Insider Brief
- Andhra Pradesh has enrolled 55,000 university students in a single NPTEL quantum computing course, marking one of the largest coordinated quantum workforce training efforts undertaken by a state government.
- The program, organized by the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education, provides hands-on instruction in quantum algorithms, error correction, and Qiskit programming delivered by faculty from IIT Madras and IBM Quantum.
- Top-performing students will receive research exposure visits, internships, and placement support, aligning the initiative with India’s National Quantum Mission and the state’s push to build a global quantum talent pipeline.
- Photo by Big G Media on Unsplash
The quantum workforce is getting a big boost, according to Indian media.
Andhra Pradesh has enrolled 55,000 university students in a single, coordinated quantum computing course, a scale that signals how quickly India’s states are moving to build a workforce for a technology widely seen as strategic for science, industry and national competitiveness, according to reporting by The Hindu.
The course — “Quantum Computing: Quantum Algorithms and Qiskit” — will begin January 19 and is being delivered through the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning, or NPTEL, as reported by The Hindu. Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education organized the program and it is open to students across engineering and science institutions in the state.
The initiative places Andhra Pradesh among the most aggressive subnational efforts globally to scale quantum education, moving the subject beyond elite research labs and into mainstream university classrooms.
Practical Quantum Skills at Scale
According to The Hindu, the course will be taught by faculty from IIT Madras and industry specialists associated with IBM Quantum. Instruction will focus on quantum algorithms, quantum error correction and programming using Qiskit, IBM’s open-source quantum software framework.
Rather than emphasizing theory alone, the course is designed to provide hands-on experience with how quantum computers are programmed and stabilized against errors, an area that remains one of the biggest barriers to practical quantum systems, The Hindu reported. Students are being trained in tools and concepts aligned with those used by major technology firms and early-stage quantum startups.
Faculty delivering the course include researchers and engineers from academia and industry with experience in both fundamental physics and applied quantum systems, according to The Hindu.
Incentives
Beyond coursework, APSCHE has linked the program to a set of incentives intended to connect high-performing students directly to India’s advanced research ecosystem. Top students will be sponsored for exposure visits to innovation hubs across the IIT system and the Indian Institute of Science, as well as offered internship opportunities in national and international quantum laboratories.
The council also plans to support selected students in securing placements in specialized quantum technology roles, creating what officials describe as a pipeline from state universities to global research and innovation centers, according to the article.
Enrollment figures highlight how widely the program has spread across Andhra Pradesh’s higher education system. The Hindu reported that institutions with the highest participation include Pragati Engineering College in Surampalem, Kallam Haranatha Reddy Institute of Technology in Guntur, NRI Institute of Technology in Krishna district and Annamacharya University in Rajampet, each enrolling thousands of students.
Women’s institutions and regional engineering colleges also feature prominently, suggesting the program is reaching beyond a narrow set of elite campuses.
APSCHE leadership has framed the effort as part of a longer-term strategy to position Andhra Pradesh as a global hub for quantum talent. According to The Hindu, the council plans to expand Quantum Innovation Centres and strengthen local chapters under the SWAYAM digital learning framework, while aligning with India’s National Quantum Mission and the state’s Amaravati Quantum Valley initiative.
The broader goal, APSCHE officials told The Hindu, is to integrate academic training with industry partnerships across quantum computing, quantum artificial intelligence, communications and cybersecurity—areas expected to shape economic and strategic power in the coming decades.
