# AI, Quantum and Emerging Technology for UPSC: LLMs, Agentic AI, IoT, 3D Printing, Qubits, National Quantum Mission and Semiconductors Source: https://tracknation.in/story/ai-quantum-and-emerging-technology-for-upsc-llms-agentic-ai-iot-3d-printing-qubits-national-quantum-mission-and-semiconductors (TrackNation β€” free UPSC notes with PYQs) > Emerging technology for UPSC: AI, machine learning, LLMs and agentic AI, the IndiaAI Mission and the AI summits, IoT, wearables, AR and VR, 3D printing, qubits, Majorana 1, the National Quantum Mission and the India Semiconductor Mission. Includes practice questions, the real PYQs and exact Mains questions. ## How UPSC Tests Emerging Technology 🎯 **Exam priority: Tier-1. Emerging technology questions ask what a term means and what it can do today.** *UPSC asked: the Internet of Things (2018); the applications of 3D printing (2018); augmented versus virtual reality and wearable devices (2019); what AI can effectively do (2020); the qubit and short-range technologies such as RFID (2022); the use of an accelerometer (2023); the Majorana 1 chip and the Paris AI Action Summit (2025); and large language models, the National Quantum Mission and semiconductor plants (2026, provisional key). Mains asked about agentic AI (2026) and the semiconductor industry and the India Semiconductor Mission (2025).* Four boxes: **AI** (what it is and can do), **connected devices** (IoT, wearables, sensors, AR/VR, 3D printing), **quantum** and **chips and compute**. ## Artificial Intelligence: Concepts, Governance and IndiaAI ## Artificial intelligence - **AI, machine learning and deep learning:** machine learning is a part of AI in which systems learn patterns from data; **deep learning is a subset of machine learning** using many-layered neural networks (2025 PYQ). - **Large language models (LLMs)** assign probabilities to possible next words and choose from them, and training minimises prediction error by mathematical optimisation. They can reflect biases in their data, so 'unbiased outputs' is wrong (2026 PYQ, provisional key). - **Agentic AI** (Mains 2026) refers to AI systems that pursue a goal autonomously: they plan, use tools or software, take multi-step actions and adjust to results with limited human prompting. Uses include scheduling, customer service, research assistance and software testing; the risks are errors that compound across steps, security misuse, unclear accountability and loss of human oversight. - **What AI can do now (2020 PYQ):** help cut electricity use in industry, assist in disease diagnosis and convert text to speech. UPSC's key did not count writing meaningful short stories and songs, or wireless transmission of electrical energy (which has nothing to do with AI). - **Global governance:** the AI Action Summit in Paris (February 2025) was co-chaired with India and built on Bletchley Park (2023) and Seoul (2024); the US and the UK did not sign its declaration on inclusive and sustainable AI (2025 PYQ). India hosted the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi in February 2026 (secondary sources). - **IndiaAI Mission:** the Cabinet approved about β‚Ή10,372 crore in March 2024 for compute, datasets, skilling and indigenous models; more than 38,000 GPUs have been onboarded as common compute for start-ups and academia (secondary sources). The National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems supports *BharatGen*, a generative AI model for Indian languages at IIT Bombay. ## Connected Devices, 3D Printing and Quantum Technology ## Connected devices and fabrication | **Technology** | **What it is** | **Exam fact** | | Internet of Things | Everyday devices that sense, communicate and act on each other automatically | The smart-home and connected-car scenario of 2018 is the IoT | | Short-range technologies | CCTV, RFID and wireless LAN work over short distances | All three count as short-range (2022) | | Accelerometer | Senses acceleration and tilt | Triggers airbags in a crash, parks a laptop disk in free fall and rotates a phone screen: all three (2023) | | Wearables | Devices worn on the body | Locate a person, monitor sleep and assist the hearing impaired (2019) | | Augmented reality | Computer images overlaid on the real world | Lets