Long known as the world’s IT services hub, India now wants to build the technologies that shape power and influence, not just economic efficiency. From chips and artificial intelligence to defence and space, this shift is clear and carries global consequences. As the world’s largest democracy embarks on such a transformation, the question is not whether it has ambition, but whether it can finally turn intent into execution.
India stands at a rare inflection point in its modern history. One where technological ambition, geopolitical pressures, and industrial reinvention are converging at once. Long celebrated as the world’s IT back office, the country is now attempting something far more consequential: to become a creator of frontier technologies rather than merely a consumer or service provider. From semiconductors and space to artificial intelligence and defence manufacturing, India’s push toward technological self-reliance promises to reshape its domestic economy and the global balance of power. Whether this moment becomes a genuine transformation or another missed opportunity hinges on how effectively India can translate intent into execution.
India’s usual constraints still remain to a degree. Ease of doing business, infrastructure woes, and intransigent labour laws are factors it will have to contend with to attain its tech aspirations.