Quarkitech, a deeptech company based at IIT Madras Research Park, has raised ₹2 crore in pre-seed funding from Artha Access, a programme of Artha Venture Fund II, and Finvolve. The company is developing proprietary data compression technology aimed at addressing the growing volume of sensor data generated by defence, aerospace and other data-intensive systems.
Quarkitech has also received a ₹1.5 crore grant from IITM-CDOT Samgnya Technologies Foundation under the National Quantum Mission, approved by the Union Cabinet in 2023. The company’s technology is designed to compress data directly at the source, before it is stored, processed or transmitted. Its algorithms can reduce data generated by radar, LiDAR, satellite and other sensors by 10 to 100 times, depending on the application, while preserving information considered important for the mission.
Modern drones, satellites and surveillance platforms increasingly rely on high-resolution sensors that generate data faster than onboard systems can store or communication links can transmit. This becomes particularly challenging when platforms operate remotely, with limited bandwidth, storage and power.
Quarkitech’s software library is designed to run on existing onboard computing systems, eliminating the need for additional communication infrastructure. The technology can be adapted for radar, LiDAR, hyperspectral and electro-optical data streams, enabling applications across UAVs, satellites, mapping systems and ground-segment infrastructure. The company uses tensor networks, mathematical frameworks originally developed to model complex quantum systems, to identify and eliminate redundancy in large-scale sensor datasets.
“Modern defence and aerospace platforms are generating enormous volumes of data, but the ability to transmit and process that data has not kept pace,” said Shashikant Singh Kunwar, Co-founder and CTO, Quarkitech. “Our approach addresses the bottleneck at the point where the data is created, helping platforms make better use of their existing bandwidth, storage and power.”
In laboratory testing, Quarkitech reports achieving a 26X reduction in data volume while retaining 98% of mission-critical information in tests involving drone-captured imagery. The company is now focused on validating these results under operational conditions involving movement, heat, vibration, limited power and intermittent connectivity.
“Quarkitech is addressing data redundancy at the point of capture rather than after the data has already become difficult to store or transmit,” said Anirudh A Damani, Director, Artha Group. “The next important step is demonstrating that the technology performs reliably on moving platforms and in demanding environments.” Ashish Bhatia, Co-founder of Finvolve, said the company’s quantum-inspired approach could have applications beyond defence and space, including communications and infrastructure.
Quarkitech is currently in discussions with private defence and space operators and plans to undertake a limited number of pilot integrations with platform manufacturers, operators and research institutions over the coming year. The company’s immediate priority is to demonstrate that its compression technology can deliver measurable advantages on live systems and under real-world operating conditions.
