India's role in shaping digital futures

The Global Technology Summit 2025, organised by India's Ministry of External Affairs, held in New Delhi in April addressed critical global issues such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital public infrastructure, geopolitics, data governance, and India's growing influence in global technology cooperation.

- DR NERESHNEE GOVENDER

Centred around the theme “Sambhavna” - meaning “possibilities” in Hindi — the summit brought together over 150 experts, policymakers, and academics from around the world to explore critical issues shaping the future of technology.

In India, the country’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is making international waves, having transformed the country’s economy, bolstered productivity and supported equitable growth.

India’s expertise in using technology to boost socio-economic development has been recognised worldwide with the country building a DPI that includes a digital identification layer called Aadhaar; a payments system running as a Unified Payment Interface; and, a data exchange layer in its Account Aggregator, amongst other services.

These operations have been curated as foundational layers to build, iterate and innovate upon and the combination of these interventions has transformed the Indian economy, bolstered productivity and supported equitable growth.

The country’s DPI has been endorsed by multiple countries and international organisations, such as the International Monetary Fund and most recently the G20.