DRDO signs first deep-tech pact with Zero mK India for indigenous dilution refrigerator

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has signed its first high-value deep-tech project agreement with a start-up, tying up with Zero mK India Private Limited for the indigenous development of a dilution refrigerator for quantum applications.

The agreement, signed between the Technology Development Fund (TDF) director and the Alwar, Rajasthan-based start-up, is the first project under the Rs 500-crore corpus approved by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for deep-tech and cutting-edge technologies, the defence ministry said in a statement.

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Under the pact, DRDO and Zero mK India will collaborate on a 20 mK-class dilution refrigerator, a specialised cryogenic system capable of reaching temperatures in the millikelvin range that are essential for operating and testing quantum-computing platforms and related quantum technologies.

The project aligns with the National Quantum Mission and is aimed at strengthening India's capabilities in quantum technology, advanced cryogenics and strategic technologies, while cutting dependence on imported cryogenic infrastructure, the ministry said.

Singh complimented DRDO, industry partners and other stakeholders associated with the project and expressed confidence that the collaboration would set a precedent for future DRDO-industry partnerships in emerging technology domains.

Defence Secretary and DRDO Chairman Rajesh Kumar Singh also congratulated the teams involved and wished them success in achieving the project's objectives.

The project will be monitored and mentored by the director of DRDO's Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL) and his team.

Senior officials, including the Director General of Micro Electronic Devices & Computational Systems and Cyber Security and the Director General of Technology Management, were present at the signing.