people stay in the world; VR shuts it out and immerses the user (2019) | | 3D printing | Builds objects layer by layer from a digital design | Used for confectionery, bionic ears, vehicle parts, reconstructive surgery and, per UPSC's key, data processing technologies (2018) | ## Quantum technology - A **qubit** is the unit of information in quantum computing; unlike a classical bit it can be in a superposition of 0 and 1, and qubits can be entangled (2022 PYQ). - **Majorana 1** is a chip introduced by **Microsoft** (not Amazon Web Services) that is expected to enable quantum computing with topological qubits (2025 PYQ). - **National Quantum Mission:** approved at β‚Ή6,003.65 crore for eight years; it aims at intermediate-scale quantum computers of about 50 to 1,000 physical qubits and has set up **four Thematic Hubs** at IISc Bengaluru, IIT Madras, IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi (2026 PYQ). Eight start-ups are supported (including QNu Labs, QpiAI and Prenishq), a concept paper for a quantum-safe ecosystem has been released and quantum technology B.Tech and M.Tech programmes have started with AICTE. - **Outputs:** QNu Labs built a 500 km quantum key distribution (QKD) network, QpiAI a 64-qubit processor and the IIT Bombay hub launched India's first indigenous quantum diamond microscope. ## Semiconductors and How UPSC Could Ask Next ## Chips and compute - A **fab** makes wafers; an **OSAT/ATMP** unit assembles, tests and packages chips. The **India Semiconductor Mission** was approved on 15 December 2021 with an initial outlay of β‚Ή76,000 crore under the Ministry of Electronics and IT (secondary sources). - **Plants (secondary sources):** Micron's assembly and test unit and the CG Power-Renesas-STARS and Kaynes units are at Sanand, Gujarat; the Tata-PSMC wafer fab (planned β‚Ή91,000 crore, 28 nm) is at Dholera, Gujarat; Tata's assembly unit is in Assam; SiCSem's silicon-carbide project is in Odisha; and the HCL-Foxconn unit is at Jewar in Uttar Pradesh, which is why the pair 'HCL-Foxconn: Madhya Pradesh' was wrong in the 2026 question. - ISRO and the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), Chandigarh produced **VIKRAM3201**, the first fully Make-in-India 32-bit microprocessor qualified for launch vehicles, made at SCL's 180 nm CMOS plant. - **Challenges (Mains 2025):** very high capital cost, a thin supplier ecosystem for gases, chemicals and equipment, need for assured water and power, shortage of skilled engineers, and competition from established hubs; incentives and the 'design-linked' support under the Mission respond to these. ## How UPSC Could Ask This Next - **Definitions:** qubit, superposition, entanglement, GAN, prompt, transformer, edge computing. - **Capability statements:** what AI, IoT and quantum can and cannot do. - **Programmes:** NQM, ISM, IndiaAI, BharatGen, Semicon India. - **Pairs:** company and chip, plant and place. ## Further Reading - NCERT Biology (Class 12) and Geography textbooks, the India State of Forest Report, the MoEFCC Annual Report, the Economic Survey and the official lists cited in this note β€” the primary sources behind every figure above. ## Test Yourself: Practice Questions and PYQs Twelve practice questions on AI, connected devices, quantum technology and semiconductors, followed by the real UPSC Prelims questions and exact Mains questions. ## Practice Questions **Q1.** Which of the following is correct about the relationship between deep learning and machine learning? - (a) Deep learning is a subset of machine learning - (b) Machine learning is a subset of deep learning - (c) They are unrelated - (d) Deep learning is a kind of database **Answer: (a)** β€” UPSC's 2025 question included this statement as correct. **Q2.** A smart home in which devices sense, communicate and act on each other automatically is an example of - (a) the Border Gateway Protocol - (b) the Internet of Things - (c) a Virtual Private Network - (d) cloud storage only **Answer: (b)** β€” UPSC's 2018 key. **Q3.** In augmented reality (AR), - (a) users are fully immersed in a virtual world - (b) computer-generated images are overlaid on the real world - (c) the physical world is completely shut out - (d) only audio is used **Answer: (b)** β€” VR shuts out the physical world. **Q4.