Digital Atmanirbhar Bharat: How Indian technology providers are fueling the country’s tech freedom

By Manoj Dhanda, Founder and CTO, Utho Cloud

In an era where technology supports economic power, national security, and global influence, digital sovereignty has emerged as a top national priority. India’s vision of Digital Atmanirbhar Bharat is taking shape with over 969 million internet connections and 940 million broadband users as of June 2024 (TRAI). Indian technology providers are driving this momentum by creating secure, scalable solutions that reduce dependence on global players and power India’s digital freedom.

Sovereignty Begins with Infrastructure
Digital independence cannot be achieved without control over the foundational layers of technology. While building advanced applications, India cannot claim technological independence if the underlying infrastructure, like cloud platforms, data centers, processors, and protocols, and remains reliant on foreign cloud providers. Digital sovereignty isn’t defined by what users see, it’s rooted in what powers it from the inside.

When we own the cloud infrastructure (which is the backbone of technology), we safeguard our data, secure our networks, and steer innovation on our terms. Depending on outside platforms exposes us to the vulnerability of shifting global dynamics. To build a truly self-reliant digital future, India must ensure that its tech stack rests on a foundation it fully controls.

Homegrown Tech for The Nation
One size doesn’t fit all, especially when it comes to India’s digital needs. Bharat is not a monolithic market, as it comprises 1.4 billion people across multiple languages, cultures, and levels of digital literacy. Indian technology providers understand these nuances intimately, and they’re not replicating Western blueprints. Instead, they’re crafting innovations rooted in India’s realities, designed for low-bandwidth environments, tailored to regional contexts, and built to reach the remotest corners.

Global Dependency is a Strategic Risk
The recent global geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruptions have exposed the risks of over-reliance on external technology providers. Every imported chip, foreign cloud subscription, and non-local data storage solution is a potential point of vulnerability. In response to this, building local alternatives is about national foresight while ensuring continuity, resilience, and control. From data localisation to indigenous cybersecurity protocols, India’s shift towards technological autonomy is driven by long-term thinking, not short-term trade-offs.

Make in India is Delivering at Global Standards

India’s progress in digital infrastructure is no longer just a promise, it is performance in action. Homegrown cloud platforms are now delivering reliability, speed, and scalability that rivals global giants because now we have an aim that India’s money and data should be in India and that is possible with Bharat’s own cloud. From data centers to advanced compute capabilities, the ecosystem is maturing fast. Meanwhile, India is also making bold moves in semiconductor innovation and secure, compliant AI systems designed for local and global impact. These aren’t backup options; they’re robust, ready, and rooted in Indian ingenuity.

‘Make in India’ isn’t about closing doors. It’s about opening new ones—where technology is shaped by our values and scaled with our ambition.

A Movement Driven by Engineers, Entrepreneurs, and Policymakers
The push for a digital Atmanirbhar Bharat is not coming from one corner, as it’s a collective national movement. Engineers are solving complex problems at scale using innovative steps. Entrepreneurs are launching startups that offer world-class SaaS, fintech, and healthtech solutions tailored to Indian consumers. Additionally, policymakers are enabling the ecosystem through initiatives like Digital India, Production-Linked Incentives (PLI), and the National Policy on Electronics. Together, they’re creating a bold path for Digital Bharat, a future where India not only participates in the global tech economy but shapes it. And this will happen with or without global validation, as the goal is not to isolate, but to lead on our terms.

Achieving true digital sovereignty will require continued investment in foundational tech, strong public-private collaboration, and a mindset shift from being users of global tech to creators of indigenous world-class platforms. It also calls for nurturing trust in Indian innovations among domestic enterprises and government agencies.

Digital Atmanirbhar Bharat is not about isolation, it’s about forging a digital future for India that is secure, inclusive, and self-reliant, free from external dependencies, and driven by homegrown innovation. As Indian technology providers develop solutions uniquely suited to Bharat’s diverse challenges while embracing a global outlook, the dream of true technological sovereignty is becoming a reality, unfolding with every breakthrough and innovation.