Nation-Building in the 21st Century Depends on Tech Sovereignty: Adani at IIT Kharagpur

Highlighting IIT Kharagpur’s pivotal role in fostering technology, self-reliance, and nation-building, Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani on Monday underlined that India’s preparedness for technology-driven wars will determine its future.

Addressing the institute’s 75th Foundation Day, Adani noted that modern conflicts are no longer fought in battlefields but in cyberspace.
“The wars of today are invisible — waged in server farms instead of trenches, with algorithms replacing guns. Empires are now built on data centres, and armies comprise botnets rather than battalions,” he remarked.

Adani, who was a special guest at the event, said that 90 per cent of India’s semiconductors are imported and one disruption or sanction can freeze the country’s digital economy.

“As the world is moving from conventional wars to technology-driven wars of power, India’s ability to prepare will decide our future,” he said.

“In the case of energy vulnerability, we import 85 per cent of our oil. A single geopolitical incident can restrict our growth,” the industrialist said.

When India’s data crosses the country’s borders, every bit of it becomes raw material for foreign algorithms, creates foreign wealth and strengthens foreign dominance, he said.

“And in the case of military dependence, many of our critical systems are imported, binding our national security to the political will and supply chains of other nations,” he said.