** A qubit is the unit of information in - (a) quantum computing - (b) wireless communication - (c) visible light communication - (d) cloud services **Answer: (a)** β€” It can exist in a superposition of 0 and 1. **Q5.** Majorana 1, a chip expected to enable quantum computing, was introduced by - (a) Google - (b) Microsoft - (c) Amazon Web Services - (d) IBM **Answer: (b)** β€” UPSC's 2025 question tested this. **Q6.** The National Quantum Mission has been approved at a cost of about - (a) β‚Ή6,003.65 crore for eight years - (b) β‚Ή1,000 crore for three years - (c) β‚Ή600 crore for five years - (d) β‚Ή60,000 crore for ten years **Answer: (a)** β€” It has set up four Thematic Hubs. **Q7.** Which of the following host a Thematic Hub of the National Quantum Mission? 1. IISc Bengaluru 2. IIT Madras 3. IIT Bombay 4. IIT Delhi - (a) 1 and 2 only - (b) 3 and 4 only - (c) 2 and 3 only - (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4 **Answer: (d)** β€” The four hubs cover computing, communication, sensing and metrology, and materials and devices. **Q8.** Which of the following is a short-range communication technology? 1. CCTV 2. RFID 3. Wireless LAN - (a) 1, 2 and 3 - (b) 2 and 3 only - (c) 3 only - (d) 1 and 2 only **Answer: (a)** β€” UPSC's 2022 key. **Q9.** A semiconductor 'OSAT' unit - (a) designs chips only - (b) makes silicon wafers from sand - (c) recycles electronic waste - (d) assembles, tests and packages chips **Answer: (d)** β€” A fab makes the wafers. **Q10.** The India Semiconductor Mission was approved in December 2021 with an initial outlay of - (a) β‚Ή76,000 crore - (b) β‚Ή7,600 crore - (c) β‚Ή10,000 crore - (d) β‚Ή1 lakh crore **Answer: (a)** β€” It sits under the Ministry of Electronics and IT (secondary sources). **Q11.** VIKRAM3201, produced by ISRO and the Semiconductor Laboratory, Chandigarh, is - (a) an AI language model - (b) a navigation satellite - (c) a Make-in-India 32-bit microprocessor for launch vehicles - (d) a quantum processor **Answer: (c)** β€” It was made at SCL's 180 nm CMOS plant. **Q12.** Large language models (LLMs) - (a) assign probabilities to possible next words and are trained by minimising prediction error - (b) need no training data - (c) cannot process language - (d) always produce unbiased output **Answer: (a)** β€” UPSC's 2026 provisional key rejected the 'unbiased' statement. ### UPSC Previous Year Questions (PYQs) *Real UPSC Prelims questions, checked against the official paper and answer key.* **Q1.** (2018) When the alarm of your smartphone rings in the morning, you wake up and tap it to stop the alarm which causes your geyser to be switched on automatically. The smart mirror in your bathroom shows the day's weather and also indicates the level of water in your overhead tank. After you take some groceries from your refrigerator for making breakfast, it recognizes the shortage of stock in it and places an order for the supply of fresh grocery items. When you step out of your house and lock the door, all lights, fans, geysers and AC machines get switched off automatically. On your way to the office, your car warns you about traffic congestion ahead and suggests an alternative route, and if you are late for a meeting, it sends a message to your office accordingly. In the context of emerging communication technologies, which one of the following terms best applies to the above scenario? - (a) Border Gateway Protocol - (b) Virtual Private Network - (c) Internet of Things - (d) Internet Protocol **Answer: (c)** β€” A home and car in which devices sense, communicate and act on each other without human input are the Internet of Things. **Q2.** (2018) β€œ3D printing” has applications in which of the following? 1. Preparation of confectionery items 2. Manufacture of bionic ears 3. Automotive industry 4. Reconstructive surgeries 5. Data processing technologies Select the correct answer using the code given below: - (a) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 - (b) 2, 3 and 5 only - (c) 1, 3 and 4 only - (d) 1 and 4 only **Answer: (a)** β€” 3D printing is used for food items such as confectionery, bionic ears, vehicle parts and reconstructive surgery, and UPSC's key accepts data-processing technologies too, so all five. **Q3.