India’s Largest Quantum Computer To Be Deployed in the Country’s First Quantum Valley Tech Park

• IBM, Tata Consultancy Services and Government of Andhra Pradesh Unveil Plans to Deploy India’s Largest Quantum Computer in the Country’s First Quantum Valley Tech Park
• The Quantum Valley Tech Park will be anchored by next-generation IBM Quantum System Two
• Tata Consultancy Services partnering with IBM to advance India’s quantum algorithm and application development

IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Tata Consultancy Services (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) are partnering to further develop India’s quantum computing industry as part of the State of Andhra Pradesh’s Quantum Valley Tech Park, currently being built in the capital city of Amaravati. The tech park will be anchored by an IBM Quantum System Two installation, with a 156-qubit Heron quantum processor, the largest quantum computer in India. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is partnering with IBM to support the development of algorithms and applications that will help the Indian industry and academia solve some of the nation’s most challenging problems. The Government of Andhra Pradesh, IBM and TCS hope to accelerate the development of India’s quantum ecosystem through this initiative.

“Our National Quantum Mission is to make India a global hub in the quantum industry; a true center of innovation and job creation with access to the technology capable of solving some of our country’s and the world’s most pressing and complex challenges,” said N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. “With IBM, TCS, L&T, and other members, the Quantum Valley Technology Park represents how India’s industry and academia will soon be able to take an important step forward in accelerating the achievement of the mission’s goals.”

“We are excited about our plans with the state of Andhra Pradesh to deploy our latest IBM Quantum System Two at the Quantum Valley Tech Park. Our collaboration with TCS will help attract the country’s thriving ecosystem of developers, scientists, and industry experts to develop algorithms and applications. Combining this with India’s National Quantum Mission we could see an acceleration of the next critical milestone – a successful demonstration of quantum advantage,” said Jay Gambetta, Vice President, IBM Quantum.

Members of the Quantum Valley Tech Park can work with TCS for the opportunity to access IBM’s cloud-based quantum computers, and once completed, the Quantum Valley Tech Park will include access to an IBM Quantum System Two with IBM’s latest 156-qubit Heron processor.

“Hybrid architectures are the key to overcoming intractable computing challenges, with quantum computing serving as a catalyst. TCS’s Hybrid Computing strategy is creating what we believe is a breakthrough software layer that intelligently decomposes programs across current systems — CPUs, GPUs and emerging computing architectures — such as quantum. We’re excited to be partnering with IBM, and the Government of Andhra Pradesh at the Quantum Valley Tech Park and support India’s National Quantum Mission to accelerate the development of quantum algorithms and applications that solve complex intractable problems and drive both economic growth and technological innovation,” said Dr. Harrick Vin, Chief Technology Officer, Tata Consultancy Services.

The capabilities of IBM’s quantum computers, Qiskit software, and other resources look to enable India’s growing ecosystem of innovators across academia and industry to discover how quantum computers could be applied toward solutions to complex challenges — such as those goals being pursued by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, via the Quantum Valley Tech Park, in contribution to the country’s National Quantum Mission.

By establishing a vibrant quantum ecosystem encompassing research, access to quantum computers, and industry applications, the Government of Andhra Pradesh intends to create high-end jobs, attract top-tier talent, and draw global investments.

As part of this collaboration, TCS will play a pivotal role in driving India’s applied research and innovation by developing quantum use cases across sectors such as life sciences, materials science, supply chain resilience, energy optimization, cryptography, and sustainable manufacturing. The goal is to unlock applications capable of a quantum advantage in solving practical industry problems that are currently beyond the reach of classical computing. TCS’s role within the Quantum Valley Tech Park will give researchers from TCS, domain experts across Indian industry, and academic institutions alike the opportunity to leverage IBM’s quantum computers and resources.

APIS, Ministry of IT, Govt of Andhra Pradesh Signs an MoU With the CTE to Jointly Establish CoE for Information Technology and Cyber Security

As part of the MoU, CTE will also conduct and support seminars, workshops, innovation challenges, hackathons, start-up events, to upskill entrepreneurs and address information technology and cybersecurity related challenges.

