IBM has opened its new India Client Experience Centre in Mumbai to help enterprises adopt AI, hybrid cloud, and quantum computing. The company has also signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the Maharashtra government to explore opportunities in the state’s quantum initiatives.
The LoI includes providing expertise to help the state design its quantum programme and contributing to skills development through workshops. The move aligns with the country’s National Quantum Mission and the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047.
The centre is located in IBM India’s new offices in Mumbai. This comes just after the company’s efforts to accelerate this technology in other states, like a partnership with the Andhra Pradesh government and TCS for the Amravati quantum valley and Karnataka’s Quantum India Bengaluru summit.
Focus on Emerging Technologies
At the inauguration, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said, “With AI, quantum computing, and semiconductors, we are building a Viksit Maharashtra and Viksit Bharat. These technologies can accelerate sustainability and efficiency across sectors, creating new opportunities for growth and progress.”
He added that with the IBM collaboration, the state will harness quantum, while building a skilled talent pool to democratise its benefits and “make them accessible to every citizen of the state.”
The new centre will serve as a collaborative space for IBM experts, clients, and partners to create solutions for India’s business challenges. It will also showcase IBM’s portfolio, including the watsonx platform, data and automation, cybersecurity, and consulting-led transformation.
Hans Dekkers, general manager for IBM Asia Pacific region, said the new centre shows IBM’s interest in helping Maharashtra “build its vibrant quantum ecosystem”.
In July, IBM also opened its new Agentic AI Innovation Centre in its Bengaluru office to help enterprises co-create and experiment with autonomous AI agents. Around the same time, it announced plans to build the world’s first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer, with a target delivery by 2029.
The system, named IBM Quantum Starling, will be developed at a newly established IBM Quantum Data Centre in Poughkeepsie, New York.