India’s Global Tech Alliance Choices Will Reduce Its Relevance In Its Own Neighbourhood

The recent Quad summit has taken two strategic tech-centric decisions that will increase the gulf between India and other countries of South Asia. The first decision is to collaborate with the US-led drive in telecommunications including 5G and 6G, and in developing ‘standards’ for critical and emerging technologies, especially in Artificial Intelligence (AI), and cybersecurity. This will disrupt the global supply chain and force global companies to develop two sets of technologies, one for the Global North and another for the Global South. This will make it increasingly difficult for the US and EU to continue with their present policy of ‘de-risk’ from China.