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SubscriberWrites: Technological sovereignty; India's new battlefield

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  Published in Science and Technology on Friday, November 7th 2025 at 10:29 GMT by ThePrint
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Technological Sovereignty: India’s New Battlefield

In a world where data flows as swiftly as oil once did, India’s pursuit of “technological sovereignty” has become a central pillar of its national security and economic strategy. The term, popularized by scholars and policy‑makers alike, denotes a state’s ability to independently design, manufacture, and secure the digital infrastructure that underpins governance, commerce, and society. The Print’s recent feature—“Technological Sovereignty: India’s New Battlefield”—explores why this capability is now as vital to India as physical borders, and what steps the country is taking to assert control over its own technological destiny.

A Legacy of Dependence

India’s rapid digital transformation over the last decade has relied heavily on foreign hardware and software ecosystems. Major cloud providers—Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud—dominate the market, while critical chips for smartphones, servers, and AI workloads are imported from Taiwan, South Korea, and the United States. Even domestic data centers are often built on off‑the‑shelf solutions that incorporate foreign operating systems and security stacks.

The global semiconductor shortage, exacerbated by the pandemic, exposed the fragility of this supply chain. While countries like the United States and China mobilised billions to secure production lines, India’s semiconductor industry remained a nascent startup ecosystem, with the world’s only wafer fabrication plant—a 200‑mm line in the city of Gurugram—still under construction.

Policy Foundations

India’s response began with “Atmanirbhar Bharat” (self‑reliant India), a slogan adopted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2020 that sought to galvanise domestic manufacturing across sectors. Coupled with the Digital India agenda, the government has launched initiatives that explicitly target digital sovereignty.

1. Data Localization Bill (2021): The bill mandates that data generated by Indian citizens or stored in India must be stored on servers located within the country. The legislation is designed to protect citizen privacy and prevent foreign entities from accessing sensitive data. The Print article notes that the bill has drawn criticism from some tech firms for potentially hindering global scale but is praised by data protection advocates.

2. National Digital Security Architecture (NDSA, 2022): This framework seeks to secure critical data infrastructures, including the “Digital Locker,” “India Stack,” and the upcoming “Digital Health Mission.” It establishes a national security council that coordinates cyber‑defence, threat intelligence, and incident response.

3. AI and Quantum Computing Policies (2023): The government unveiled a National Mission on Artificial Intelligence, with a 10‑year, ₹20,000 crore ($270 million) budget to fund research, talent development, and infrastructure. A parallel quantum computing initiative aims to position India as a regional leader in low‑energy quantum processors.

These policy milestones are not merely regulatory; they represent a concerted effort to shift India’s technology stack from consumption to production.

Building a Domestic Ecosystem

The Print piece highlights several domestic success stories that illustrate India’s potential to leapfrog. Start‑ups like Ather Energy, which built its own electric‑vehicle charging network, and Razorpay, which developed a secure payment gateway using indigenous cryptographic libraries, serve as proof points. Moreover, the government’s “Startup India” and “Make in India” programs have provided funding and tax incentives for firms that develop critical infrastructure components.

Key challenges, however, remain. India lags behind the United States and China in high‑performance computing capabilities, semiconductor fabrication, and advanced AI research. The talent deficit is acute; the country needs thousands of engineers specialized in chip design, cryptography, and quantum algorithms. While the government’s “National AI Strategy” includes provisions for scholarships and research grants, industry‑academia collaboration must intensify to keep pace.

International Dynamics

The Print article situates India’s technological sovereignty in a broader geopolitical context. The United States and China are in a “tech arms race” to secure dominance over AI, 5G, and quantum computing. India’s strategic partnership with the United States—particularly under the “India‑US Strategic Partnership” and the “Quad” (Australia, Japan, United States, and India)—provides both opportunities and constraints. While the U.S. supports India’s ambitions to build domestic semiconductor fabs under the “CHIPS for America” framework, India must balance its reliance on U.S. software with the desire for autonomy.

China’s aggressive investments in Indian tech through companies like Huawei and ZTE have also prompted policy scrutiny. India’s “Data Protection Bill” includes provisions that restrict the use of foreign encryption standards and limit data sharing with non‑Indian entities, reinforcing the sovereignty agenda.

The Road Ahead

The Print’s analysis concludes that technological sovereignty is not a single‑action goal but a continuous strategy that requires:

• Strategic Investment: The government must channel more funds into semiconductor fabs, quantum labs, and AI research centers. Public‑private partnerships could accelerate deployment.
• Talent Development: Scholarships, research fellowships, and industry‑led training programs can bridge the skill gap. Collaboration with universities and international research institutions is essential.
• Regulatory Clarity: While data localization and security laws protect citizens, they must be balanced against the need for global connectivity and innovation. Clear, sector‑specific guidelines will help firms comply without stifling growth.
• Ecosystem Building: Incentives for local data centers, cloud providers, and hardware manufacturers will foster competition and reduce dependence on foreign giants.

Ultimately, India’s quest for technological sovereignty is a multifaceted battle—spanning policy, industry, academia, and international diplomacy. As the Print article emphasizes, the stakes are high: sovereignty over data, the ability to innovate in AI and quantum computing, and the capacity to protect national interests in an era where the most valuable assets are intangible. The next decade will determine whether India can transform its current dependencies into a self‑sufficient digital economy, thereby securing its place as a global technological powerhouse.