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Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu Calls for 10-Year National Mission to Reduce Reliance on U.S. Tech

Industry estimates warn a sudden U.S. cutoff could destabilize India’s $200 billion digital economy.

Overview

  • Industrialist Harsh Goenka’s hypothetical of losing access to Google, Instagram, X, Facebook and ChatGPT prompted a national Plan B discussion.
  • Vembu urged a decade-long National Mission for Tech Resilience, warning India’s dependence reaches into operating systems, chips and fabrication.
  • NASSCOM figures cited in reports project more than 500 million users disrupted and up to a 60% advertising revenue hit if access were abruptly cut.
  • Coverage highlights proposed substitutes such as Zoho and Nextcloud for cloud, Arattai for messaging, and open-source AI efforts like Bhashini.
  • Analysts point to persistent gaps in mainstream OS ecosystems and chip fabrication despite steps like the Vikram processor, with timelines for sovereignty contested.