At the India Today Conclave 2025, a pivotal discussion unfolded around India’s position in the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence (AI). The panel, featuring Puneet Chandok, President of Microsoft India & South Asia, and Nitin Mittal, Principal and Deloitte Global AI & Emerging Markets Leader, delved into the challenges and opportunities India faces in navigating the “Age of Acceleration: Man Versus Machine.” While the event primarily focused on the accelerating pace of AI advancements, the central theme of “Sovereign AI” emerged as a focal point of debate.
The discussion explored whether India should focus on developing its own sovereign AI capabilities, including creating homegrown large language models (LLMs), or rely on leveraging global AI technologies. This question was framed within the context of China’s rapid AI progress, which has raised concerns about India’s potential to keep pace.
Nitin Mittal acknowledged India’s strength in applying technology, citing the country’s vibrant IT services industry. However, he highlighted that China’s AI advancements were largely driven by a greater focus on “product innovation,” a factor that allowed China to produce breakthrough technologies such as the “DeepSeek” AI model. Mittal emphasized that India needs to ramp up its focus on product research and development to bridge the gap. Despite this challenge, he remained optimistic, pointing out that AI innovation is happening at a lightning pace, where “weeks and days” matter, and Indian breakthroughs are “inevitable.”
Puneet Chandok added an important dimension to the debate, questioning whether India could build its AI models more efficiently, with “lesser dollars and lesser energy consumption.” His point underscored the need for not only technological capability but also a cost-effective approach to building AI systems, something that could be crucial for India in its bid to carve out a leadership role in the AI space.
On the topic of “Sovereign AI,” Mittal passionately argued that India must focus on developing its own AI infrastructure. He explained, “AI is about manufacturing intelligence… That’s your sovereign infrastructure,” stressing that without this capability, India would lack the means to produce what is arguably the most valuable digital product today: intelligence. His statement pointed to the broader geopolitical and economic implications of AI, stressing that sovereignty in AI would ensure India maintains control over its technological future.
However, Mittal also acknowledged the complexity and uncertainty surrounding India’s timeline to achieve sovereign LLMs. He admitted that predicting when India could establish such capabilities was challenging, given the need for a combination of “entrepreneurship,” “investment,” “computing,” and “engineering prowess.”
The Conclave discussion ultimately underscored India’s ambition to be a global leader in AI, with the future of the nation’s AI strategy remaining uncertain but crucial. Whether India chooses to prioritize the development of sovereign LLMs or take a more pragmatic approach focused on leveraging existing technologies and improving efficiency, the decisions made today will shape India’s AI identity in the years to come. One thing is certain: India’s AI journey is just beginning, and its choices will have a lasting impact on its technological standing in the global landscape.
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