdraws support, the quantum industry will not survive across the world. It needs huge investments, and commercialisation is still a long way off in most areas, except security and strategic applications,” Vyas said.

The technology also has potential defence applications, although a dilution refrigerator is not itself a military system. It provides the low-temperature environment needed to operate and test certain quantum devices.

“Any quantum computer or quantum communication, QKD (quantum key distribution), has defence applications, because a supercomputer is also required by defence for its own calculations. These are dual-use technologies,” Singh added.

Zero mK India did not respond to queries for the story till the time of going to the press.

Reena Dayal, founder and CEO of Quantum Ecosystems and Technology Council of India, said India should focus on developing critical quantum technologies domestically while building partnerships for components that cannot be manufactured locally.

“It is always in the national interest to look at elements of critical technology where the dependency is very high and to try and build that capability in-house,” she said.

However, she noted that no country has complete control over the quantum supply chain, making a combination of indigenous capabilities and reliable international partnerships necessary.

The development of an indigenous dilution refrigerator is a crucial step towards building a sovereign ecosystem. However, the challenge will extend beyond developing a working system to manufacturing it reliably, keeping costs manageable and ensuring long-term maintenance. As the experts pointed out, technical challenges can be addressed, but sustained demand and the transfer of research from laboratories to industry will be essential for Indian companies to survive.

The implications extend to defence, where quantum technologies could support secure communications, advanced sensing and navigation in environments where satellite-based positioning is unavailable or unreliable. These capabilities are still being developed, and an indigenous dilution refrigerator can help build the research infrastructure needed for certain systems, including superconducting computers.

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Written By :

Martand Mishra

Martand Mishra has started his reporting career with defence coverage. He is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. He enjoys reading books on defence, history and biographies.