MC EXCLUSIVE Andhra Pradesh to build South Asia's first 'Quantum Valley'; CM Naidu leading quantum revolution: IT Minister Lokesh

"India's first 158 qubit computer is coming to Andhra Pradesh in January itself," Lokesh said.

Andhra Pradesh is ready to build South Asia’s first “Quantum Valley”, and Chief Minister Chandrababa Naidu is leading the country’s quantum revolution from the front, Nara Lokesh, the state's Minister for Information Technology, Electronics, and Communications, told Moneycontrol in an exclusive interview.

"India's first 158 qubit computer is coming to Andhra Pradesh in January itself," Lokesh said. The Andhra Pradesh government is developing a Quantum Valley in Amaravati as a major part of India's National Quantum Mission, which was launched in April 2023, with a total outlay of Rs 6,000 crore for a period up to FY31.

In June 2025, CM Naidu and state officials laid out plans for a Quantum Valley ecosystem in Amaravati, including a dedicated quantum computing centre, research park, and new education programs with full operations targeted by January 1, 2026.

“What we are saying is that we are ready to lead from the front. We want to access these funds (of NQM) and create a vibrant ecosystem that will help us grow,” said Lokesh.

Lokesh said that the Government of India is more than willing to provide funds, but no other state is taking this initiative. “Because when it comes to quantum computing, no other state, no other chief minister has even spoken about it. And here we have Mr. Naidu, who is leading the entire quantum revolution from the front,” said Lokesh.

What does AP want from the Centre?

On the bifurcation of AP, Lokesh said that the people of Andhra Pradesh never wanted that at all. “They never asked for it, but they were bifurcated. They had no capital city. They had no economic powerhouse left.”

“We had five years, the first five years under Mr Naidu, after the bifurcation. We got plenty of investments, the economic cycle restarted, and things were going quite well, actually. Then the change of government happened. It was all extreme welfare, with absolutely no development," said Nara Lokesh, adding that it hurt the state badly.

“Economically, we have had our challenges. Today, we are working closely with the Government of India on balancing both welfare and development properly. I'm not saying we have cut back on welfare at all. We are continuing it, but we are also putting substantial money behind development now,” said Lokesh.

“We will definitely ask for what we believe is rightfully ours as per the bifurcation Act, what was promised there. At the same time, we are willing to champion the initiatives of the Honourable Prime Minister wholeheartedly. That's very important actually, because even the Central Government is looking for states that are willing to move fast, that are willing to be aggressive when it comes to attracting investments, and Andhra Pradesh is one such state,” he said.