Consortium for Technical Education (CTE) and the Andhra Pradesh Innovation Society, functioning under the IT Electronics & Communications Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh, enters into an MoU to establish a Centre of Excellence in Information Technology and Cyber Security for Universities, Engineering colleges, Polytechnics, Schools and Government Departments throughout State of Andhra Pradesh. MoU was exchanged in presence of Shri. Gudivada Amarnath, Minister of Industries, Infrastructure, Investment & Commerce, and Information Technology, Government of Andhra Pradesh.

MoU Exchange in presence of Shri. Gudivada Amarnath, Minister of Industries, Infrastructure, Investment & Commerce, and Information Technology, Government of Andhra Pradesh.

In collaboration with Andhra Pradesh Innovation Society, CTE will set up software evaluation and testing labs in relevant domains and will organize innovation challenges across institutions and startups providing prizes and exposures to global event to winners and create opportunities to showcase their products at international forums. 

CTE will distribute to the Centre of Excellence software and cyber security products, virtual labs and video-based training courses on the latest technologies. CTE will invite industry and academic experts and innovators to conduct seminars, conferences and workshops periodically at the Centre of Excellence. It will also provide the latest Compliance Frameworks and Policy Management Training programs.

Mr. K. A. Alagarsamy, Director, Consortium for Technical Education (CTE), said “We are building a network of ‘Centre of Excellence’ in Information Technology and Cyber Security in association with several states in India to facilitate innovations, Start-up entrepreneurship and help bridge the gaps in knowledge between academia and industry. This partnership with the Andhra Pradesh Innovation Society takes us step further in achieving our mission of advocating product-oriented entrepreneurship, giving them access to a world-class Center of Excellence in IT and Cybersecurity, to counter their security challenges and support their innovations and growth.”

Mr. Sairaman Srinivasan, Chief Strategy Officer, CTE, said, “We have always aspired to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, and startups among the entrepreneurs, researchers and students. Our association with APIS will enable us to guide entrepreneurs through the technical programs designed to address the prevailing information and cybersecurity challenges that hamper their growth and development.”

Consortium for Technical Education (CTE) is a non-profit organization established to provide innovative programs and services to bridge the knowledge gaps between academia and Industry. Through this partnership, the organization aims to create a supportive ecosystem for the deep tech start-ups associated with the Andhra Pradesh Innovation Society and other incubators in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

Paytm Inks MoU With Govt of Andhra Pradesh at Global Investors Summit 2023, to Drive Initiatives in Financial Inclusion, Public Health, Cyber Security

• Demonstrates commitment towards financial inclusion and supporting the growth of Andhra Pradesh
• To empower lakhs of merchants with access to digital payments and financial services
• Agreement in line with Paytm’s mission to bring half a billion Indians into the mainstream economy
• MoU signed in presence of Shri Saurabh Gaur, Secretary, ITE&C, GoAP and Shri Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder and CEO of Paytm

One97 Communications Limited (OCL) that owns the brand Paytm, India’s leading payments and financial services company and the pioneer of QR and mobile payments, today announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Andhra Pradesh (GoAP) on the sidelines of the Andhra Pradesh Global Investors Summit 2023. The agreement aims to promote mutual cooperation in the areas of Industrial Development, Financial Inclusion, Public Health, Cyber Security and Prevention of Financial Frauds in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Shri Saurabh Gaur, Secretary, Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, Government of Andhra Pradesh and Shri Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder, Managing Director and CEO of Paytm.

Under the MoU and in alignment with its mission of bringing half a billion Indians into the mainstream economy, Paytm plans to empower merchants, street vendors, and ChiruVyaparulu (street hawkers) in Andhra Pradesh to accept digital payments and provide them access to loans through its lending partners. Paytm plans to extend its platform to the Government of Andhra Pradesh for providing eGovernment services, which will be conveniently accessible to all Paytm Super App users. Additionally, Paytm plans to empower various GoAP departments to accept digital payments from citizens and businesses, thereby enhancing service delivery for the people of Andhra Pradesh. The company proposed to also enable the digitization of toll plazas across the state to accept payments digitally.

