India to dominate AI race, says NSE chief Chauhan ahead

The AI Narrative Is Shifting: Is India Also Becoming the Real Winner?

Wait, could India outpace the US in the AI race? Ashish Chauhan, the NSE chief, says yes. He argues the story is moving away from US-dominated, trillion-dollar hardware bets toward the democratization of AI and open-weight AI models that anyone can use. In India, where the IT sector has long shown resilience, that shift could unlock a new era of homegrown winners. The next 20–30 years may hinge less on who bought the most GPUs and more on who can adapt, scale, and deploy AI fast.

The New AI Narrative: Democratization Over Hardware

Chauhan has been critical of the old playbook—“shock and awe” hardware spending that only a few can afford. Now, the trend is toward models that run well on accessible infrastructure and with open weights. That means smaller firms and countries with strong software talent can compete on equal footing. For India, this is big. It aligns with decades of IT services growth, where Indian engineers and consultants helped the world deploy AI-enabled solutions without owning every chip. The practical impact? Faster pilots, cheaper experimentation, and more local variants tailored to Indian needs—from fintech to healthcare to agriculture.

Why India Could Be the Biggest Winner

Look, India’s strength isn’t just code. It’s people, resilience, and an ecosystem built over six decades of IT history. India learned to scale services globally without leading in semiconductor fabrication or massive hardware fabs. That makes the country uniquely positioned to ride the AI democratization wave. With the right mix of policy support, industry coordination, and skilling, India can accelerate adoption across small and mid-sized firms, not just the big players. And as AI becomes a tool for efficiency, India’s vast services sector stands to gain in productivity—creating jobs that leverage both software and robotics.

The coming decade isn’t just about bigger models. It’s about smarter deployment, sharper partnerships, and a more inclusive AI ecosystem. If India plays its cards right—combining policy, industry, and people—the next 20–30 years could reshape who leads the AI era, with India as a core creator, not just a consumer.