Vivek Wadhwa
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Articles by Vivek Wadhwa
Today's AI infrastructure could be toast tomorrow
India, Nov. 6 -- Big Tech is betting its future on bigger artificial intelligence (AI) data centres, with Alphabet disclosing more than $1 trillion in commitments. India is joining the spending frenzy, with the Adani group pledging $100 billion and Reliance $110 billion for AI infrastructure. These bets could become monuments to a disastrous assumption that growing demand for intelligence guarantees demand for the infrastructure being built today.
Today’s AI infrastructure could be toast tomorrow
Big Tech is betting its future on bigger artificial intelligence (AI) data centres, with Alphabet disclosing more than $1 trillion in commitments. India is joining the spending frenzy, with the Adani group pledging $100 billion and Reliance $110 billion for AI infrastructure. These bets could become monuments to a disastrous assumption that growing demand for intelligence guarantees demand for the infrastructure being built today.
The revolution that the West is imagining
Posted On: 2026-10-19 Posted By: Vivek Wadhwa Health & Lifestyle Education Hindustan Times Columnists India, Oct. 19 -- India has deeply disappointed some of my Indian intellectual friends in America, as well as the western media, by failing to produce the revolution they had been predicting.
The revolution that the West is imagining
India has deeply disappointed some of my Indian intellectual friends in America, as well as the western media, by failing to produce the revolution they had been predicting. When I posted on X about the October 10 protests, saying that everything seemed normal apart from the traffic jams, they attacked me; when the Tiranga protest on October 16 failed to deliver the promised uprising, they merely redoubled their opinions.
The Revolution the West Is Imagining
- ADVERTISEMENT - India has deeply disappointed some of my Indian intellectual friends in America, as well as the western media, by failing to produce the revolution they had been predicting. When I posted on X about the October 10 protests, saying that everything seemed normal apart from the traffic jams, they attacked me; when the Tiranga protest on October 16 failed to deliver the promised uprising, they merely redoubled their opinions.
Why Trump’s H-1B move is an own goal
In its latest tirade against skilled immigrants, the Trump administration has targeted Microsoft. This is senseless. Trying to protect American jobs by driving away the talent that helps create them is like trying to win a match by handing your best players to the opposing team. India stands to benefit in a big way. There is no doubt that the H-1B visa is being abused. I have criticised it for years.
Preventing a Jurassic Park moment for AI
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Preventing a rJurassic Parkr moment for AI
India, Oct. 7 -- In Jurassic Park, the scientists had mastered genetic engineering well enough to re-create dinosaurs, built elaborate systems to contain them, and engineered the animals to not reproduce. They believed that they had thought of everything. Then reality intervened. The dinosaurs did not become evil or decide to destroy humanity; they behaved in ways that their creators had failed to anticipate.
Preventing a Jurassic Park moment for AI
In Jurassic Park, the scientists had mastered genetic engineering well enough to re-create dinosaurs, built elaborate systems to contain them, and engineered the animals to not reproduce. They believed that they had thought of everything. The real danger of AI is not some hypothetical superintelligence’s decision to destroy humanity; it is corporate recklessness. (Reuters) Then reality intervened.
Universities As Labs Of Entrepreneurship
- ADVERTISEMENT - India’s universities are now competing to commercialize research, work with industry, and produce graduates able to start businesses. Students of IIT Madras. PHOTO: https://www.iitm.ac.in/ India just pulled off something remarkable: Eight of its universities ranked highly on PitchBook’s 2026 list of the world’s top 100 institutions for producing venture-backed entrepreneurs.
Universities as labs of entrepreneurship
India, Sept. 22 -- India just pulled off something remarkable: Eight of its universities ranked highly on PitchBook's 2026 list of the world's top 100 institutions for producing venture-backed entrepreneurs. Seven are public institutions, including five IITs. From those five alone, came 2,705 entrepreneurs who founded 2,256 companies and raised more than $156 billion.
Universities as labs of entrepreneurship
India just pulled off something remarkable: Eight of its universities ranked highly on PitchBook’s 2026 list of the world’s top 100 institutions for producing venture-backed entrepreneurs. Seven are public institutions, including five IITs. From those five alone, came 2,705 entrepreneurs who founded 2,256 companies and raised more than $156 billion. The entrepreneurial transformation in India could not be more timely.
