Quantum Technology: Past, Present and Future

Quantum technology in its present form is a disruptive technology. It is contributing to the second quantum revolution. The amount of wealth generation and job creation can be guessed from the fact that transistors, lasers, and computers are products of the first quantum revolution. So, it is expected to generate employment and wealth for the decades to come. The present phase of the quantum revolution encompassing quantum communication, quantum sensing, quantum computing, and quantum simulation has just started, so there is ample scope for scalability. However, for this to happen we need young minds who can lead research and develop technology for mass consumption.

“Embrace the opportunities and challenges of life with open arms and the world is yours”

As you enter the bright world full of boundless opportunities and a changing landscape; nobody knows what their future holds for them. Let me tell you that you can build your future by your actions of today! What is important is what you have learnt till now will only take you somewhere. Your life and career is a continuous learning journey. Endeavor to get into the depth of your interest areas, make innovative contributions and gather breadth over a period of time. Never ever hesitate to take up new challenges. Risks and opportunities are two sides of the same coin. If you keep doing the same old stuff, you are not taking any risks and are living in your comfort zone. Take those opportunities which challenge you beyond your comforts, consciously learn new things, and build a good network of friends and professional contacts. All these actions in your daily life will become immensely valuable and will have a compounding effect over the years. Don’t take up a job to simply make money. Have a purpose in life and work for that larger goal or vision. Money is important in life, but it is that purpose that will give you a deep sense of accomplishment and satisfaction over the years. Happiness does not come from the external environment or material wealth, it is your inner purpose and oneness with your present self that gives you a blissful & happy life. And while we all plan for our bright future, I urge you to live in the present moment. Be ready to live your life to the fullest, make those course changes when faced with tricky situations in life, and continue to forge ahead! Life is not a bed of roses or a fairy tale; it comes with its fair share of ups and downs, roadblocks & path diversions. The CHAlleNGE which life presents us has a BIG CHANGE hidden in it. The more we resist this change, the more painful it is. Instead, embrace the new with open arms and give up the old. Leave your life baggage behind, don’t burden your future with the happenings of your past. As individuals and future Leaders, uphold to the highest standards of ethics and integrity. Your actions not only reflect on your character but also impact the communities and societies you engage with. Be that force for positive change. As you step out of IIT Mandi, you join a distinguished community of IIT alumni who have made their mark on the world in diverse fields. Let their achievements inspire you, but also remember that your journey is uniquely yours. You are torchbearers of IIT's legacy. Dream Big, believe in yourself, forge your own path, follow your passion, navigate through the unknowns, and do not be afraid to take calculated risks. Remember that your exciting journey of worldly explorations has just begun. Embrace the challenges, celebrate the victories, and always strive for excellence. I have no doubt that the future holds remarkable achievements for each one of you.

I encourage students to always explore new possibilities in their career. Students must understand that irrespective of the field and career paths they choose; continuous learning is inevitable and overcoming hardships at every step is the path to success. For this, one needs a short term as well as a long-term goals with tons of patience, passion and zeal to achieve it. One can’t just stop just aspiring for their goal. To attain the goal, one must take many calibrated steps along with smart as well as hard work. Every stage of life will have different goals. It could be financial stability, starting a family, career growth in a company of their desire or forming your own startup company. In all of this, you must set aside one goal which is special to you. To identify, ask yourself “If I had all the money and security that I need… what is that one thing I would love to do”. That is your “passion” goal. In your busy life, always keep the “passion goal” fire burning. If you are fortunate or can plan your career in the same line as your passion, then you should consider to be lucky and give your 100% to it. Otherwise, do take time out to keep this “passion” flame burning. One must respect money, power and a team around you in your journey. Each of these have their own importance and disrespect to any one of them will either stall or slow down the achievement of your goal. But besides these, I would add one more: “pursuance of passion”; this will give a greatest satisfaction and an extra percentage of happiness and sense of completeness.

I am deeply honored and privileged to address you today on this momentous occasion. As we gather here to celebrate your graduation from this esteemed institution, we acknowledge the unwavering determination and sacrifice that you and your parents have endured to reach this juncture. The fire within you, which once burned brightly, has now become a guiding light, and it is your solemn duty to nurture it into a radiant sun. Graduates, you have conquered countless sleepless nights in pursuit of a rigorous and demanding academic program. Yet, it is in the solitude of those darkest hours, away from the public eye, that your true character is revealed. Today, you stand among the ranks of the world's professionals, distinct from academicians, as in your domain, knowledge and skills are not static; they evolve and reshape the future of our world. As engineers, you possess an innate instinct to innovate, create, and transform, often with the simplest of tools. Your keen eyes seek out solutions that elude ordinary perception, and you instinctively track down problems like skilled hunters. Each one of you is endowed with unique talents, and the world looks to you, the graduates of IIT Mandi, to unearth and honor your individuality, thereby becoming the change you aspire to see in our world. We find ourselves living in a critical era, where artificial intelligence threatens to automate creativity and innovation. In this rapidly changing landscape, your very survival may soon be at stake. Remember, rather than futilely opposing the inevitable, adapt to coexist with it, leveraging its strengths while discerning its limitations to contribute meaningfully. In the words of the eminent engineer and visionary, Buckminster Fuller, "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete." Graduates, you must innovate to forge these new paradigms, countering the challenges posed by those wielding the powerful tools of artificial intelligence. The path ahead will be fraught with both triumphs and tribulations. There will be moments of self-doubt, setbacks, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles. It is in these very moments that you must recollect the sacrifices and the painful nights you endured while preparing for IIT. Within those experiences lies the key to discovering your purpose - a purpose that is uniquely yours, waiting to be unearthed by you and you alone. IIT Mandi has not merely imparted knowledge but has instilled in you a spirit of innovation, collaboration, and an insatiable thirst for continuous learning. Nurture the innocent, passionate soul within you, for it is your passion that will fuel your innovation, and your purpose that will imbue your work with meaning.

