India is at a critical juncture in its technology journey, with growing dependence on global technology ecosystems exposing the country to potential supply-chain, geopolitical and technology-access risks. Against this backdrop, Electronics and Information Technology Secretary S Krishnan has called for “sovereign autonomy” in technology—an approach that would allow India to remain open to global innovation while building stronger domestic capabilities in strategically important areas.
Speaking at the 13th Annual Forum of the Public Affairs Forum of India (PAFI) in New Delhi, Krishnan said India should not seek complete technological isolation or attempt to produce everything domestically. Instead, the focus should be on developing enough indigenous capability to withstand external disruptions while securing a meaningful position in critical global value chains, particularly across electronics, semiconductors and emerging digital technologies.
Balancing Global Access With Domestic Capability
Krishnan said India must continue to remain open to technologies and expertise from around the world, particularly in areas where domestic capabilities are still developing.
At the same time, excessive dependence on any single country or technology ecosystem could create vulnerabilities. India has significant technology and supply-chain relationships with both the US and China, although their roles differ across investment, technology, manufacturing and components.
The proposed approach therefore focuses on strengthening India's ability to withstand external disruptions while maintaining international partnerships.
From Self-Reliance to Sovereign Autonomy
Krishnan's formulation goes beyond the traditional idea of technological self-reliance. The approach has three broad elements: continued access to global technology, development of domestic capabilities in critical areas, and a meaningful role in international technology value chains.
Business Standard reported that Krishnan referred to the concept as a form of “mutually assured disruption”, where India's participation in critical value chains becomes significant enough that disruption to India would also affect other participants.
This would allow India to build strategic resilience without attempting to manufacture every component domestically.
Electronics and Semiconductors in Focus
Electronics and semiconductors are expected to remain central to this strategy. India has expanded its electronics manufacturing capabilities, particularly in smartphones, while government programmes are encouraging investments in semiconductor manufacturing and related infrastructure.
However, the larger objective is to move beyond assembly and develop capabilities across strategically important parts of the value chain, including components, design, semiconductor technologies and associated digital infrastructure.
For India, deeper participation in these segments could strengthen both its technology ecosystem and its position in global supply chains.
Managing US and China Dependence
India's technology ecosystem remains closely connected to both the US and China. The US is a major technology, investment and export partner, while China continues to have an important presence in several manufacturing and component supply chains.
Moneycontrol reported that Krishnan highlighted more than $20 billion in mobile-phone exports to the US last year, reflecting the growing importance of India's electronics manufacturing relationship with the American market.
At the same time, dependence on Chinese components and manufacturing inputs highlights the need for greater diversification and domestic capacity in strategically important areas.
India Does Not Need to Make Everything
A key aspect of the sovereign-autonomy approach is that India does not need to produce every technology domestically. Modern technology supply chains are highly interconnected, making complete localisation difficult and potentially inefficient. Instead, India can focus on developing strength in areas where domestic capabilities provide strategic and economic value.
The objective is to combine global technology access, domestic resilience and deeper participation in international value chains.
As semiconductors, electronics, AI infrastructure and digital technologies become increasingly important to economic and national security, Krishnan's comments point towards a technology strategy aimed at making India less vulnerable to external disruptions while strengthening its role in the global technology ecosystem.
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