In the area of Public Health, Paytm proposed to collaborate with the State Health Authority in facilitating seamless OPD appointment booking at government and private hospitals under the forthcoming Unified Health Interface (UHI) programme. As part of its commitment to promote safe and secure digital payments, Paytm plans to be conducting cybersecurity training for Andhra Pradesh police personnel and launch a joint campaign to raise awareness of cybersecurity best practices among citizens, particularly those residing in non-urban areas

Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder and CEO, Paytm said, “We are happy to partner with the Government of Andhra Pradesh in their journey of sustainable development through inclusive growth. We are fully committed to driving Financial Inclusion at the last mile and this partnership is a step in that direction. We will continue to empower the people of Andhra Pradesh by enabling lakhs of small businesses with mobile payments and access to various financial services.”

About Paytm:

Paytm is India's payment Super App offering consumers and merchants most comprehensive payment services. Pioneer of mobile QR payments revolution in India, Paytm’s mission is to bring half a billion Indians into the mainstream economy through technology-led financial services. Paytm enables commerce for small merchants and distributes various financial services offerings to its consumers and merchants in partnership with financial institutions.

BYJU’S and Andhra Pradesh Govt Signs MoU to Offer Quality Education to Underprivileged Students in Govt Schools Across the State

BYJU’S, the world’s leading edtech company today signed an MOU with the Govt of Andhra Pradesh to provide quality education to students in government schools located across the state. Through this partnership, high-quality,  tech-enabled maths and science resources will be available for students in classes 4 to 10.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Shri. YS Jagan Reddy, said, “We are happy to partner with BYJU’S to offer quality learning content to students from financially weaker sections of this society. Through this initiative, our aim is to empower students in classes 4 to 10 in government schools with the right guidance and education that will help achieve better learning outcomes. Thank you BYJU'S for coming forward to shape a better education system.”

“The government will also invest INR 500 crores to provide these students with tablets by September this year,'' he further added.

Byju Raveendran, Founder, and CEO, BYJU’S, said, “It is an absolute honour to partner with the Government of Andhra Pradesh to further our commitment to make quality education accessible. Education is a basic right that should be available to students regardless of their socio-economic background or location. As someone who has studied in a government school myself, I am positive that a partnership like this can usher in impact at scale. This collective effort can help children, across the board, reach their actual potential."

With this step, we move closer to the goal of ensuring that no child is left out due to lack of educational resources. The significant acceptance of online learning in the last two years has led to swift digitization of the education system, thereby helping millions of children discover their full potential. Through this partnership, the Andhra Pradesh Government is aiming to aid this revolution and make tech-enabled learning a reality for children in govt schools., 

AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu Launches Mobile App For Farmers In India

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday launched an innovative multi-lingual plant disease and pest diagnostic app ‘Plantix’  for farmer’s mobile phones. This app would help farmers to identify pests and diseases in their crops and will also suggest remedies for the same. Initially launched in the Indian regional languages of Telugu and Hindi, the app will soon be available in other regional languages.

The crop-damage diagnosis app Plantix was developed by the German startup Progressive Environmental & Agricultural Technologies (PEAT) in collaboration with its knowledge and extension partner, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and the Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University.

Commenting on ICRISAT’s partnership in the development of the app, Dr David Bergvinson, Director General, ICRISAT, said “The app could prove to be a game-changer in the field, providing farmers free, reliable and quick diagnosis of crop damage. The simplified dashboard with easy-to-use features helps the app take on the role of an extension worker as well. The app is a novel experiment in using digital technologies for agriculture.”

How Does It Work?

App is easy and simple to use. Farmers just need to take pictures of the affected crop and upload them on the app. The photographs are analyzed using artificial intelligence algorithms and results returned immediately to the individual farmer.

Critical information on symptoms, triggers, chemicals as well as biological treatments is provided. All pictures sent via the app are geo-tagged thereby enabling real-time monitoring of pest and diseases. The resulting metadata provides valuable insights into the spatial distribution of cultivated crops and most significant plant diseases e.g. in the form of high-resolution maps.

Furthermore, the app encompasses a weather information system specific to the farmer's’ location and a community feature that facilitates interaction with other players interested in plant protection services.

