Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh govt has issued formal orders to establish an IBM quantum computer at the Amaravati quantum computing center (AQCC). The project is part of the development of a quantum valley in Amaravati, for which the CRDA has allocated 50 acres.According to the order issued by IT dept secretary Katamaneni Bhaskar, AQCC will house a 133-qubit, 5,000-gate quantum computer in a 2,000 sq ft facility. The infrastructure will include secure networking, advanced cooling systems, and an uninterrupted power supply to support the high-performance machine. As part of the agreement, IBM will operate from the facility at a concessional rent of ₹30 per sq ft. In exchange, the govt will receive 365 hours of free computing time per year for four years, which will be allocated to govt institutions and for educational use.In addition, the govt has approved a proposal to set up a smaller quantum computer at Wits University campus at a cost of ₹6 crore, in partnership with AI on the Queue, a Bengaluru-based startup. Amaravati quantum valley is planned as a govt-supported ecosystem to serve universities, research bodies, startups, and industries across multiple fields. Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu is giving top priority to the project with the aim to make Amaravati the country’s quantum computing hub. The CM earlier announced that the quantum computing center in Amaravati will be operational by Jan 1, 2026. “The state govt is aiming to produce 100 ‘use’ cases by Aug 15, 2026 and emerge as a global player in the quantum-artificial intelligence (AI) movement,” he had said.The state govt aims to generate huge employment in the state with this initiative. IT minister Nara Lokesh said bringing top players to the AQCC is the top priority and hoped that the project will gain pace with the entry of IBM.