Cybersecurity isn’t just about protecting data anymore, it’s about defending the digital backbone of modern India. Every connection represents an opportunity for increased risk, be it through UPI payments or the power grid. Prior to it being a popular and widely discussed trend in the world, Prof. Sandeep K Shukla, has been ahead of the curve on all things relating to this concept. He speaks about the next steps in securing India’s critical infrastructure, and utilising AI for protection against cyber threats. In 2002–03, it was viewed as a system administrator’s problem. Attacks like Code Red were routine, and research focused on cryptography, which was ineffective once malware exploited software flaws. A global vulnerability market soon emerged, where zero-day, zero-click bugs in major platforms became million-dollar assets traded legally and on the dark web, sustaining a government, criminal exploit ecosystem. Stuxnet in 2010 transformed the field. Using unknown vulnerabilities, it damaged Iran’s Natanz facility and proved cyberattacks could disrupt physical systems worldwide.

International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Hyderabad hosted the launch of ‘Transforming India into a leading Quantum-powered Economy in the presence of NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer B V Subrahmanyam, Telangana IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, NITI Aayog Member V K Saraswat, and NITI Frontier Tech Hub Chief Architect Debjani Ghosh. Addressing a gathering after launching the roadmap, NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer B V Subrahmanyam called for concerted efforts to make India a top-three quantum economy by 2025. Hyderabad has all the ingredients to become the country’s Quantum City. Telangana’s quantum policy is in sync with the national strategy. It can deliver results much faster.” It sets a target to incubate at least 10 globally competitive quantum start-ups, each surpassing $100 million in revenue; achieve Quantum Atmanirbharata and control critical points in global supply chains; and capture over 50 per cent of the value in the global quantum software and services market by 2035.

IIITH’s Smart City Living Lab team won ‘Best Promotion of oneM2M’ Award (3rd Prize) along with a cash award of 500,000 KRW at the 2025 International oneM2M Hackathon (8th Mobius Developer Challenge), marking the 5th consecutive win for the IIITH at this global event. This year’s recognition celebrates the team’s innovative project, “oneM2M-enabled AI for Resilient Building Systems.” The idea behind it is simple but powerful: How can buildings think smarter, respond faster, and stay resilient—no matter the situation? Their solution blends oneM2M’s interoperable IoT framework with AI-driven intelligence to create buildings that automatically detect issues, adjust conditions, save energy, and keep occupants safe. It is a bold step toward the future of intelligent, sustainable spaces. Team Nexus (Likhith Kanigolla, Kartik Gharde, Peri Reddy Vaka, and Nishitha Varma) brought this idea to life. They were mentored by Ms. Anuradha Vattem and Dr. Karthik Vaidhyanathan.