“Every time there were pests in our field, we would go to the fertilizer dealer for help. The dealer would suggest remedies using a combination of 3-4 types of pesticides based on their experience.
However, results were not guaranteed, and while sometimes the recommendation worked, often it didn’t. Now with this app, we can find reliable advice at the click of a button,” said Chandra Mohan Reddy, a farmer from Chagantipadu village in Krishna district.

Its USP?

App provides following benefits to the farmers:

Real-time diagnosis: Uploaded crop photos are analyzed using image-recognition technology that uses a database of half a million pictures covering 30 crops and offers prescriptions for over 120 crop diseases
Smallholder farmers as end-users: Free of cost, with an easy-to-use dashboard in local languages
Successfully tested: Recently demonstrated successfully with farmers at several sites, including Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh

“The early recognition and tailor-made treatment plans for every plant damage are particularly important for farmers’ success and these are the main advantages of Plantix. We also offer information about preventive measures, which should help to avoid plant damage in the first place,” said PEAT’s CEO Simone Strey.

Currently, the database has half a million pictures covering 30 crops worldwide and offers prescriptions for over 120 crop diseases. Demonstrations with farmers held recently in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana was very successful.

'Startup Accelerator India' - First Pilot Incubator To Promote Tech-Startups Of Visakhapatnam

The coastal city of Visakhapatnam is all set to get its first incubation facility that will promote technology based startups in the city. The incubation facility is called 'Startup Accelerator India' and intends to incubate 100 startup companies and nurture 1,000 students as first generation entrepreneurs over the next five years.

The facility will be set up at Sunrise Startup TRIP Incubation Tower, Madhurawada IT layout with help of Govin Capital, a Singapore based company.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding the same was signed between B Sreedhar, Secretary, ITE&C of Andhra Pradesh Government and Govin Capital’s Managing Director, Anand Govindaluri on 21^st February in Visakhapatnam. Palle Raghunatha, the Minister, was also part of the event held in Visakhapatnam.

Govin Capital has plans of incubating some hundred startup companies over the next five years. It also intends to nurture around one thousand students as first gen technocrat entrepreneurs in the same time frame.

The Singapore based company wants to partner the AP government as a pilot incubator in promoting technology startups in the coastal city of Visakhapatnam.

As a part of its initiative to promote the startup culture in the state, the Andhra Pradesh government has even constructed an incubation tower of 50,000 square-feet at the place.

The primary focus would be on offering ‘Bootup-Startup-Scaleup model’ and nurturing students into first gen technocrat entrepreneurs .The Innovation and Startup policy 2014-20 was announced by the government a few months ago.

The Andhra government plans to establish around hundred Accelerators/Incubators and incubate five thousand startups and companies by 2020.

'Startup Accelerator India' - First Pilot Incubator To Promote Tech-Startups Of Visakhapatnam

The coastal city of Visakhapatnam is all set to get its first incubation facility that will promote technology based startups in the city. The incubation facility is called 'Startup Accelerator India' and intends to incubate 100 startup companies and nurture 1,000 students as first generation entrepreneurs over the next five years.

The facility will be set up at Sunrise Startup TRIP Incubation Tower, Madhurawada IT layout with help of Govin Capital, a Singapore based company.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding the same was signed between B Sreedhar, Secretary, ITE&C of Andhra Pradesh Government and Govin Capital’s Managing Director, Anand Govindaluri on 21^st February in Visakhapatnam. Palle Raghunatha, the Minister, was also part of the event held in Visakhapatnam.

Govin Capital has plans of incubating some hundred startup companies over the next five years. It also intends to nurture around one thousand students as first gen technocrat entrepreneurs in the same time frame.

The Singapore based company wants to partner the AP government as a pilot incubator in promoting technology startups in the coastal city of Visakhapatnam.

As a part of its initiative to promote the startup culture in the state, the Andhra Pradesh government has even constructed an incubation tower of 50,000 square-feet at the place.

The primary focus would be on offering ‘Bootup-Startup-Scaleup model’ and nurturing students into first gen technocrat entrepreneurs .The Innovation and Startup policy 2014-20 was announced by the government a few months ago.

The Andhra government plans to establish around hundred Accelerators/Incubators and incubate five thousand startups and companies by 2020.