- Wars today are often invisible and fought with algorithms, not guns, said Gautam Adani
- India imports 90% of its semiconductors, risking its digital economy disruptions, the industralist said
- India exports 85% of its oil, creating energy vulnerability, he added
The wars nowadays are often invisible and technology-driven, industrialist Gautam Adani said on Monday evening, asserting that algorithms are today's weapons and not guns. Our ability to prepare for these wars will decide the country's future, the chairman of Adani Group said, highlighting the need to become self-reliant in all sectors.
"From conventional wars to technology-driven wars, our ability to prepare will decide our future, because the wars we fight today are often invisible. They are fought in server farms, not in trenches. The weapons are algorithms, not guns. The empires are not built on land but in data centres. The armies are botnets and not battalions," he told students and faculty members at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur.
Pointing out the country's technology dependence, he said that India imports 90% of its semiconductors and any disruption risks freezing the country's digital economy.
He said the scenario was similar in the energy sector. "In the case of energy vulnerability, we export 85% of our oil. A single geopolitical incident can restrict our growth. When our data crosses India's borders, every bit of this data becomes raw materials for foreign algorithms, creates foreign wealth, and strengthens foreign dominions," added the business tycoon.
The country also imports many of its critical military systems, he said, underlining the need to become self-reliant in the defence sector.
"In the case of military dependence, many of our critical systems are imported, bringing our national security to the political will and supply chains of other nations. This is the freedom we must now fight for, the freedom of self-reliance or atmanirbharta, if we truly want to be free," said the businessman.
(Disclaimer: New Delhi Television is a subsidiary of AMG Media Networks Limited, an Adani Group Company.)
