October 14, 2026 11:20 pm (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
Meerut blue drum murder case: Muskaan, her lover get death sentence | 'Rise up, young patriots!': American singer Mary Millben alleges CJP gets US funding, urges peaceful protests | 'Won't go unchallenged': Muhammad Yunus heckling in New York triggers legal action warning | flydubai cockpit attack probe widens: Two Maldivian pilots detained in UAE over links to Omani co-pilot | Netflix scores big FIFA deal: All 104 World Cup 2030 matches to stream live in Spain, Andorra | Jantar Mantar crackdown: CJP's Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka sent to jail for 5 days | Punjab activist confronts chemist over alleged drug sales, shot dead during Facebook Live | ‘Rahul Gandhi pushed me during protest march’: Pregnant journalist’s allegation sparks BJP-Congress faceoff | ‘You cannot denotify resistance': CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das jump Jantar Mantar gate to protest, detained | Delhi Police de-notifies Jantar Mantar as protest site amid CJP stir over Gyanesh Kumar
DRDO
DRDO, start-up join hands to build India’s first indigenous 20 mK quantum refrigerator. Photo: PIB

DRDO signs first Rs 500 crore deep-tech deal for indigenous quantum technology

| @indiablooms | Sep 25, 2026, at 09:45 am

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has signed its first high-value deep-tech project agreement under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme with start-up Zero mK India Private Limited for the indigenous development of a 20 mK dilution refrigerator for quantum applications.

The agreement was signed in New Delhi between the Director of TDF and representatives of Zero mK India Private Limited, Alwar, Rajasthan.

It is the first high-value agreement under the Rs 500 crore corpus approved by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to support deep-tech and cutting-edge technology projects.

Dilution refrigerators are specialised cryogenic systems capable of achieving extremely low temperatures in the millikelvin range. Such ultra-low-temperature environments are essential for the operation and testing of several quantum computing platforms and other quantum technologies.

The indigenous development of a 20 mK-class dilution refrigerator is aligned with the objectives of the National Quantum Mission and is expected to strengthen India's capabilities in quantum technology, advanced cryogenics and other strategic technology domains.

The project is also aimed at reducing India's dependence on imported cryogenic infrastructure and strengthening the country's domestic quantum technology ecosystem.

Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO, industry and other stakeholders involved in the project and expressed confidence that the partnership would set an important precedent for future DRDO-industry collaborations in emerging technology domains.

Defence Secretary and Secretary, Department of Defence R&D, and DRDO Chairman Rajesh Kumar Singh also congratulated the teams involved and wished them success in achieving the project objectives.

Director General, Micro Electronic Devices & Computational System and Cyber Security (DG MCC), Director General, Technology Management (DG TM), Director, Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL), and other stakeholders were present at the signing ceremony.

The project is being monitored, mentored and supported by the Director, SSPL, and his team.

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.