** (2019) In the context of digital technologies for entertainment, consider the following statements: 1. In Augmented Reality (AR), a simulated environment is created and the physical world is completely shut out. 2. In Virtual Reality (VR), images generated from a computer are projected onto real-life objects or surroundings. 3. AR allows individuals to be present in the world and improves the experience using the camera of smart-phones or PC. 4. VR closes the world, and transposes an individual, providing complete immersion experience. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? - (a) 1, 2 and 3 only - (b) 1 and 2 only - (c) 3 and 4 only - (d) 4 only **Answer: (c)** β€” Augmented reality overlays computer-generated images on the real world, so statement 3 is right, while virtual reality shuts out the real world and immerses the user, so statement 4 is right. Statements 1 and 2 swap the two definitions. **Q4.** (2019) In the context of wearable technology, which of the following tasks is/are accomplished by wearable devices? 1. Location identification of a person 2. Sleep monitoring of a person 3. Assisting the hearing impaired person Select the correct answer using the code given below. - (a) 2 and 3 only - (b) 3 only - (c) 1, 2 and 3 - (d) 1 only **Answer: (c)** β€” Wearable devices can locate a person, monitor sleep and help the hearing impaired, so all three. **Q5.** (2020) With the present state of development, Artificial Intelligence can effectively do which of the following? 1. Bring down electricity consumption in industrial units 2. Create meaningful short stories and songs 3. Disease diagnosis 4. Text-to-Speech Conversion 5. Wireless transmission of electrical energy Select the correct answer using the code given below. - (a) 1, 2, 3 and 5 only - (b) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 - (c) 2, 4 and 5 only - (d) 1, 3 and 4 only **Answer: (d)** β€” AI today can help cut electricity use in industry, help diagnose disease and convert text to speech. UPSC's key does not count writing meaningful stories and songs or wireless transmission of electrical energy, so 1, 3 and 4. **Q6.** (2022) Which one of the following-is the context in which the term β€œqubit” is mentioned ? - (a) Wireless Communication Technologies - (b) Quantum Computing - (c) Cloud Services - (d) Visible Light Communication Technologies **Answer: (b)** β€” A qubit is the unit of information in quantum computing and can exist in a superposition of 0 and 1. **Q7.** (2022) Consider following communication the technologies: 1. Closed-circuit Television 2. Radio Frequency Identification 3. Wireless Local Area Network Which of the above are considered Short-Range devices/technologies? - (a) 1, 2 and 3 - (b) 1 and 3 only - (c) 1 and 2 only - (d) 2 and 3 only **Answer: (a)** β€” CCTV, RFID and wireless LANs all work over short distances, so all three are short-range technologies. **Q8.** (2023) Consider the following actions: 1. Detection of car crash/collision which results in the deployment of airbags almost instantaneously 2. Detection of accidental free fall of a laptop towards the ground which results in the immediate turning off of the hard drive 3. Detection of the tilt of the smartphone which results in the rotation of display between portrait and landscape mode. In how many of the above actions is the function of accelerometer required? - (a) Only one - (b) All three - (c) None - (d) Only two **Answer: (b)** β€” An accelerometer senses acceleration and tilt. It triggers airbags in a crash, parks a laptop hard drive in free fall and rotates a smartphone screen, so all three. **Q9.** (2025) Consider the following statements : 1. It is expected that Majorana 1 chip will enable quantum computing. 2. Majorana 1 chip has been introduced by Amazon Web Services (AWS). 3. Deep learning is a subset of machine learning. Which of the statements given above are correct? - (a) 1, 2 and 3 - (b) 2 and 3 only - (c) 1 and 2 only - (d) 1 and 3 only **Answer: (d)** β€” Majorana 1 is a quantum chip from Microsoft, not Amazon Web Services, and it is expected to enable quantum computing. Deep learning is a subset of machine learning. So statements 1 and 3. **Q10.