India Highly Viable Tech Partner of Choice as Global Focus Shifts to Trust, Resilience: Nasscom President

Geopolitical uncertainties and fragmented supply chains are forcing global businesses to prioritise trust and resilience over mere cost-efficiency, positioning India as a highly viable technology partner of choice, Nasscom President Rajesh Nambiar said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the Nasscom Global Confluence 2026, Nambiar said the technology industry, which is heavily dependent on exports, is navigating an era of extraordinary transformation, noting that the reconfiguration of global value chains has fundamentally changed how countries and companies approach technology partnerships.

"It used to be a fact that everybody optimised only for cost and efficiency... Those days are gone... Efficiency is important, but not necessarily the deciding factor. Resilience becomes much, much more critical. India sits at a very nice intersection of all these priorities, which makes us a very viable country to do business with.

"...We are navigating this period where not just the geopolitical tensions, but fragmented supply chains, economic uncertainty, and deep tech are redefining industries and societies.

Countries and companies around the world are asking a fundamental question: Who is going to be my trusted partner? Which country do I really trust for me to be a partner with?... India is certainly a very, very strong contender in some of the areas," Nambiar said.

Outlining the factors that make India a preferred partner, Nambiar pointed to the country's status as a "trusted democracy" and its massive scale, serving as a "living laboratory for innovation" with its diverse population and economic interests.

A primary driver of this advantage is India's digital talent pool, comprising approximately six million professionals in the IT industry and another three to four million across the larger industry. This ecosystem, he pointed out, is transitioning into a digital talent hub for artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, semiconductors, product engineering, and cybersecurity.

Nambiar also underscored the global potential of India's Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). Beyond the underlying technology of platforms like Aadhaar and UPI, he emphasised that the core principles of DPI — such as user consent, privacy, scalability, and interoperability — are concepts India can take to the broader global market. "Along with AI, DPI becomes such a force." He noted that while India was "a little bit late to the party" in semiconductors and electronics, the country is now catching up rapidly.

"Ultimately, the story of India as a partner of choice is not about technology alone. It is also about shared values, shared aspirations in many ways," Nambiar said, stressing that no country can navigate this new phase of technological advancement alone