Quantum Computing, Sensing and AI | Prof. Arindam Ghosh, IISc

What can quantum technology do beyond building a faster computer? Professor Arindam Ghosh of IISc Bengaluru joins Shreyas Mishra to discuss quantum computing, sensing and communication, and how founders and students can find a way into the field.

This conversation was made possible courtesy of the Infosys Science Foundation (ISF).
The Foundation’s Infosys Prize recognises outstanding research and encourages young people to pursue careers in science.
Professor Arindam Ghosh received the 2020 Infosys Prize in Physical Sciences.
The prize recognised his work on atomically thin semiconductors for new electronic devices, energy conversion and light detection.

The conversation begins with his research on atomically thin materials and light detectors, then follows his journey from Kolkata to IISc and Cambridge. He explains why shared clean-room facilities helped him return to India, how cricket gives a difficult research problem room to breathe, and why engineering a useful quantum computer still demands basic research.

We discuss post-quantum cryptography, access to quantum processors, sensing applications, and the role of materials and devices across the field. His advice to founders is to identify a use case and work backwards to the expertise it needs. For students, he makes the case for learning quantum fundamentals alongside AI. We close with graphene, silicon and what tiny electrical fluctuations can tell a physicist about a material.

CHAPTERS
0:00 Teaser: quantum entanglement
0:18 Short introduction
0:33 Conversation: Planck's constant and light detectors
3:25 From Kolkata to Cambridge
10:26 Returning to India, clean rooms and cricket
15:04 Engineering quantum technology
16:57 Quantum computing: progress and challenges
21:47 Quantum computing, cryptography and access
25:36 Quantum sensing and its applications
30:57 Quantum communication and eavesdropping
35:12 Starting a quantum technology company
41:41 Advice for students: quantum and AI
46:27 Graphene, silicon and two-dimensional materials
50:18 When noise becomes a signal

Guest: Professor Arindam Ghosh, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru
Host: Shreyas Mishra
Recorded at IISc on 12 October 2026.

Disclosure: Prof. Ghosh is a co-founder of Quan2D Technologies, an IISc-incubated startup working on 2D materials and quantum-sensing devices.

This conversation reflects the guest's research experience and outlook. Proposed applications and timelines are discussed as possibilities, not guarantees.

About the guest: https://physics.iisc.ac.in/people/arindam-ghosh/
Infosys Prize 2020, Physical Sciences: https://www.infosysprize.org/laureates/2020/arindam-ghosh.html
Charts, chapters and the full transcript: https://upstreamvoice.com/podcasts/178.html
More conversations: https://upstreamvoice.com
Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@Upstream-Voice

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