DRDO backs India-made ultra-cold refrigerator for quantum research
A development agreement targets a 20-millikelvin dilution refrigerator. It marks the start of a project, rather than delivery of a working quantum system.
India's Defence Research and Development Organisation has signed a development agreement for an indigenous dilution refrigerator designed to reach 20 millikelvin, an extremely low temperature needed for several quantum research applications.
The September 24 government announcement identifies Zero mK India Private Limited of Alwar, Rajasthan, as the development partner under the Technology Development Fund. The Solid State Physics Laboratory will monitor and mentor the project.
Why does the equipment matter? Some quantum platforms require ultra-cold operating conditions. Developing the refrigeration infrastructure domestically could reduce dependence on imported equipment used to test and operate those systems.
The release describes the agreement as the first high-value project under a ₹500-crore deep-technology funding corpus. That figure is the corpus size, not the refrigerator project's individual contract value.
The announcement establishes a development effort aligned with the National Quantum Mission. It does not demonstrate a completed refrigerator, establish measured performance or provide a delivery timetable. Those remain the milestones to watch.