Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day address, highlighted technology and innovation as central to India's goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047. He called for India to lead in emerging technologies like AI, quantum computing, and space, announcing a massive AI skilling initiative for one crore youth. Modi stressed the importance of becoming a global innovation hub, bolstering energy security with nuclear power, and strengthening cybersecurity.
Tata Elxsi has partnered with Sarla Aviation to develop the Shunya air taxi platform. Tata Elxsi will provide engineering support for avionics, software integration, and certification, while Sarla Aviation will lead the design and type certification of the electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called upon India's youth to dream big, assuring them of government support and resources, including a Rs 1 lakh crore Innovation Fund, to bolster the country's burgeoning startup ecosystem and drive its journey towards becoming a developed nation.
Dreamfly Innovations is setting up a 40,000-sq ft aviation battery manufacturing facility in North Bengaluru with an investment of Rs 40 crore. This plant will produce advanced batteries for various drone applications, supporting India's growing drone economy and domestic drone makers.
IIT Madras is hosting the 3rd Digital India RISC-V (DIR-V) Symposium 2026 in partnership with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and RISC-V International. The symposium aims to unite stakeholders from government, industry, and academia to advance India's semiconductor innovation, focusing on indigenous processor technologies, secure computing, hardware innovation, and AI, aligning with the government's vision for India as a global semiconductor hub.
Researchers at IIT-ISM Dhanbad have been granted an Indian patent for an electrochemical reactor designed to recover copper from industrial wastewater. This innovative technology offers an environmentally sustainable solution for resource recovery and wastewater treatment, particularly benefiting the mining and metallurgical sectors.
Andhra Pradesh and Punjab National Bank (PNB) have signed an MoU to establish the PNB Quantum Finance Hub at Amaravati Quantum Valley. This initiative aims to foster innovation and adopt next-generation technologies like AI and Quantum Computing in the banking sector, focusing on cybersecurity, fraud detection, and customer experience.
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries reported a 27 per cent year-on-year increase in consolidated net profit to 2,894.7 crore for Q1FY27, with revenue growing 10 per cent to 15,299.8 crore, driven by strong performance in India and innovative medicines.
The Delhi government is set to introduce a comprehensive drone policy aimed at creating over 1,000 jobs and regulating drone operations. The policy will focus on establishing research clusters, flight testing facilities, and providing subsidies, while also addressing drone usage for government purposes like traffic management and surveillance, considering the city's extensive 'no drone zones'.
Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran has urged the industry to invest in skilling, capability development, and innovation to counter the challenges posed by artificial intelligence, particularly for Global Capability Centres (GCCs). He noted that while the government has supported GCCs through Budget measures like simplifying transfer pricing and promoting expansion into tier-II/III cities, industry must move beyond low-cost execution to thrive in an an AI-driven landscape. Nageswaran emphasised that AI displaces routine tasks, necessitating a focus on higher-value work and continuous skill enhancement to maintain India's competitive edge.
IIT Ropar's ANNAM.AI, in collaboration with Syngenta and Google, has launched 'HACK CORE 2026', a national AI hackathon. It invites innovators to develop AI-driven solutions for critical agricultural challenges like crop health, pest management, and climate-resilient farming, offering significant prizes and mentorship.
Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava highlighted the strong health cooperation within BRICS, emphasising the critical role of digital health and artificial intelligence in ensuring continuity of care. Speaking at the 16th BRICS Health Ministers' meeting, she noted shared challenges among member nations and showcased India's advancements in digital health infrastructure and AI strategy.
The University of Delhi and semiconductor major AMD have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to train up to 10,000 students and faculty in industry-relevant artificial intelligence skills over the next year. This collaboration will provide access to AMD's AI Engage Developer Programme, including its open-source ROCm AI software platform, learning resources, and developer GPU cloud credits, aiming to foster indigenous AI capabilities and bridge the gap between academia and industry.
SCTIMST and Invasive Technologies have launched "Chitra Core," a new drug-eluting coronary stent designed with significantly less metal to reduce complications. This indigenous innovation, developed in collaboration, aims to provide advanced and cost-effective cardiac care, building on decades of Indian medical device development. The institute is also developing a unique TiN-coated stent for global markets.
Robotic surgery is poised to transform healthcare in Delhi, expanding access to specialised expertise through the Indian-developed SSI Mantra system. Delhi is emerging as a hub for advanced surgical care, with successful implementations at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute, including pioneering telesurgery. This technology aims to make robotic surgery more accessible and sustainable, fostering an ecosystem for training and innovation.
Specialty chemicals maker Anupam Rasayan India Ltd has become the first company globally to commercialise Ethyl trifluoroacetate (ETFA) production using its proprietary continuous flow chemistry platform. This innovative technology offers significant advantages over traditional methods, and ETFA is a crucial component for pharmaceuticals, life sciences, and performance materials, with a global market estimated at USD 500-600 million.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah lauded UPI on its 10th anniversary, highlighting its role in India's digital transformation. Launched by NPCI in 2016, UPI has become the world's largest real-time payment system, witnessing a massive surge in transaction volume and value, demonstrating its success in empowering people with swift, seamless, and secure digital transactions.
NVIDIA has acquired AI startup Hugging Face for USD 12.9 billion, aiming to scale its platform, strengthen infrastructure, and expand AI access for developers and institutions globally while maintaining an open ecosystem.
