Independence Day 2023: Here’s what India's Techade will look like

The 2020s is going to be a monumental decade for India for a number of reasons, all thanks to India’s rapidly growing tech space. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology or MEiTY have, therefore, named it, India’s Techade. India is projected to become the third-largest economy in the world— pegged at $5 trillion—overtaking Germany and Japan, and most of this is going to come from India’s rapidly growing tech sector. With many foreign tech companies setting up shop in India, and with policies and incentives to facilitate manufacturing, India’s Techade is progressing dynamically and at a fast pace. Here’s what the next 10 years or so will look like. India becoming a major manufacturing hub and technology exporter India is already in the process of becoming a major manufacturing destination for tech companies from all over the world. Samsung has been manufacturing a major chunk of their budget smartphone in India for years, and now has started making their premium flagship devices in the country as well. Similarly, Apple is just getting started with its manufacturing plans in the country. Then, there is the entire India Semicon business. India will emerge not only as a major chip-manufacturing nation but also as a major chip-designing one. Semicon India 2023 made one thing very clear - that semiconductors made in India will not only be a major proponent for tech in India but also in the rest of the world. Micron and TSMC are already investing heavily in setting up fab units in India, and Foxconn is looking to set up its own fabrication unit as well. Similarly, AMD is looking to set up its largest R&D facility in India. Moreover, Indian players like Vedanta and Tata are also aggressively looking for partners and solutions to set up their fabrication and possibly design units. Because of this India-made semiconductors will not only power basic devices such as EVs and smartphones but also the high-tech and more powerful AI and ML data centres. What this means, is that from being an importer of tech, India is set to become a major exporter of tech. Private Players join ISRO in becoming a challenge for SpaceX and NASA In the last decade or so, ISRO has really come into its stride. The fact that we have one of the cheapest and most successful launch programmes is going to be a huge factor for the next 10 years. ISRO is already making pretty good money thanks to the lauch services it provides to players based in other countries. As per a 2022 report, ISRO made well over $200 million in foreign exchange all through its launch services. Cheap and affordable launch services mean India is in a great position to take advantage of space tourism when it becomes a thing. Not just that, as the world seeks to establish colonies on the Moon and Mars, cheap logistics are going to a huge demand. In such a scenario, ISRO’s launch technology will be highly sought after. And it is not just ISRO in India that is going to be ruling the skies and space, even private players are going to get in on the action. There are several private firms and aerospace startups that are working on making their own satellites. There are some that are working on their own launch vehicles and rockets. By the end of India’s Techade, we shouldn’t be surprised if India has a combination that is just as potent and powerful as that of NASA and SpaceX. India’s dependence on crude oil goes down significantly as electrification increases The government aims to achieve a 30 per cent adoption rate of electric vehicles (EVs) for private cars, 70 per cent for commercial vehicles, and 80 per cent for two and three-wheelers by the year 2030. Even if we reach about 70 per cent of our targets, our dependence on imported crude oil will go down significantly. As the country moves towards more electrification, the infrastructure to generate, distribute and store electricity is also set to improve exponentially. However, what is more important is that Indian manufacturers will be required to acquire tech to make better batteries. India is already planning to export power to Singapore, UAE and a few other allies in Asia. With improved infrastructure and logistics, power, like data, is set to become dirt cheap. India becomes completely self-reliant in crucial tech infrastructure Not many people are aware of this, but India developed its own 5G technology. Similarly, we developed NaVIC, our own GPS system that is being used not just by the military but by civilians as well. There are many other such vital technologies for which we had to rely on others. We imported much of the 2G and 4G infrastructure. This decade however, in a bid for true self-reliance, we will be developing our own technology. For example, we are already making great progress in the development of 6G technology in India. Similarly, we are creating our own chips for IoT, which will be used in all sorts of fields, from connected cars, to smart warehouses and shipping. Right To Technology All of this new tech will be pretty useless if it is not accessible to the lowest strata of our society. Fortunately, all of these technological evolutions should culminate in a situation where even the most disadvantaged section of our economy has access to a basic level of technology. If manufacturers are making in India and developing their tech in India, India’s socio-economic conditions are bound to influence how they are designed, and how they are made. As a result, technology, some of the more crucial ones at least, will become much more easily accessible. For example, just like we have affordable 4G and 5G internet right now, we will have just an affordable and easy way to access IoT infrastructures, AI, and cloud computing.