‘Create in India, not just Make in India’: TASL CTO Murlidharan on next step in defence self-reliance | Exclusive
India’s defence self-reliance must go beyond manufacturing to designing and owning technology, says TASL CTO R Muralidharan, who flags gaps in high-end chips, sensors and critical materials. He called for a shift from licensed production to designing systems in India.
India's defense self-reliance must progress beyond simply manufacturing military equipment domestically, according to Murlidharan, Technology Advisor at Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) and Professor of Practice at IIT Tirupati. He argues that a complete transition to indigenous technology is necessary, encompassing design, development, and ownership of the technology behind defense systems.
Currently, while India possesses manufacturing capabilities, there is a significant gap in the know-how and know-why needed to modify, upgrade, and adapt these systems to Indian requirements. Muralidharan emphasizes the importance of moving from manufacturing to creating, designing, and conceptualizing systems in India. He highlights the shortage of high-end hardware chips and critical raw materials as the remaining technology gaps, stating that India lacks the chips and sensors required to build sophisticated indigenous equipment.
The defense industry must shift from licensed manufacturing to building intellectual property domestically, as many private industries and DRDO focus on licensed manufacturing. TASL's approach has been centered on R&D and developing indigenous capabilities through collaborations with DRDO, ensuring no technology transfers for basic systems.
Muralidharan also advocates for the development of sovereign language models in AI, trained on high-quality Indian data to address the lack of locally developed AI solutions. He stresses that dependence on foreign-made chips poses supply-chain vulnerabilities and security concerns, urging India to develop trustworthy chips to ensure secure communication.
The private sector's growing interest in defense exports could sustain investment in indigenous technology and intellectual property. Ultimately, true defense self-reliance requires an ecosystem where India can design, manufacture, upgrade, and secure critical technologies with minimal external dependence.
Written by urgent.news from Live Mint's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
