India's Strategic Path to Self-Reliance: Opportunities for Deep Tech and Advanced Manufacturing

India’s self-reliance agenda, anchored in the Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) vision, has evolved from a rhetorical framework to a concrete strategy for technological and industrial sovereignty. By 2025, the country is witnessing a confluence of government policy, private-sector ambition, and geopolitical necessity that is accelerating demand for local innovation in critical sectors. This article identifies high-conviction investment opportunities in deep tech and advanced manufacturing, with a focus on AI, green energy, and industrial technology, while highlighting how Reliance Industries’ strategic bets and global supply chain shifts are reshaping India’s economic trajectory.

Government Policy: Catalyzing a Deep Tech Revolution

The Indian government has prioritized self-reliance through targeted interventions. The ₹10,000 crore Deep Tech Fund of Funds (2025) is a cornerstone initiative, designed to de-risk early-stage investments in AI, quantum computing, biotechnology, and semiconductors [1]. This fund, coupled with the Design-Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme, has already supported 65 semiconductor design startups, reducing reliance on imported chips and fostering local IP [2]. Parallel to this, the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme has transformed India’s manufacturing landscape, attracting $10 billion in investments in electronics and creating 139,670 jobs [3]. These policies are not just about cost efficiency but about building a high-value, innovation-led ecosystem aligned with Industry 4.0 technologies like AI, IoT, and robotics [4].

Reliance’s Vision: AI, Green Energy, and Industrial Tech as Growth Engines

Reliance Industries, under Mukesh Ambani’s leadership, has emerged as a pivotal player in India’s self-reliance agenda. The company’s $100 million joint venture with Meta and collaborations with Google are creating sovereign AI infrastructure tailored for Indian enterprises [5]. These partnerships leverage open-source models to develop solutions for energy, retail, and manufacturing, while Reliance’s new Reliance Intelligence subsidiary is building gigawatt-scale green energy-powered data centers [6].

Ambani’s vision extends to green energy, with Reliance committing to a 3 GW-per-year green hydrogen electrolyser giga factory by 2026, aiming to produce hydrogen at $1 per kg—a price point that could position India as a global hub [7]. The company’s Dhirubhai Ambani Green Energy Giga Complex, a $10 billion investment, is projected to reduce renewable power costs by 25% and generate 50% of Reliance’s profit after tax (PAT) from new energy by 2030 [8]. These initiatives are not just strategic but economically compelling, given India’s $152.5 billion clean-tech market potential by 2030 [9].

Underappreciated Growth Equities: Startups Driving the Deep Tech Wave

While Reliance and government policies set the stage, underappreciated startups are delivering the innovation. In AI, QpiAI is democratizing quantum computing with its Quantum Computing as a Service platform, while AIVOT AI is revolutionizing decision-making in logistics and healthcare [10]. In green energy, NewTrace is scaling green hydrogen infrastructure for industrial clusters, having secured $5.6 million in funding from Sequoia [11]. Hygenco, with $31.3 million in Series B funding, is addressing green ammonia distribution challenges [12].

Industrial tech is equally dynamic. CynLr’s vision-guided robotic system, CyRo, is tackling unstructured environments in manufacturing, and Agnikul Cosmos has developed the world’s first 3D-printed semi-cryogenic rocket engine [13]. These startups are not only attracting venture capital but also aligning with national goals to reduce import dependence. For instance, Shyam VNL is enhancing secure communication infrastructure, a critical need for India’s digital sovereignty [14].

Geopolitical Pressures: A Tailwind for Local Innovation

Global geopolitical shifts, particularly the US-China trade war and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, have accelerated India’s pivot toward self-reliance. The India Semiconductor Mission and PLI incentives have attracted $2.68 billion in semiconductor investments, reducing exposure to global supply chain disruptions [15]. Similarly, energy security concerns have spurred investments in solar and green hydrogen, with Reliance’s 20 GW solar production target and 550,000-acre solar site in Kutch exemplifying this trend [16].

India’s strategic positioning in the QUAD alliance and its role as a manufacturing alternative to China are further bolstering its industrial tech ambitions. The government’s National Deep Tech Startup Policy and IndiaAI Mission are creating a talent pipeline, with 10,000 Prime Minister’s Research Fellowships and a $500 million AI Centre of Excellence [17]. These initiatives are not just reactive but proactive, ensuring India’s long-term competitiveness in a fragmented global order.

Conclusion: A Convergence of Forces

India’s self-reliance agenda is no longer a distant goal but a reality being shaped by policy, private-sector innovation, and geopolitical necessity. Reliance’s AI and green energy bets, the government’s deep tech incentives, and startups like NewTrace and QpiAI are creating a virtuous cycle of investment and growth. For investors, the opportunities lie in sectors where India’s strategic needs align with global trends—AI, green energy, and industrial tech. As Ambani emphasized in his AGM address, the convergence of these forces is not just about economic resilience but about building a “Viksit Bharat” (developed India) that leads the next wave of technological innovation.

Source:
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[2] Self-reliance in Semiconductor Design [https://www.entrepreneur.com/en-in/news-and-trends/self-reliance-in-semiconductor-design-the-main-ingredient/490788]
[3] India's Future in Electronics Manufacturing and Assembly [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dawn-new-era-indias-future-electronics-manufacturing-assembly-singh-z9o3c]
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[5] Reliance Industries Strikes AI Deals With Google, Meta [https://finance.yahoo.com/news/reliance-industries-strikes-ai-deals-203649162.html]
[6] Reliance AGM 2025 Highlights: Jio IPO likely by first half of 2026, new AI subsidiary announced [https://www.livemint.com/market/stock-market-news/ril-agm-2025-live-updates-reliance-industries-agm-reliance-jio-ipo-mukesh-ambani-ril-share-price-reliance-share-price-11756445446773.html]
[7] Reliance bets big on green energy with mega solar [https://m.economictimes.com/industry/renewables/reliance-bets-big-on-green-energy-with-mega-solar-hydrogen-moves/articleshow/123591060.cms]
[8] Reliance AGM highlights: 2026 Jio IPO, AI push with [https://www.business-standard.com/companies/news/reliance-agm-2025-jio-ipo-2026-ai-meta-google-retail-growth-mukesh-ambani-125082900812_1.html]
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[11] Why Every Investor Is Betting Big on India's Startup Sectors [https://quatrohive.com/the-new-gold-rush-why-every-investor-is-betting-big-on-indias-startup-sectors/]
[12] Renewable Energy Tech Sector in India [https://tracxn.com/d/explore/renewable-energy-tech-startups-in-india/__HP_2jdlbT0DQeTITsIQdKJdN49o7EVnvVp29lbdev1s]
[13] Ten Indian deep tech start ups that found a spot on the [https://www.businesstoday.in/magazine/deep-dive/story/ten-indian-deep-tech-start-ups-that-found-a-spot-on-the-wefs-top-100-emerging-companies-486152-2025-07-25]
[14] India's Deep Tech Fund Of Funds (2025) [https://www.impriindia.com/insights/india-deep-tech-funds/]
[15] Geopolitical Shifts and India's Industrial Rise [https://bdbipl.com/index.php/geopolitical-shifts-and-indias-industrial-rise-unlocking-new-growth-opportunities-across-key-sectors/]
[16] Reliance bets big on green energy with mega solar [https://m.economictimes.com/industry/renewables/reliance-bets-big-on-green-energy-with-mega-solar-hydrogen-moves/articleshow/123591060.cms]
[17] To reach $10 trillion, India must back deep tech at the frontier [https://education.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/higher-education/unlocking-indias-10-trillion-potential-the-imperative-of-deep-tech-investment/123299726]