India Must Shift to an AI- and IP-Led Growth Model

India’s technology sector must move beyond scale-driven growth and embrace an artificial intelligence (AI)-focused, innovation-led, and intellectual property (IP)-driven model, according to Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson of HCL Technologies.

Speaking at the AI Impact Summit 2026, Malhotra emphasised the need for a structural transformation in India’s technology strategy. “India must move from being a tech services-led nation to an IP-led nation; services scale with effort. IP scales infinitely,” she stated.

She highlighted that in the emerging AI economy, value creation increasingly depends on ownership rather than deployment. “In the AI economy, value accrues to those who build and own platforms, models, and products—not just those who deploy them. That shift is not only economic, it is transformative,” she added.

Malhotra outlined three strategic shifts that she believes are essential for India to lead in the AI era. First, the country must transition from a focus on scale to a stronger emphasis on IP creation. Second, it must move from primarily adopting global technologies to building its own AI platforms and solutions. Third, she called for the development of a coordinated national AI infrastructure to democratise access to computing resources and foster broader innovation.

Her remarks underscore a growing recognition within India’s tech leadership that long-term competitiveness in the AI economy will depend not only on talent and services capacity, but on the ability to create, protect, and scale proprietary technologies and intellectual assets.