India's Emerging Technology Ecosystem Development
This government backgrounder documents India's transformation from a digital consumer market to a global technology power over the past decade through sustained public investment and mission-mode initiatives. The Digital India Programme, launched in 2015, served as the foundation with optical fibre coverage expanding from 19.35 lakh route kilometres in 2019 to 42.36 lakh route kilometres in 2025, enabling one of the world's fastest 5G rollouts reaching 99.9% of districts. Internet connections grew from 25.15 crore in 2014 to 102.86 crore in 2026, while broadband connections increased from 6.1 crore to 99.56 crore in December 2025. Average monthly data consumption surged from 61.66 MB in 2014 to 24.01 GB in December 2025, with data costs declining sharply from ₹269 per GB to ₹8-10 per GB.
Major Technology Mission Investments
The National Supercomputing Mission (NSM), launched in 2015 with an outlay of ₹4,500 crore, has deployed 38 supercomputers with 47 petaflops computing power including the indigenous PARAM Rudra series. The Semicon India Programme launched in December 2021 with ₹76,000 crore outlay promoted semiconductor manufacturing, display fabrication, and chip design. The Union Budget 2026–27 announced India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 2.0 with ₹1,000 crore initial outlay for FY 2026–27, focusing on semiconductor equipment, materials, and indigenous IP. As of June 2026, 12 projects worth approximately ₹1.64 lakh crore have been approved under ISM, including one semiconductor fab, two compound semiconductor fabs, and nine packaging units.
The Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme launched in 2021 has supported 24 companies with fiscal support and 105 applicants with EDA tools support, resulting in seven chips fabricated from 16 tape-outs including advanced 12 nm designs. The National Quantum Mission approved in April 2023 with ₹6,003.65 crore outlay established four Thematic Hubs engaging 152 researchers across 43 organizations, supported 17 startups, and demonstrated a 1,000-km secure quantum communication network six years ahead of schedule. The IndiaAI Mission approved in 2024 with over ₹10,300 crore outlay has established a common computing facility with 38,000 GPUs and the AI Kosh platform hosting 12,115 datasets and 306 AI models across 20 sectors.
Digital Infrastructure and Biotechnology Growth
Cloud computing infrastructure under MeghRaj platform adoption increased from 342 government departments in 2015–16 to 2,323 departments by June 2026. The National Blockchain Framework initiated in 2021 with ₹64.76 crore outlay has verified over 3 crore property documents through blockchain platforms by October 2025. India's data centre capacity grew from about 375 MW in 2020 to nearly 1,500 MW by 2025 with major hubs in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Noida, and Jamnagar.
The biotechnology sector achieved significant growth, crossing USD 150 billion milestone in 2023 and reaching USD 190 billion by June 2026, exceeding the National Biotech Development Strategy 2021 target two years ahead of schedule. DBT-BIRAC established 94 bioincubators across 25 States and UTs providing financial support ranging from ₹50 lakh to ₹10.5 crore for startups.
Research and Skill Development Initiatives
The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) operationalized in 2024 has awarded grants worth ₹264.70 crore in high-impact technology areas by March 2026. The Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme approved in July 2025 with ₹1 lakh crore corpus supports private-sector research in AI, advanced manufacturing, and critical technologies. The FutureSkills PRIME programme launched in 2018 has registered over 27.53 lakh candidates with 17.14 lakh learners completing training by March 2026, with 80% from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.
The Chips to Start-up (C2S) Programme launched in 2022 with ₹250 crore outlay aims to develop 85,000 semiconductor professionals, with around one lakh individuals accessing shared national EDA infrastructure across 400 organizations. The ChipIN Centre conducted six shared wafer runs enabling 122 chip design submissions from 46 institutions, with over 75 patents filed and 500 IP cores under development.
Global Recognition and Achievements
India rose to 38th in the Global Innovation Index 2025 from 81st in 2015, reflecting strengthened innovation capacity. The country hosts over 2,100 Global Capability Centres (GCCs) across 3,728 units employing around 2.36 million professionals, with nearly half of GCCs established since 2021 being AI-focused. The India AI Impact Summit 2026 attracted delegations from over 100 countries and catalysed over USD 200 billion in AI-related investment commitments, with adoption of the Summit Declaration by 92 countries and organizations.