** (2025) Consider the following statements regarding AI Action Summit held in Grand Palais, Paris in February 2025 : 1. Co-chaired with India, the event builds on the advances made at the Bletchley Park Summit held in 2023 and the Seoul Summit held in 2024. 2. Along with other countries, US and UK also signed the declaration on inclusive and sustainable AI. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? - (a) 1 only - (b) Neither 1 nor 2 - (c) Both 1 and 2 - (d) 2 only **Answer: (a)** β€” The Paris AI Action Summit of February 2025 was co-chaired with India and built on Bletchley Park (2023) and Seoul (2024). The US and the UK did not sign the declaration on inclusive and sustainable AI, so only statement 1. **Q11.** (2026, provisional key) Which of the following statements with regard to Large Language Models (LLMs) used in machine learning is/are correct? 1. LLMs assign probabilities to the next possible words and then pick the one with the highest probability. 2. LLMs process data through mathematical optimization to minimise prediction errors. 3. LLMs produce unbiased outputs. Select the answer using the code given below : - (a) 1 and 2 only - (b) 1, 2 and 3 - (c) 2 and 3 only - (d) 1 only **Answer: (a)** β€” An LLM assigns probabilities to possible next words and picks from them, and training minimises prediction error by optimisation. LLMs reflect biases in their training data, so statement 3 is wrong. **Q12.** (2026, provisional key) Which of the following statements with regard to the National Quantum Mission (NQM) is/are correct? 1. It aims at developing intermediate-scale quantum computers with 50 - 1000 physical qubits. 2. Its implementation includes setting up of four Thematic Hubs (T-Hubs) in academic and national R&D institutes across India. Select the answer using the code given below : - (a) 2 only - (b) Neither 1 nor 2 - (c) Both 1 and 2 - (d) 1 only **Answer: (c)** β€” The National Quantum Mission aims at intermediate-scale quantum computers of roughly 50 to 1,000 physical qubits and sets up four thematic hubs in academic and R&D institutions, so both statements are right. **Q13.** (2026, provisional key) Which one of the following pairs of semiconductor plants in India and their locations is not correctly matched? - (a) HCL-Foxconn Joint Venture India Chip Ltd. : Madhya Pradesh - (b) CG Power and Industrial Solutions Pvt. Ltd. in partnership with Renesas Electronics and STARS Microelectronics : Gujarat - (c) Tata Semiconductor Assembly and Test Pvt. Ltd. : Assam - (d) SicSem Pvt. Ltd. : Odisha **Answer: (a)** β€” The HCL-Foxconn venture is planned at Jewar in Uttar Pradesh, not Madhya Pradesh, so pair (a) is wrongly matched. CG Power with Renesas and Stars is in Gujarat, Tata's assembly and test unit is in Assam and SicSem is in Odisha. ### Mains Practice Questions Use these to frame full-length answers. You don't have to answer one exactly β€” they show the angles UPSC tests, so let them guide which points you cover. - What is agentic Artificial Intelligence? Explain its working. Describe its applications with suitable examples. Discuss the advantages, risks and challenges associated with agentic AI systems. - India aims to become a semiconductor manufacturing hub. What are the challenges faced by the semiconductor industry in India? Mention the salient features of the India Semiconductor Mission. - Explain quantum computing in simple terms and discuss India's National Quantum Mission. - Distinguish between AR, VR and mixed reality with examples of use in education and health. - Evaluate India's strategy to build indigenous AI capability: compute, data, skills and models. ### UPSC Mains β€” Previous Years’ Questions on this topic (last 10 years) These are the **actual GS Mains questions** UPSC has asked on this theme β€” real proof of how, and when, it is tested. Try to write a full answer to each. - 2026 (GS-III): What is agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Explain its working. Describe its applications with suitable examples. Discuss the advantages, risks and challenges associated with agentic AI systems. - 2025 (GS-III): India aims to become a semiconductor manufacturing hub. What are the challenges faced by the semiconductor industry in India? Mention the salient features of the India Semiconductor Mission.