India is at a tipping point. Our goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047 requires transformative and comprehensive change. In a world that is evolving at breakneck speed, incremental progress is no longer enough. Achieving this goal will require dramatic changes across all sectors of society and the economy.
In any other era, this ambition might have been dismissed as unattainable. But today, we find ourselves on the cusp of a technological revolution driven by frontier technologies. This is a time when innovation is breaking down barriers and redefining the limits of what’s possible.
Frontier technologies exist at the dynamic intersection of science and technology, creating transformative impacts across sectors in previously unimaginable ways. Consider the example of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. This award for advances made in artificial intelligence (AI) highlights how breakthrough advances in AI are reshaping the innovation landscape. The Nobel Prize was awarded to the founder of AlphaFold, an AI tool that solved the structures of more than 200 million proteins in one year. This was a feat that would take humans billions of years using traditional methods.
This breakthrough is rapid drug discovery for diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease and brings us closer to affordable personalized medicine.
Deploying such technologies across India’s vast healthcare ecosystem will transform diagnosis, improve outcomes, and ensure access to quality care for all citizens, even in the most remote areas. Imagine the impact of that.
Challenges in agriculture
In agriculture, India faces the dual pressures of population growth and climate change, requiring urgent innovation. Enter techniques like boost breeding, an innovative biotechnology technique that allows plants to inherit 100% of their parent’s genetic material without any DNA editing. This innovation increases crop yields, creates climate-resilient varieties, and tackles food security challenges head-on.
Scaling up such technologies has the potential to position India in the world’s food basket and achieve self-sufficiency while leading sustainable agriculture. India’s renewable energy ambitions are equally bold. Frontier technologies are redefining the energy landscape, led by the integration of solar, wind, and green hydrogen. For example, green hydrogen is already decarbonizing industries such as steel and shipping while providing robust energy storage solutions.
India is on track to accelerate production and become a global hub for renewable energy innovation that drives both economic growth and environmental resilience.
These technologies promise solutions to humanity’s most pressing challenges, such as climate change, food scarcity, and equitable health care delivery.
However, the rise of these technologies poses significant ethical and regulatory challenges. From potential misuse to destruction of existing systems, the risks are real and should not be ignored.
To harness the full potential of cutting-edge technology, India must act decisively and early. By identifying these trends early, understanding their impact, and proactively shaping development, we can ensure that these technologies work for us, rather than against us. Early adoption of cutting-edge technology allows you to:
shape standard and markets: Leading in technology means setting global standards to ensure India’s interests are prioritized.
Maximize economic impact: Frontier technologies can contribute trillions of dollars to global GDP. If you act now, you can capture a significant share of this value.
Be proactive about risk: Technologies such as AI and quantum computing come with risks, from job losses to national security threats. By acting early, you can build a robust framework to mitigate these risks. We must lead with a framework that is safe, inclusive and responsible – one that balances opportunity and prudence. And that is the main topic of NITI’s Frontier Tech hub.
Our goal is to partner with industry, academia and government experts to accelerate India’s innovation and readiness for frontier technology adoption.
The road to 2047 begins today. By 2035, the midpoint of our journey, we must have a clear vision of how frontier technologies will shape critical sectors. This requires:
Investment in research and development: India’s current R&D expenditure is just 0.7% of GDP, well below global benchmarks.
Building partnerships: We collaborate with industry, academia, and global leaders to foster a thriving innovation ecosystem.
Creating an ethical framework: Establish policies to ensure technology is used responsibly and inclusively.
The author is Distinguished Fellow of NITI Aayog
