Chandrababu Naidu partners with PanIIT to build Quantum Valley in Amaravati

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is collaborating with PanIIT to build technology and innovation infrastructure across the state, putting the capital city of Amaravati at the centre of a long-term deep-tech push.

Speaking at the Pan-IIT Andhra Pradesh Summit in Vijayawada, Naidu outlined a roadmap intended to transform Amaravati into a global hub for research and emerging technologies. Anchoring the collaboration is the creation of a permanent PanIIT Amaravati Council and an IIT Research Park, linking the state’s administration directly to the alumni network of India’s 23 Indian Institutes of Technology.

The PanIIT partnership and ₹500 crore deep-tech fund

The state signed multiple agreements under the PanIIT Amaravati Declaration, setting up a ₹500 crore PanIIT Amaravati Deep Tech Venture Fund. The fund is designed to finance high-risk, high-reward research and incubate 50 startups by 2030 across sectors including quantum systems, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, aerospace, healthcare, and agritech. Naidu also offered to match external venture capital commitments for startups that bring investment and mentoring into Andhra Pradesh.

Beyond funding, the alliance establishes a 100-mentor startup network, 10 industry chairs across state universities, and a technology transfer pipeline to bring laboratory breakthroughs from IIT campuses into commercial production.

Establishing Amaravati as a Quantum Valley

Naidu’s blueprint aims squarely at advanced computing. Describing the capital’s future as a "Quantum Valley" rather than an imitation of Silicon Valley, the Chief Minister announced that quantum computing operations will officially start in Amaravati on 3 February 2027. The facility is being set up in partnership with IBM, Tata Consultancy Services, and Larsen & Toubro, alongside the planned deployment of a 156-qubit quantum system.

At the summit, Naidu unveiled five Amaravati-built "Q-Shiva" quantum computers and the "Shrusti" cryogenic processor, signalling an ambition for the state to manufacture and export quantum hardware rather than simply consuming overseas tools.

Building human capital from the classroom up

The technology strategy is matched by an overhaul of local education. Starting next academic year, schools across Andhra Pradesh will teach artificial intelligence and basic entrepreneurial skills from Class 6 onwards. Under a new exchange programme, the state government will cover 50 per cent of costs for local university students spending academic terms at IITs, while IIT faculty will help train local lecturers.

The human capital target is substantial: preparing 50 lakh AI professionals in Andhra Pradesh, contributing to a broader national ambition of 1 crore specialists. Naidu pointed to immediate administrative results, noting that the state has already secured an 18 per cent increase in goods and services tax revenue by deploying AI analytics. With Amaravati designed around net-zero green power and 50 per cent green cover, the Chief Minister is positioning the capital as an enduring platform for India’s next technological frontier.