DRDO Partners with Zero mK India Under ₹500 Crore TDF Fund to Build Indigenous 20 mK Dilution Refrigerator for Quantum Technology

Key facts

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has signed its first high-value deep tech project agreement with Rajasthan-based start-up Zero mK India Private Ltd to indigenously develop a 20 mK Dilution Refrigerator for quantum applications.
• The programme carries a corpus of ₹500 crore and is funded under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme of DRDO.
• Dilution refrigerators are specialised cryogenic systems achieving millikelvin-range temperatures, essential for operating and testing several quantum computing platforms.
• The indigenous 20 mK-class dilution refrigerator aligns with the National Quantum Mission and will help reduce dependence on imported cryogenic infrastructure.
• The agreement was signed between the Director, TDF and Zero mK India Private Ltd in New Delhi, with the ₹500 crore corpus earlier approved by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
• The project is monitored, mentored and supported by the Director, Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL), and his team.