IIT Madras licenses India’s first silicon photonics quantum random generator

IIT Madras has indigenously developed and licensed to the industry India’s first Silicon Photonics-Based high-speed Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG) in a deal worth Rs 1 crore. The Technology Transfer Office (TTO), IIT Madras, signed the Rs 1 crore licensing agreement recently with Indrarka Quantum Technologies Pvt. Ltd. for the commercial deployment of the Silicon Photonic QRNG.

Developed at the Centre for Programmable Photonic Integrated Circuits and Systems (CPPICS), IIT Madras, this milestone highlights the technology’s strategic value and its potential to advance India’s quantum innovation ecosystem.

Earlier, a prototype version of QRNG module was delivered to DYSL-QT DRDO, Government of India. Later, an advanced version of the QRNG module has been developed and deployed successfully at the Society for Electronic Transactions and Security (SETS Chennai) for quantum security applications.

Highlighting the importance of indigenous development of critical technologies, Prof V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “Silicon photonics is an emerging area with strong interface with Quantum Technologies. Random number generation is a critical building block for secure computing and communication. I am extremely excited that the CPPICS has developed this QRNG that could be readily deployed in the market.”

This licensing agreement represents a major step in translating cutting-edge academic research into market-ready products, reinforcing India’s leadership in the global quantum technology landscape.

Earlier, during the launch of the product, S Krishnan, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, congratulated the CoE-CPPICS team and said, “Indigenously developed field deployable silicon photonic-based quantum random number generator (QRNG) module is pride for India.”

Prof Manu Santhanam, Dean (IC&SR), IIT Madras, said, “The Centre for Programmable Photonic Integrated Circuits and Systems (CPPICS) embodies IIT Madras’s vision of transforming world-class research into transformative solutions. The successful development and licensing of the Silicon Photonics-based QRNG is a testament to how focused R&D, backed by strong industry partnerships, can deliver technologies of national importance.”