H-1B’s Death Should Cheer Indians & Americans
The Trump administration has fired another missile at H-1B, a $103,265 fee that the courts will likely block. The Indian government may also protest, but it should do the opposite: urge the US to kill the program altogether. That is because this deeply flawed visa is hurting Americans, Indian-Americans, and the perception of India itself. The US’ greatest advantage has always been immigration, and it attracts the world’s best minds.
H-1B’s death should cheer Indians and Americans
- ADVERTISEMENT - India has nothing to gain from defending a program that exploits its citizens, discredits their achievements, and harms its own standing. U.S. flag and U.S. H-1B Visa application form are seen in this illustration taken September 26, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration The Trump administration has fired another missile at H-1B, a $103,265 fee that the courts will likely block.
H-1B’s death should cheer Indians and Americans
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H-1B is ‘like a cancer’ on skilled immigration. Why India should support its end
The Trump administration has fired another missile at H-1B, a $103,265 fee that the courts will likely block. The Indian government may also protest, but it should do the opposite: urge the US to kill the programme altogether. If US tech companies continue eliminating jobs after foreign hiring ends, American politicians will no longer be able to blame Indians. (Shutterstock) That is because this deeply flawed visa is hurting Americans, Indian-Americans, and the perception of India itself.
More autonomy for the IITs will benefit India
- ADVERTISEMENT - For decades, institutions have been pressured to mirror Western universities. US university system has its strengths, but India should not copy its weaknesses Members of IIT Kanpur including alumni pose for a photo in Chicago. PHOTO: Asian Media USA There may be no better symbol of independent India’s ambition than IIT Kharagpur. It rose from the grounds of the Hijli Detention Camp, where British forces imprisoned freedom fighters and, in 1931, shot dead two unarmed detainees.
More autonomy for the IITs will benefit India
India, Aug. 17 -- There may be no better symbol of independent India's ambition than IIT Kharagpur. It rose from the grounds of the Hijli Detention Camp, where British forces imprisoned freedom fighters and, in 1931, shot dead two unarmed detainees.
More autonomy for the IITs will benefit India
There may be no better symbol of independent India’s ambition than IIT Kharagpur. It rose from the grounds of the Hijli Detention Camp, where British forces imprisoned freedom fighters and, in 1931, shot dead two unarmed detainees. Less than two decades later, India transformed that site of repression into its first Indian Institute of Technology, turning ground once used to suppress Indian minds into a place that would produce engineers and scientists who helped shape the modern world.
Education needs a radical overhaul for the AI age
India has reached a rare national consensus: Education must change. The outrage over examination leaks and widespread corruption creates an opportunity to go far beyond securing question papers, punishing brokers, or tightening supervision. India has the chance to shed the colonial baggage that has constrained its classrooms for generations — and build an education system for the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
India must ride the next AI wave, not chase past ones
Vivek Wadhwa While India debates — duly impassioned by China's recent AI strides — spending billions on building its own foundation model, a company that has already spent billions on the world's most famous AI laboratory is now looking at using Chinese models. That company is Microsoft and its CEO, Satya Nadella, has said that the world cannot allow a handful of AI giants to eat the economy.
India must ride the next AI wave, not chase past ones
India, July 3 -- While India debates - duly impassioned by China's recent AI strides - spending billions on building its own foundation model, a company that has already spent billions on the world's most famous AI laboratory is now looking at using Chinese models. That company is Microsoft and its CEO, Satya Nadella, has said that the world cannot allow a handful of AI giants to eat the economy.
India must capture space vacated by US in biotech
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India must capture space vacated by US in biotech
India, June 19 -- At the recently concluded American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, one of the most coveted headliner slots went to a clinical trial conducted only in China. For the first time, a Chinese-only study was placed on one of cancer research's biggest global stages. The drug is ivonescimab, developed by Akeso Biopharma.
India must capture space vacated by US in biotech Original
At the recently concluded American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, one of the most coveted headliner slots went to a clinical trial conducted only in China. For the first time, a Chinese-only study was placed on one of cancer research’s biggest global stages. India has researchers, clinicians, elite engineers and a base of patients who could help answer questions that western research cannot. (Unsplash) The drug is ivonescimab, developed by Akeso Biopharma.
The Pope turns the spotlight on Silicon Valley’s AI delusions
- ADVERTISEMENT - Engineers ridiculing religion have suddenly begun to sense a soul in silicon. It required the pontiff to call them out. India should embrace AI for its tangible benefits and not metaphysical mumbo jumbo Image generated by DALL-E 3, symbolizing advanced artificial intelligence. Public Domain. Author: Alenoach. @Commons.Wikimedia.org For years, AI experts warned us that machines might hallucinate. Now some of them seem to be doing it themselves.
