AI is becoming a new measure of global power, built on chips and the infrastructure that powers them. But while India has the talent and the data, it still lacks many of the critical building blocks to be a leader on frontier AI.

In the first episode of Emerging, a monthly podcast series, host Menaka Doshi examines India’s AI trilemma: Can the world’s most populous country achieve AI sovereignty without controlling the technology’s most advanced layers? She’s joined by Srikanth Velamakanni, co-founder of Fractal Analytics, India’s first publicly listed pure-play AI company, and Ganesh Ramakrishnan, a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay, to explore how India hopes to turn its talent, scale and innovation into a competitive edge.

Read more: Modi’s High-Stakes Push for Sovereign AI Faces Reality Check

Watch more: Why Big AI Is Obsessed With India 

We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.

Hosted by Menaka Doshi; Produced by Kurien Abraham, Yang Yang, Naman Tandon; Video Editor Effie Toh; Production Design Michala Sabnani, Katya Bohdan; Graphics by Vivek Mehta; Camera and Sound by Grey Scale Productions Bharat; Executive Producers Kristin Powers, Emma O'Brien, Nicholas Killham, Aarti Jitender; Special Thanks Julia Weaver, Ilana Susnow, Jeanette Rodrigues, Edwin Chan

AI is becoming a new measure of global power, built on chips and the infrastructure that powers them. But while India has the talent and the data, it still lacks many of the critical building blocks to be a leader on frontier AI.
In the first episode of Emerging, a monthly podcast series, host Menaka Doshi examines India&rsquo;s AI trilemma: Can the world&rsquo;s most populous country achieve AI sovereignty without controlling the technology&rsquo;s most advanced layers? She&rsquo;s joined by Srikanth Velamakanni, co-founder of Fractal Analytics, India&rsquo;s first publicly listed pure-play AI company, and Ganesh Ramakrishnan, a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay, to explore how India hopes to turn its talent, scale and innovation into a competitive edge.
Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-06-02/modi-wants-india-to-join-japan-uk-in-ai-superpower-race-to-rival-us-china">Modi&rsquo;s High-Stakes Push for Sovereign AI Faces Reality Check</a>
Watch more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OjYIUz19oA">Why Big AI Is Obsessed With India</a>&nbsp; We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts">Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.</a>
Hosted by Menaka Doshi; Produced by Kurien Abraham, Yang Yang, Naman Tandon; Video Editor Effie Toh; Production Design Michala Sabnani, Katya Bohdan; Graphics by Vivek Mehta; Camera and Sound by Grey Scale Productions Bharat; Executive Producers Kristin Powers, Emma O'Brien, Nicholas Killham, Aarti Jitender; Special Thanks Julia Weaver, Ilana Susnow, Jeanette Rodrigues, Edwin Chan

The superpowers of tomorrow have more in common than you think. Bloomberg’s Menaka Doshi and Haslinda Amin dive deep on the challenges and opportunities facing some of the world’s most exciting, rising economies. How does India gain an edge in AI when the technology is dominated by the US and China? Is Singapore really the best model for rapid economic development? And just how important is soft power in a country’s rise? Each episode, Menaka and Haslinda sit down with leaders and experts to talk about the new economies shaping the global future. Published monthly, this series runs alongside Bloomberg’s New Economy Forum, taking place in Delhi, India for the first time this October. 

The superpowers of tomorrow have more in common than you think. Bloomberg&rsquo;s Menaka Doshi and Haslinda Amin dive deep on the challenges and opportunities facing some of the world&rsquo;s most exciting, rising economies. How does India gain an edge in AI when the technology is dominated by the US and China? Is Singapore really the best model for rapid economic development? And just how important is soft power in a country&rsquo;s rise? Each episode, Menaka and Haslinda sit down with leaders and experts to talk about the new economies shaping the global future. Published monthly, this series runs alongside Bloomberg&rsquo;s New Economy Forum, taking place in Delhi, India for the first time this October.&nbsp;

Emerging

Can India Win the AI Race Without Its Own OpenAI?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9bb6b7e0-0710-4b5f-aa7c-b48200801437/transcript