Quantum Alliance Between India and Taiwan Could Bypass Global Tech Roadblocks, Report Suggests

Insider Brief

• India and Taiwan could deepen cooperation in quantum technology to bypass export restrictions from major powers and strengthen both diplomatic and innovation ties, according to a report from the Observer Research Foundation.
• Taiwan has invested over US$259 million in a national quantum initiative since 2022, while India’s US$730 million National Quantum Mission focuses on computing, communication, sensing, and materials.
• The ORF report outlines joint R&D, academic exchange, and supply chain collaboration as pathways for strategic quantum engagement between the two countries.

India and Taiwan may want to deepen cooperation in quantum technology to work around export controls imposed by dominant powers and strengthen their diplomatic and innovation ties, according to a new report by the Observer Research Foundation, an independent, non-partisan think tank that provides research-driven analysis to inform India’s policy choices and amplify its voice in global debates.

In a study written by Prateek Tripathi, a Junior Fellow at the Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology at the foundation, quantum technology — or QT — is described as a nascent but potentially foundational technology for future economies. The report argues that a partnership between India and Taiwan could serve strategic, economic, and technological interests for both nations.

Taiwan’s Quantum Momentum

Taiwan has begun investing heavily in quantum development, building on its established position as a global semiconductor hub, according to the report. The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) launched the Taiwan Quantum Program Office (TQPO) in 2021, and followed with a five-year, US$259 million National Quantum Team in 2022. The team brings together 72 experts and 24 companies across government, academia, and industry, targeting areas like quantum computing hardware, quantum optics, and quantum software.

Recent advances highlight the country’s ambitions. In January 2024, Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s top research institution, unveiled the first domestically developed superconducting quantum computer with five qubits. In October, National Tsing Hua University scientists built a single-photon quantum processor—the smallest of its kind. And in November, the Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute acquired a 5-qubit machine from Finland’s IQM, further cementing Taiwan’s quantum push.

The report further details that, beyond hardware, Taiwan is also developing quantum software in partnership with Japan’s QunaSys and investing in quantum communications. In 2019, researchers at NTHU demonstrated secure quantum key distribution (QKD) with homegrown single-photon sources. This led to the country’s first quantum-secure communication network by 2023.

Post-quantum cryptography (PQC), which aims to secure data against future quantum attacks, is another priority. Academia Sinica and private firm Chelpis Quantum Corp have collaborated on PQC research with Eindhoven University of Technology since 2006. In 2023, they opened the Chelpis Quantum Safe Migration Center to drive global research and adoption. That work paid off in October 2024, when three Chelpis algorithms were shortlisted by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for PQC standardization.

India’s QT Ambitions

India, meanwhile, is pursuing its own quantum development through the National Quantum Mission (NQM), backed by INR 6,000 crore (about US$730 million). The plan focuses on four pillars: quantum computing, communication, sensing, and materials. It includes a network of Thematic Hubs (T–Hubs) housed in premier science and engineering institutes.

But India faces one significant obstacle: restrictive export controls from quantum frontrunners such as the U.S., China, and parts of the EU. These controls limit access to cutting-edge hardware and know-how. The ORF report argues that Taiwan, which has proven willing to collaborate and is not part of these restrictions, represents a “novel avenue” for India to bypass such barriers.

“The myriad of export controls implemented by the field’s leading countries… constitute India’s biggest obstacles to international collaboration in QT,” Tripathi writes. “Consequently, QT collaboration with Taiwan may offer a way out of this dilemma, provided both nations reach an understanding.”

A Natural Fit

The report identifies the complementary strengths of both countries. Taiwan’s chipmaking experience and emerging quantum capabilities make it a good partner for India, which has a growing bench of quantum scientists and startups. India has also developed expertise in quantum communication and sensing — areas still developing in Taiwan.

With India’s semiconductor sector gaining momentum and Taiwanese firms like Foxconn and PSMC already involved, quantum collaboration could be a logical next step.

“Collaboration in developing quantum computers based on semiconductor qubits seems like an obvious choice,” Tripathi notes in the report.

Supply chains also factor heavily into the argument. Just as countries are working to reduce dependency on Chinese semiconductors, the same logic applies to quantum. Since global QT supply chains are still in their infancy, India and Taiwan have an opportunity to set terms before the market hardens.

The report cites a recent example: U.S.-based Quantum Design International has already partnered with Taiwan to manufacture dilution refrigerators in Taipei, a key component for quantum machines. India and Taiwan could build similar supply-chain links and do so without relying on technology gatekeepers.

How to Collaborate

Several concrete pathways for cooperation are suggested. One is to expand the 2007 India-Taiwan Programme of Cooperation in Science and Technology to include quantum R&D. The program already funds work in semiconductors, AI, biotech and aerospace, according to the report. Since the Department of Science and Technology and NSTC are the nodal agencies behind this and their respective national quantum efforts, the report argues that integration would make sense.

Academic exchanges are another option. Institutions like Academia Sinica and NTHU in Taiwan could establish exchange programs with the Indian Institutes of Technology and IISc Bengaluru, similar to the Quantum Entanglement Exchange Programme between India and the U.S. This could spur joint publications and shared intellectual property.

The NSTC’s Science and Technology Hub, set up at Stanford in 2023 to connect Taiwanese researchers and startups, could also be replicated in India within one of the T–Hubs under the NQM.

In PQC, both nations already have strong private players — QNu Labs in India and Chelpis in Taiwan. “Business-to-business collaborations between these entities also present a viable opportunity,” the report says.

Diplomatic Impact

Though formal diplomatic ties between India and Taiwan date back only to 1995, science and technology have increasingly acted as a quiet bridge. Quantum cooperation, according to the report, could also serve as a diplomatic catalyst, adding momentum to what remains a low-profile but deepening relationship.

Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen have expressed public support for advancing quantum capabilities. Tripathi concludes that both nations are “in an opportune position to further collaborate in this field, paving the way for stronger diplomatic ties in the future.”