The DRDO quantum refrigerator deal signed with Zero mK India Private Limited, a start-up based in Alwar, Rajasthan, is the first high-value deep tech project agreement under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme, the Ministry of Defence said on Thursday. The project covers indigenous development of a 20 mK-class dilution refrigerator for quantum applications.

The agreement was signed in New Delhi between the Director, TDF, and the company. It is the first high-value agreement under the Rs 500 crore corpus that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had earlier approved for deep tech and cutting edge projects, according to the ministry.


What a dilution refrigerator does

Dilution refrigerators are specialised cryogenic systems that reach the millikelvin range, a fraction of a degree above absolute zero. Several quantum computing platforms and associated quantum technologies need that environment to operate and to be tested, the ministry said.

A 20 mK-class machine holds its coldest stage at around 20 thousandths of a kelvin. Superconducting qubits, used in many current quantum processors, lose the fragile states that carry information at warmer temperatures, and the refrigerator sits at the base of most such laboratories as a result. Without one, the chip cannot be run or characterised at all.

The ministry said the project will help reduce dependence on imported cryogenic infrastructure.

DRDO quantum refrigerator deal and the National Quantum Mission

The indigenous development of the 20 mK-class system aligns with the National Quantum Mission, the ministry said, and strengthens India's capabilities in quantum technology, advanced cryogenics and strategic technologies. It added that the work contributes towards a self-reliant, quantum-ready ecosystem and a stronger domestic quantum technology base.

The Union Cabinet approved the National Quantum Mission in April 2023 with an outlay of around Rs 6,000 crore running to 2030-31, covering quantum computing, communication, sensing and materials.

How the Rs 500 crore deep tech corpus works

The corpus runs as a separate vertical within TDF for deep tech and cutting edge projects. The Minister of State for Defence, Sanjay Seth, told the Lok Sabha in July 2025 that the Defence Minister had approved the additional Rs 500 crore and that selection of deep tech projects had begun.

TDF itself is a Ministry of Defence programme executed by DRDO to fund defence and dual use technologies that Indian industry does not yet have, with MSMEs and start-ups as the priority. Under the TDF scheme, DRDO bears up to 90 percent of a project's cost, and the development agency and DRDO jointly hold the resulting intellectual property, according to the Directorate of Technology Development Fund. The per-project ceiling was raised from Rs 10 crore to Rs 50 crore in 2022.

The value of the DRDO quantum refrigerator deal and its delivery timeline were not part of Thursday's announcement.

Deep tech in the DRDO pipeline

The award follows the framework unveiled earlier this month at the DRDO Industry Synergy Meet, VIMARSH 2026, which offered direct funding, incubation support and access to DRDO test facilities for MSMEs and deep tech start-ups.

In June, the Delegation of Financial Powers to DRDO placed TDF under its own schedule, alongside Extra-Mural Research and the Defence Innovation Accelerator-Centres of Excellence. Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar listed TDF among the enablers for industry at an ASSOCHAM conference in August, with iDEX and the Srijan portal.

SSPL to mentor the project

The Defence Minister complimented DRDO, industry and all stakeholders associated with the project and expressed confidence that the partnership would set an important precedent for future DRDO-industry collaboration in emerging technology domains. Defence Secretary and Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman, DRDO Rajesh Kumar Singh congratulated the teams and wished them success in achieving the project objectives.

The Director General, Micro Electronic Devices and Computational System and Cyber Security (DG MCC), the Director General, Technology Management (DG TM), and the Director of the Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL) were present, with other stakeholders.

The project is being monitored, mentored and supported by the Director, SSPL, and his team.