However much chest beating we do about heralding into the AI age, our existence would remain the same as in the so-called Software and Data Analytics age. Might be the gap is getting wider. We remain a large chunk of average users of the world’s cutting edge IT for quite some time. We have never led an industrial revolution or even been a major player from the first one till what we can term as the Digital Revolution where India benefited moderately. Now in the fourth industrial revolution, there is certainly a much higher level of talk and government’s perceived commitment.
Not being left out of the AI race is certainly a concern which the government, industry and the country shares a large share. Can the government’s vocal push and allocating some financial resources give us a fighting chance in this race? The answer as it stands now seems to be a resounding NO. AI today for any country can be measured today by its hardware, mainly the Chip capability and the milestones achieved on its Large Language Models (LLMs). America has nearly led the way with China providing visible signs of some catching up, as for the rest of the world, it’s jumping on to the AI bandwagon.
The timeline provided by IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was 10 months starting January 2025. Yesterday, the PM talked about rolling out the first Chip in Dec.2025, no way near the cutting edge ones. At around the same time there was a Financial Times article on, “Why can’t India produce a Nvidia or a DeepSeek?” Why has India not developed a globally dominant AI hardware company like Nvidia or an innovative AI model producer like China’s DeepSeek. India has to face hard questions about genuine innovation, especially in AI and advanced hardware. There are no homegrown giants to make this breakthrough. Unlike, US and China, India lacks a robust ecosystem for deep technology innovation.
India is further constrained by access constraints to top-tier GPUs and AI hardware, especially after the new export embargoes from the US. China managed to deliver competitive AI models by optimising software and using less powerful hardware. India has skilled talent but with very little risk appetite. While we see some well meaning government initiatives, the impact has been slow, at times, missing too. China through DeepSeek illustrates that algorithmic ingenuity can be as disruptive as hardware leadership, an alternative path to AI dominance. While structural challenges are a dampener, potential pathways, notably algorithmic innovation, can help India catch up in the global AI race.
NOW ITS INDIA’S TURN TO DELIVER AI UNFAILINGLY.
Sanjay Sahay
Have a nice evening.