NVIDIA has acquired AI startup Hugging Face for USD 12.9 billion, aiming to scale its platform, strengthen infrastructure, and expand access to AI for developers and institutions worldwide while maintaining an open ecosystem.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has approved the establishment of India's first dedicated Quantum and AI University campus in Amaravati by NIELIT. This significant project, funded by the MeitY, Government of India, will focus on advanced technologies like Quantum, AI, and Semiconductors, integrating education, research, and entrepreneurship.
Adobe has announced Anil Chakravarthy as its new president and CEO, succeeding Shantanu Narayen, who will transition to executive chair. Chakravarthy, an alumnus of Banaras Hindu University and IIT, will assume the role on December 1, leading the company into an AI-driven era.
The Karnataka government is collaborating with ElevenLabs to explore pilot projects using voice AI across various sectors including skilling, investment promotion, healthcare, culture, and citizen services. This initiative aims to leverage advanced AI to enhance accessibility and efficiency of government services, with a strong focus on responsible AI use and safeguards against misinformation.
Noted scientist Prof V Ramgopal Rao highlights India's significant progress in higher education and research but points out a critical gap in converting scientific discoveries into market-ready technologies. He advocates for a robust institutional framework, multidisciplinary collaboration, and stronger academia-industry ties to foster innovation and translate research into practical products.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Kyiv, reiterating India's readiness to assist in ending the Ukraine-Russia war. He emphasised that solutions would not emerge from the battlefield and highlighted Prime Minister Modi's call for an end to the conflict. Discussions also covered humanitarian aid, the impact on commercial shipping, and bilateral trade, with Jaishankar inviting his Ukrainian counterpart to India for further talks.
'Our research demonstrates the potential of perovskite-based semiconductor technologies for next-generation solar cells and memory devices.'
The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has completed a decade since its launch, becoming the backbone of India's digital payments ecosystem. It has seen exponential growth in transaction volume and value, expanding financial inclusion and setting a global benchmark for real-time payments.
China's Tiangong Ultra humanoid robot has set a new 100-metre sprint record of 8.86 seconds at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, significantly surpassing Usain Bolt's human world record of 9.58 seconds.
Chess legend Magnus Carlsen expresses his enjoyment in the game's evolution and new formats but acknowledges his time at the top is "limited." He advises organisers not to tailor the future of chess solely to his preferences, despite his continued participation in events like the Global Chess League. Grandmaster Levon Aronian also weighs in on the sport's growing online popularity and the need for continued innovation to attract wider audiences.
The reforms, undertaken by the Department of Defence Production, remove stakeholder consultation for exports of non-lethal defence items to most destinations, while retaining safeguards for sensitive countries.
The third edition of the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue (VBYLD) has commenced with a quiz contest, leading to a national finale in January 2027 where young leaders will present their ideas for a developed India to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The multi-stage event includes essay challenges, district championships, and state-level dialogues, aiming to foster youth participation in nation-building across various thematic areas.
Researchers at BRIC-RGCB in Thiruvananthapuram have developed a novel nanopore-based sensing technology. This innovation allows for the early and highly sensitive detection of biomarkers associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and ALS, addressing a critical challenge in current diagnostic methods. The technology, published in Nature Nanotechnology, uses self-assembling dual-diameter nanopore sensors to identify disease-specific biomarkers even at low concentrations.
Leading global technology companies OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google have introduced new AI models with enhanced capabilities, including advanced cybersecurity and coding. However, these releases have ignited significant debate among researchers regarding the transparency and monitorability of AI reasoning, particularly concerning OpenAI's Astra model and its "recurrent depth" architecture.
Voltas has announced a joint venture with Atomberg Innovation to manufacture high-efficiency room air conditioner (RAC) compressors, aiming to strengthen localisation and supply-chain resilience. Despite significant volume growth in RACs, the company's margins remain a key concern for analysts.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Google Cloud have inaugurated a new Gemini Experience Center (GEC) in Mexico City. This facility, the second in Latin America and ninth globally for TCS, is equipped with over 3,000 AI agents and aims to drive industry-specific AI solutions across various sectors. It will help organisations bridge the gap between AI experimentation and implementation, enhancing innovation and data-driven decision-making in the region.
Researchers at MIT World Peace University in Pune have developed an innovative thermal energy storage system using a phase change material (PCM)-based battery. This technology addresses the intermittent nature of solar energy by storing excess heat for use after sunset, potentially reducing reliance on conventional fuels for water heating and enhancing energy security.
'My suggestion to Nandan Nilekani is that it would be worthwhile for him to take a holistic review in a manner in which examination is just one critical component.'
A Microsoft Work Trend Index report reveals India has the highest share of "Frontier Professionals" globally, with 32% of its AI users employing AI agents in multi-step workflows, double the global average. Indian professionals are not just adopting AI but are actively redesigning work processes, demonstrating strong leadership alignment and a focus on human oversight and critical thinking. Major Indian IT firms like Infosys, TCS, and Wipro show rapid adoption and significant productivity gains with Microsoft 365 Copilot.
The new range brings Ola's 46-series LFP cells to its most affordable scooter lineup aimed at India's mass-market electric vehicle (EV) buyers.
The US push for clearer crypto rules is putting pressure on India to fill its own regulatory gap for virtual digital assets.
Fintech giant PhonePe has launched 'PhonePe UPI 123Pay', a new service enabling UPI transactions for feature phone users without requiring an internet connection. This initiative aims to bring digital payment capabilities to over 200 million feature phone users, promoting financial inclusion across India.
