Microsoft to train 900 teachers to help develop quantum computing workforce in India

PTI, Aug 25, 2020, 9:28 AM IST

New Delhi: Tech giant Microsoft on Monday said it is launching a new program to build quantum computing skills and capabilities in the academic community in India and will train 900 faculty members from top Indian institutes.

“As part of this initiative, Microsoft Garage is organizing a ‘Train the Trainer’ program in collaboration with Electronics and ICT Academies at Malaviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT), Jaipur, and National Institute of Technology, Patna,” a statement said.

This program will train 900 faculty members from universities and institutes across India through E&ICT Academies at institutes of national importance such as IIT Kanpur, IIT Guwahati, IIT Roorkee, MNIT Jaipur, NIT Patna, IIIT-D Jabalpur, and NIT Warangal, equipping academics with the required skills to start building their quantum future, it added.

Quantum computing applies the properties of quantum physics to process information. Quantum computers will enable new discoveries in the areas of healthcare, energy, environmental systems, smart materials, and beyond.

Microsoft is bringing the capabilities to develop for this quantum future to the cloud with Azure Quantum.

Azure Quantum is an open cloud ecosystem enabling developers to access diverse quantum software, hardware, and solutions from Microsoft and its partners. It is built on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform and will continue to adapt to Microsoft’s rapidly evolving cloud future.

The quantum training program, through the E&ICT Academies, supports an initiative by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) to enhance the skills of the academicians in imparting next level technological skills for the future generations.

“Key themes that will be covered include an introduction to quantum information, quantum concepts such as superposition and entanglement, processing of information using qubits and quantum gates, as well as an introduction to quantum machine learning and quantum programming,” the statement said.

“India is renowned across the world for its science, technology, engineering, mathematics and computing (STEM+C) workforce, and a tech-capable citizenry. Through this initiative in India, we aim to develop skills in quantum at scale, which has the potential to trigger the new frontier of innovation, shaping the future of the IT industry in this part of the world,” Rajiv Kumar, Managing Director, Microsoft India Development Center, and Corporate Vice President, Enterprise+Devices India, said.