The Pope turns the spotlight on Silicon Valley’s AI delusions
Engineers ridiculing religion have suddenly begun to sense a soul in silicon. It required the pontiff to call them out. India should embrace AI for its tangible benefits and not metaphysical mumbo jumbo June 02, 2026 / 07:36 IST For years, AI experts warned us that machines might hallucinate. Now some of them seem to be doing it themselves.
The engineer of human souls in the age of AI
I have had the privilege of working with some of the world’s leading thinkers and futurists, especially Ray Kurzweil and Peter Diamandis, who had asked me to lead the faculty at Singularity University back in 2011. We have always agreed on one thing: We are entering an age of exponential technological change. Advances in computing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), sensors, digital medicine, synthetic biology, and more, are converging in ways that will transform every aspect of life.
The engineer of human souls in the age of AI
Posted On: 2026-05-25 Posted By: Vivek Wadhwa Business & Finance Health & Lifestyle Travel Education Technology Hindustan Times Columnists India, May 25 -- I have had the privilege of working with some of the world's leading thinkers and futurists, especially Ray Kurzweil and Peter Diamandis, who had asked me to lead the faculty at Singularity University back in 2011. We have always agreed on one thing: We are entering an age of exponential technological change.
I’m saying farewell. AI is getting started
Anthropic’s exposure of blue-chip security flaws is a seminal moment Ten years ago, almost to the day, I used my inaugural Dialogue column to muse that ‘Apple needs its man from Mars.’ Said Martian was none other than Elon Musk, who told me he planned to retire to the Red Planet. I urged him to wait and instead partner Tesla with Apple so the Cupertino giant could launch a car. The Apple Car has yet to arrive, but the intervening years have seen many greater innovations.
Original thinking vs automated thinking
Vivek Wadhwa If you have read my columns over the years, you know I have been one of the loudest advocates for Indian innovation and engineering talent. That belief has not wavered; I still see enormous potential. But I have now reached a point I never expected to reach: I have given up on India for one of the most critical roles I need to fill at Vionix Biosciences — a medical researcher who can think differently and devise new ways of detecting disease. Let me explain why.
Sridhar, India no longer needs its diaspora—it’s the other way around
- ADVERTISEMENT - Indian American tech entrepreneur Vivek Wadhwa responds to Indian billionaire Sridhar Vembu’s appeal to Indians in the US to return and strengthen their country of origin. Vivek Wadhwa speaking on a FirstPost interview.
Original thinking vs automated thinking
If you have read my columns over the years, you know I have been one of the loudest advocates for Indian innovation and engineering talent. That belief has not wavered; I still see enormous potential. But I have now reached a point I never expected to reach: I have given up on India for one of the most critical roles I need to fill at Vionix Biosciences — a medical researcher who can think differently and devise new ways of detecting disease.
Original thinking vs automated thinking
India, April 29 -- If you have read my columns over the years, you know I have been one of the loudest advocates for Indian innovation and engineering talent. That belief has not wavered; I still see enormous potential. But I have now reached a point I never expected to reach: I have given up on India for one of the most critical roles I need to fill at Vionix Biosciences - a medical researcher who can think differently and devise new ways of detecting disease. Let me explain why.
India's Economic Rise Reduces Reliance on Diaspora Remittances
The Changing Tide of Brain Drain: How India is Outpacing the US In the 1980s and 1990s, Sridhar Vembu, the founder of Zoho Corporation, was part of a small wave of Indian engineers and entrepreneurs who ventured to the United States, learned from the world's most advanced innovation ecosystem, and then returned to build something extraordinary.
Sridhar, India No Longer Needs Its Diaspora—It’s the Other Way Around
“India is not waiting to be built by its diaspora; it is building itself.” (File photo) When my old friend Sridhar Vembu first came to the United States, he was part of a very small wave of Indian engineers and entrepreneurs who ventured into unfamiliar territory, learned from the world’s most advanced innovation ecosystem, and then, in his case, returned to build something extraordinary. What he built with Zoho Corporation is a model of what disciplined, long-term thinking can achieve.
Case For An ‘Atmanirbhar Cyber Suraksha’ Mission
Overview The cyberwar has already begun — 60% of advanced cyber threats will affect critical infrastructure; but India is not responding at the level the threat demands Something fundamental has shifted in cybersecurity, and while a few nations are beginning to grasp the implications, most, particularly India, remain dangerously unprepared for what comes next.
