Today's Brief 16/05/2025

IE Analysis:https://youtu.be/6rlqYxXu8Ao?si=A1L-32SXelCjz0dv

1 .India's rooftop solar energy sector is on a significant growth trajectory and is projected to reach a capacity of 25-30 GW by the end of the fiscal year 2026-27, a substantial increase from the 17.02 GW installed by the end of FY 2024-25.

(General Studies-III (250 marks)Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management)

This optimistic outlook is fueled by various factors including strong government support through initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, which aims to incentivize residential adoption with subsidies and has already achieved 1 million installations.

Supportive policies such as net metering and the PLI scheme, coupled with decreasing technology costs and growing environmental awareness among businesses, are further driving the deployment of rooftop solar, particularly in the Commercial and Industrial (C&I) sector where states like Gujarat and Maharashtra are leading.

As a crucial component of India's ambitious energy transition goals,

aiming for 300 GW of solar capacity by 2030 within a total renewable energy capacity that reached 220.10 GW as of March 31, 2025, rooftop solar is poised to play an increasingly vital role in the nation's energy mix, with the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana alone expected to contribute 30 GW through residential installations by 2027.

2 .On World Quantum Day, April 14, 2025, QpiAI, a Bengaluru-based startup supported by India's National Quantum Mission (NQM), announced the launch of India's first full-stack quantum computer featuring 25 superconducting qubits.

(General Studies-III (250 marks)Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management)

The system, named QpiAI-Indus, integrates advanced quantum hardware, a scalable control system, and optimized software designed for hybrid quantum-classical computing.

This milestone marks a significant step in India's quantum computing capabilities, aligning with the NQM's goals of fostering domestic innovation and establishing essential quantum infrastructure.

QpiAI-Indus combines several key components:

25 Superconducting Qubits: The quantum processor is built using superconducting transmon qubits. QpiAI's technology roadmap aims to scale this to 128 NISQ (Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum) qubits within the next two years and achieve 100 logical qubits by 2030. The current 25-qubit system targets a coherence time of 60µs and has built-in surface code error correction with an error rate of $10^{-2}$.

QpiAISense™: This proprietary control and readout electronics system allows for the direct generation of microwave signals up to 10 GHz, crucial for manipulating superconducting qubits. It can control and read out up to 8 flux-tunable transmon qubits with a single rack-mounted system and offers standard software libraries with Machine Learning acceleration.

Hybrid Quantum-HPC Software Stack: The platform includes a resource-aware quantum circuit compiler and software libraries (QpiAISaaS and QpiAI-Opt) designed to support quantum-classical workflows. These tools aim to facilitate access to quantum computing across various sectors by applying machine learning techniques to guide quantum optimization algorithms.

Cryogenic Environment: The quantum processor operates within a closed-cycle cryostat, maintaining a base temperature of 10mK and housed in a shielded package with integrated components like attenuators, filters, TWPA, and cryo-amplifiers.

Classical High-Performance Computer (HPC): The system is integrated with classical HPC resources, including Intel Xeon processors and NVIDIA GPUs, connected via high-speed network interfaces, to manage and process the hybrid quantum-classical workloads.

QpiAI believes that QpiAI-Indus will drive innovation across various sectors, including life sciences, drug discovery, materials science, mobility, logistics, sustainability, and climate action.

The company, founded in 2019, has filed 11 patents and generates early-stage revenue through software licensing. This launch on World Quantum Day underscores India's commitment to advancing quantum technologies and building a skilled workforce in this cutting-edge field.

World Quantum Day, celebrated annually on April 14th, aims to promote public awareness and understanding of quantum science and technology globally.

The date "4.14" is chosen to represent the first three digits of Planck's constant ($4.14 \times 10^{-15}$ eV⋅s), a fundamental constant in quantum physics.

The year 2025 is also significant as it marks the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, commemorating 100 years since the discovery of quantum mechanics.

3 .Rory McIlroy is currently making headlines due to his momentous victory at the 2025 Masters Tournament, which concluded on Sunday, April 13, 2025.

 This triumph was particularly significant as it allowed the Northern Irish golfer to complete the coveted Career Grand Slam, becoming only the sixth player in history to win all four major championships, a feat no other European player has achieved in the modern era.

 4 .Poila Boishakh, also known as Bengali New Year or Noboborsho, is the first day of the Bengali calendar and is being celebrated today, Tuesday, April 15, 2025.

General Studies Paper-I (250 Marks) – Indian Heritage and Culture, History, and Geography of the World and Society It is a significant cultural festival for Bengali communities worldwide, particularly in Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, Jharkhand, and Assam.

Poila Boishakh marks the beginning of the new year with vibrant festivities, a sense of renewal, and hopeful beginnings

 The day is considered auspicious for starting new ventures and offering prayers for prosperity.

 Traditionally, people wear new clothes, clean and decorate their homes, and visit temples to seek blessings for the year ahead.

 A key ritual for businesses is the opening of new account books, known as "Haal Khata," symbolizing a fresh financial start.

 In Bangladesh, the "Mangal Shobhajatra," a vibrant procession with colorful masks and banners organized by the University of Dhaka, is a significant event recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage.

5 .Blue Origin's NS-31

(General Studies-III (250 marks)Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management)

 mission marked a historic moment in space exploration by launching the first all-female crew into space since 1963. The New Shepard rocket carried six women, including Lauren Sánchez, Katy Perry, and Gayle King, on a suborbital flight from West Texas.

 This mission reached beyond the Kármán line, providing the crew with a few minutes of weightlessness and a view of Earth's curvature.

The flight was significant, highlighting the increasing participation of women in space travel and aiming to inspire future generations, particularly young girls, to pursue careers in STEM and other fields.

6.QNu Labs, an Indian startup incubated at IIT Madras Research Park, has launched Q-Shield, described as the world's first unique platform designed to protect enterprises' critical infrastructure.

(General Studies-III (250 marks)Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management)

 The platform aims to provide seamless cryptography management across various environments, including cloud, on-premises, and hybrid systems. Q-Shield incorporates QNu's patented Quantum Key Distribution (Armos),

Quantum Random Number Generator (Tropos), Quantum Hardware Security Module (QHSM), and NIST-compliant Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) to offer an end-to-end solution for securing data.

 The company states that Q-Shield empowers enterprises to protect their data and prepare for a quantum-secured future.

3 .Ambedkar Jayanti, also known as Bhim Jayanti, is an annual observance celebrated on April 14th to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar (1891–1956). Dr. Ambedkar was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer, and the principal architect of the Constitution of India.

He was a champion of the rights of Dalits (formerly known as "untouchables") and other socially marginalized groups.

 Ambedkar Jayanti is a public holiday in many parts of India and is marked by various events, including processions, seminars, and cultural programs.

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