Embrace lifelong learning, remain perpetually curious, and never cease to question. Surround yourselves with mentors, colleagues, and friends who both inspire and challenge you. Be leaders who uplift and inspire others, for genuine success is not gauged solely by personal accomplishments but by the profound impact you have on the lives of others. Forge ahead with your authenticity, for it is your unique, invaluable contribution. Congratulations, and may your future endeavors shine as brightly as the boundless promise you carry within yourselves.

R.P. Singh is a faculty member in Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics Division at Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad. His areas of research include light scattering, phase singularities of light, nonlinear optics, quantum optics, and quantum information. Presently he is engaged in experiments on high dimensional entangled states, free-space quantum communication, quantum imaging, and quantum radar.

Dr. Balvinder Singh has extensive experience working in industry for 27 years driving innovation, core technology product development & building compelling consumer experiences. He has diverse professional experiences encompassing embedded software development, SoC development & end-to-end product development. He currently Heads the Advanced Research & Technology development at Samsung R&D, India; in domains of Generative AI, Computer Vision, Multi-modal Interactions, Sensor Intelligence, & Blockchain technologies, etc. He is responsible for building novel experiences powered by technology solutions across Smartphones, Wearables, XR & Robotic devices. He has the additional responsibility to drive Innovation, new technology incubation, Creative Lab, etc. to influence Business & Product teams at Samsung R&D, India. He spearheads the Open Innovation & Ecosystem partnership with Start-ups, Academia, Open Source & Govt. of India Digital India program to build unique product propositions. Dr. Singh has been associated with Samsung India for last 15 yrs and has been instrumental in building the Global Leadership for Samsung Smartphone Camera. He has successfully lead the Camera Center of Excellence (CoE) delivering innovative camera solutions for every Galaxy Smartphone from Galaxy S3 to S23. He has incubated expansion of the R&D center in newer areas such as IoT, XR, IP based Multimedia Communications & Hardware IP developments. Prior to Samsung, he has dabbled for 5 years building his own start-up company developing mobile phones ground-up including complete software stack, integrated Communication & Application processor and form factor designs. He started his career in industry working for Sasken Communication Technologies developing Wireless and Multimedia Technology for global product licensing. Dr. Balvinder Singh earned his Ph.D from India Institute of Technology, Kanpur in the field of Vision & Image Processing in 1996. He completed his Masters degree in 1991 and Bachelors degree in Electronics & Communication Engineering in 1990 from Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. He is quite passionate about technology powering unique consumer experiences and has numerous patents & technical publications to his credit.

In a professional journey spanning 35 years, Anand has assumed different industry roles ranging from being responsible of global delivery, providing technical leadership, consulting, forming technical competency centers. His industry experience spans across the domain of Telecommunications, Railroad, Logistics and Hitech Silicon Valley Product companies. He is currently a Sr Vice President, Engineering at Persistent Systems. Anand’s prior experience includes a solid decade of experience in R&D labs of Larsen & Toubro Control Automation as well as Asea Brown Boveri SCADA, Telemetry system divisions. Anand was responsible for embedded design as well as programming, RTOS & processor- based design for Industrial Automation, Industrial Network using CDMA/ CD, Token Ring, VME bus. Anand is an avid & active electronics hobbyist. During covid lockdown, Anand designed & flew his drone by designing flight controller electronics and software. It was based on Arduino and was integrated with Raspberry Pi to work in tandem for in-flight camera-based image processing using OpenCV. While the Inertial Measurement System (IMU) design makes use of basic PID based on feed from gyro, accelerometer, and compass; Anand used Euler Angles to determine orientation of the drone with respect to 3- dimensional terrestrial fixed coordinate system. He is currently assessing the use of Kalman filter and the use of Quaternion Mathematical model for flight control. Anand completed his Bachelor of Engineering in Power Electronics from Mumbai University in 1988. In 1990, he pursed course on Application of Microprocessor in Industry by IIT Mumbai. He later went on to complete his Post Graduation Diploma in Software Technology from the prestigious National Center for Software Technology in Mumbai. In 2005, Anand was sponsored by Tech Mahindra for Management Development Program at India School of Business (ISB) and in 2019 he underwent Global Program for Management Development by Academy of Leadership Development by Mahindra Leadership University in partnership with Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

Anirban Bandyopadhyay is a Principal Research Scientist at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Tsukuba, Japan. He did Ph.D. in IACS, Kolkata, 2005. During 2005-2008 ICYS research fellow at ICYS, NIMS, Japan. In 2008, joined as a scientist at NIMS, built organic jelly based artificial brain, quantum computer, molecular motor based drugs, brain inspired computing, written a book “Nanobrain: The making of an artificial brain from a time crystal”, 2020. 2013-2014 visiting scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA. Hitachi Science and Technology award 2010, Inamori Foundation award 2011–2012, Kurata Foundation Award, and Sewa Society international member, Japan. Published more than 100 papers, 23 patents, edited 17 books, reach out anirban.bandyo@gmail.com Blog www.nanobraintech.com T: @anirbanbandyo; P-+81-80-9454-3366