India’s next challenge — from invention to global scale

The article analyzes India's historical struggle to translate early technological vision and indigenous innovation into globally dominant industries, citing examples like Semiconductor Complex Limited (SCL), ECIL, and Simputer. It contrasts these with successes in pharmaceuticals, PARAM supercomputers, Aadhaar, and UPI, which demonstrate India's capability to scale. The author argues that India must now focus on building globally competitive products and ecosystems in emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), quantum computing, and space technologies, moving beyond mere invention to achieve global scale and leadership.