The Defence Research and Development Organisation has signed its first high-value deep-tech project agreement under the Technology Development Fund scheme with Alwar-based startup Zero mK India Pvt Ltd to develop an indigenous 20 millikelvin dilution refrigerator for quantum applications.

The agreement was signed in New Delhi on September 24 between the TDF director and the company. It is the first high-value project under the Rs 500-crore corpus approved by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for deep-tech and cutting-edge technologies. The project will be monitored and mentored by the director of DRDO's Solid State Physics Laboratory.

Dilution refrigerators are specialized cryogenic systems that cool to a fraction of a degree above absolute zero. Such ultra-cold conditions are essential to run and test superconducting quantum processors and other quantum technologies.

The project aligns with the National Quantum Mission and is expected to reduce India's dependence on imported cryogenic infrastructure. Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, the startup, and other stakeholders, saying the partnership could set a precedent for future collaborations in emerging technology areas.