Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to approve Rs 1,150 crore under the National Quantum Mission (NQM) for establishing a Quantum Materials Innovation Network (Q-MIN) in Bengaluru.

He asserted that the proposed hub could become the cornerstone of India's global leadership and technological sovereignty in the fast-approaching Quantum Era.

In a detailed letter to the Prime Minister, Siddaramaiah said India is at an inflection point where breakthroughs in quantum technologies will shape national security, economic power and scientific capabilities for the next several decades.

At the heart of this transformation, he argued, lies the control and mastery of quantum materials — the fundamental building blocks of quantum computing, communication and sensing.

The Chief Minister said the proposed Q-MIN is conceived as a national facility, not just a Karnataka initiative, aimed at reducing India's strategic dependence on external sources for critical materials that power high-end quantum systems. "Materials determine a nation's ability to innovate, defend, manufacture and compete globally. Without indigenous quantum materials, India's long-term technological sovereignty will remain vulnerable," he wrote.

The state government has already launched efforts to develop a first-of-its-kind Quantum City in Bengaluru, with Q-MIN set to serve as its core engine.

Siddaramaiah said the city's dense ecosystem — comprising premier research institutions, semiconductor and photonics labs, defence-linked R&D units, deep-tech startups and advanced manufacturing clusters — places Karnataka in a uniquely advantageous position to anchor the nation's quantum materials infrastructure.

According to the proposal submitted to the Prime Minister, the Q-MIN programme seeks Rs 1,150 crore in capital investment under NQM to establish both centralised and distributed material research infrastructure. It also plans national and international collaborations on skilling, innovation and advanced materials discovery, along with a sustainable R&D framework enabling participation from academia, government labs, private industry and startups.

Siddaramaiah stressed that quantum technologies are poised to define the next generation of computing, encryption, secure communication, precision sensing and strategic applications, and that countries that control quantum materials will dictate the pace and direction of global innovation.

He said a "materials-first" approach is essential to India's ambitions of building indigenous quantum computers, secure quantum communication networks, advanced sensors, and a skilled talent pool capable of driving the sector.

The Chief Minister remarked that the Q-MIN, once established, would serve as a national resource, supplying critical materials and research support to quantum laboratories, defence-linked programmes, industry partners and research institutions across the country. This, he said, would help accelerate India's transition from technology consumer to technology creator in a field that is rapidly becoming central to geopolitical and economic power structures.

He reiterated that Karnataka and the Centre must work in close coordination to build a robust, future-ready quantum ecosystem that ensures long-term economic impact, global technological relevance and the safeguarding of India's strategic interests. "With the Government of India's support, Karnataka's Quantum City and the proposed Q-MIN can anchor India's leadership in the Quantum Era," he said.

Siddaramaiah expressed the state government's willingness to collaborate fully with the Centre in laying the scientific, industrial and regulatory foundation needed to advance India's quantum frontier.