Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has placed a ₹500 crore bet on deep tech. Speaking at the Pan-IIT Andhra Pradesh Summit 2026 at the Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Kala Vedika in Vijayawada on October 3, the Chief Minister proposed a ₹500 crore Pan-IIT Amaravati Venture Fund to back deep-tech startups, innovation and investment in the state.
The headline announcement was quantum: quantum computing operations will commence in Amaravati on February 3, 2027, in collaboration with IBM, TCS and L&T, with a planned 156-qubit system. Even before it arrives, mini quantum test labs are already live — including the Q-Shiva system of five quantum computers, inaugurated at the event.
The state government and Pan-IIT Alumni India signed the Pan-IIT Amaravati Declaration, creating a permanent Pan-IIT Amaravati Council as the nodal institution for deep-tech development. The declaration also proposes 10 Industry Chairs in universities and a network of 100 global IIT mentors to guide startups, plus a Global IIT Mentor Network, an IIT Technology Transfer Pipeline and a DeepTech Policy Package.
Naidu's ambition runs beyond installing machines: he wants Andhra Pradesh to manufacture and export quantum computing equipment, moving from consumer to producer. The council will shape the state's deep-tech policy across quantum computing, AI, semiconductors, space and defence, healthcare, agritech and water technologies. A Sovereign AI Stack is also in the works, and the state has set a target of supplying 50 lakh AI-skilled professionals towards the national mission of one crore, with AI adoption already delivering an 18% GST revenue increase.
He described the ecosystem as a chain running from classroom to laboratory, from laboratory to startup, and from startup to industry — with entrepreneurship training planned from the high-school level.
Why it matters for founders
For deep-tech founders, Amaravati is emerging as a state-backed launchpad with capital, mentorship and hard infrastructure — quantum labs, testbeds and an industry-chair pipeline — under one roof. Watch for the ₹500 crore fund's deployment criteria and the council's deep-tech policy: first-mover startups in quantum, AI and semiconductors will get the loudest welcome.