Visakhapatnam: Global tech giant IBM aims to open its quantum computer in Amaravati by March 2026. The company plans to install a 156-qubit Heron quantum processor at Amaravati, which will be made available to scientists and technologists across the country. Andhra Pradesh will launch India’s first quantum computing valley in 2026, and IBM’s quantum computer will be part of that initiative.Scott Crowder, vice-president for quantum adoption at the company, said IBM has partnered with TCS to install the ‘IBM Quantum System Two’, which is projected to be ready by the end of the first quarter of 2026. Speaking to reporters at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center, IBM Research’s headquarters, Crowder said that while geographic location is not entirely important for advanced technologies like cloud computing, sovereign demands to store data locally are among the reasons for having compute centres in the European Union and in India.IBM has announced nine quantum computational centres, of which six are operational, including ones in its home country, the US, two in Japan, and one each in Canada and South Korea. Apart from the upcoming centre at Amaravati’s Quantum Valley Tech Park, it has planned facilities in Spain and Chicago in the US, Crowder said. The company is keen to develop the quantum ecosystem in India and is partnering with multiple enterprises such as IT services company LTIMindtree, the government’s National Quantum Mission, and educational institutions including the IITs, he added.Noting that India is not the only country “under-invested” in quantum computing, Crowder said India can focus more on application research and algorithm discovery. He explained that building the hardware essential for quantum computing requires large sums of investment but added that intelligent innovation can take place on the software front.“The right balance is to invest adequately in infrastructure while focusing more on software and applications. Do it rationally rather than emotionally,” he said. He highlighted several sectors, including healthcare and financial services, where quantum computing could be highly useful.Crowder also noted that having a functioning facility in a country connects with people emotionally and helps generate excitement. Pointing out that India is a close second to the US in terms of the number of quantum computing learners enrolled with IBM, Crowder said there is great energy on the skilling front. He added that increased funding for deeper research could foster startups able to commercially exploit quantum computing’s potential.