Mishik Sharma

Introduction: The Missing Layer in the AI Conversation The global AI conversation often revolves around a familiar stack: chips, data-centres, foundation models, and applications. Governments discuss sovereign compute. Technology firms race to build larger models. Enterprises experiment with AI copilots and autonomous agents. Investors track GPU deployments and data-centre capacity. Yet a set of recent developments points to a different reality. In recent months, OpenAI and Anthropic have introduced cybersecurity-focused AI models. In May, the World Economic Forum warned of an emerging "AI versus AI" cybersecurity landscape where both attackers and defenders deploy autonomous systems.  Around the same time, Airtel Business launched a unified Zero Trust security platform for enterprises.  This month, Wipro expanded its partnership with Palo Alto Networks to provide AI-powered cybersecurity services, while Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani emphasized, at the company's rece...

On 15 June, leading AI startup Sarvam announced that it has raised $234 million in the first tranche of its Series B fundraise,  led by HCLTech with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, and Peak XV Partners. Sarvam is targeting a $300 million Series B round in total, and says that the proceeds will used to support R&D, expand compute capacity, and build full‑stack sovereign AI solutions. This funding round has reignited excitement, in news and social media alike, around India's artificial intelligence ambitions. As one of the country's most prominent AI startups, Sarvam is increasingly being viewed as a symbol of India's quest for sovereign AI capabilities. Similar enthusiasm accompanies every major AI funding announcement: India needs its own foundation models, its own AI champions, and its own technological alternatives to global platforms. This enthusiasm is understandable. Artificial intelligence is emerging as a foundational technology wit...

India's electronics economy is witnessing a striking contradiction. The country is producing and exporting record volumes of consumer electronics, particularly smartphones, increasingly rivaling China. More recently, several Indian electronics companies have announced plans to diversify into commercial, industrial, and defence electronics, thus further increasing the demand for critical materials. Anticipating this demand, the government is deploying significant diplomatic capital to secure supplies of lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements, and other critical minerals through mining partnerships in Africa, South America, and Australia. Yet, at the same time, India generates an estimated 4.1 million metric tonnes of e-waste every year—the third-largest volume in the world—while formal, certified recycling channels recover less than 5 percent of it. This presents a fundamental paradox: India is searching overseas for resources that are already embedded in millions of discarded electro...

Every summer, tens of thousands of students across India travel to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Chennai, Gurugram, Ahmedabad, Delhi, and other economic hubs for summer internships.  Many of these young people are experiencing professional life away from home for the first time. They have successfully secured an opportunity. Yet a different challenge begins the moment the offer letter arrives. Where will they stay? How will they commute? Can they afford the city on a student stipend? Who will help them navigate a new workplace, a new city, and a new professional environment? India has spent years discussing employability, skilling, internships, and apprenticeships. Governments have launched programs, employers have expanded opportunities, and educational institutions increasingly encourage experiential learning. Yet far less attention has been paid to a fundamental question: How do young people physically access these opportunities once they are created? As India seeks to bui...

Introduction India may be witnessing the emergence of a new layer of economic infrastructure—one built not from factories, highways, ports, data centres, or universities, but from expertise itself. An Economic Times report published on 21 June points out this transformation. The report, citing data from staffing agency Flexing It, says that registrations of independent consultants on the platform have reportedly grown by nearly 290 percent since 2022. Monthly additions have increased from around 1,500 in FY24 to 3,000 in FY25 and more than 5,000 in FY26. The platform's network now exceeds 120,000 independent consultants, while demand for their services grew by approximately 60 percent year-on-year in FY26. At first glance, these numbers may appear to describe the expansion of consulting, freelancing, or portfolio careers. Yet they point toward something potentially more significant. Across India, experienced professionals are increasingly choosing to operate as independent expertis...