Case For An Atmanirbhar Cyber Suraksha Mission
- ADVERTISEMENT - Representative cybercrime photo Reuters/Dado Ruvic Something fundamental has shifted in cybersecurity, and while a few nations are beginning to grasp the implications, most, particularly India, remain dangerously unprepared for what comes next. AI has lowered the barrier to offensive cyber operations in a way that makes scale and speed the defining advantages.
Case for an Atmanirbhar Cyber Suraksha Mission
Vivek Wadhwa Something fundamental has shifted in cybersecurity, and while a few nations are beginning to grasp the implications, most, particularly India, remain dangerously unprepared for what comes next. Last week, Anthropic revealed that its latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) system can autonomously discover, chain, and weaponise software vulnerabilities at machine speed, far beyond anything human teams can achieve.
Case for an atmanirbhar cyber suraksha mission
Something fundamental has shifted in cybersecurity, and while a few nations are beginning to grasp the implications, most, particularly India, remain dangerously unprepared for what comes next. AI has lowered the barrier to offensive cyber operations in a way that makes scale and speed the defining advantages.
Iran war shows what is next for India on trade
US President Donald Trump's war against Iran seems confounding, defined by contradictory remarks, an improvisational strategy, and a tolerance for risk that would paralyse a traditional commander-in-chief. But as my friend Jeffrey Sonnenfeld argues in his new book, Trump's Ten Commandments , we should not be surprised. Trump's approach reflects the consistent execution of a playbook he has relied on for decades.
Iran war shows what is next for India on trade
US President Donald Trump’s war against Iran seems confounding, defined by contradictory remarks, an improvisational strategy, and a tolerance for risk that would paralyse a traditional commander-in-chief. But as my friend Jeffrey Sonnenfeld argues in his new book, Trump’s Ten Commandments, we should not be surprised. Trump’s approach reflects the consistent execution of a playbook he has relied on for decades. Trump moves from one arena to another, carrying momentum forward.
Iran war shows what is next for India on trade
India, March 18 -- US President Donald Trump's war against Iran seems confounding, defined by contradictory remarks, an improvisational strategy, and a tolerance for risk that would paralyse a traditional commander-in-chief. But as my friend Jeffrey Sonnenfeld argues in his new book, Trump's Ten Commandments, we should not be surprised. Trump's approach reflects the consistent execution of a playbook he has relied on for decades.
Talent in the AI age: Code coolies to core engineers
Vivek Wadhwa For decades, India's most talented engineers served like coolies for American corporations. Many were sent on H-1B visas to handle the work few others wanted: maintaining aging systems, cleaning up bloated codebases, migrating databases at odd hours, and keeping global enterprises running in the background. The arrangement generated prosperity and foreign exchange, and it built formidable Indian IT giants.
HT Syndication: Talent in the AI age: Code coolies to core engineers
Posted On: 2026-02-22 Posted By: Vivek Wadhwa,Vivek Wadhwa Health & Lifestyle Education Technology Real Estate & Construction Hindustan Times India, Feb. 22 -- For decades, India's most talented engineers served like coolies for American corporations. Many were sent on H-1B visas to handle the work few others wanted: maintaining aging systems, cleaning up bloated codebases, migrating databases at odd hours, and keeping global enterprises running in the background.
Why Homegrown StartUps Outlast Returning Diaspora Founders In India’s Startup Race
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes There is an old joke about Harvard: how do you know someone went there? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you. India has its own version of that joke. You can usually tell when a startup founder studied abroad because it comes up early and often—Stanford, MIT, Berkeley, Wharton, or, failing that, a fellowship or accelerator like Y Combinator or Thiel, typically delivered with a minimalist logo and maximalist confidence.
Beware the magical mundane
AI is becoming normal – and invisible “Any sufficiently advanced technology,” Arthur C Clarke once noted, “is indistinguishable from magic.” The great English sci-fi writer’s observation holds true for many modern inventions. The smartphone, a mere infant born only in 2007, was itself a fantasy as recently as the 1990s. Then, it was a key plot device in the TV show Quantum Leap, albeit as a handheld supercomputer called Ziggy.
India must lead AI on its own terms
As global leaders gather at the AI summit in Delhi, the familiar script plays out yet again: The US versus China, trillion-dollar valuations, compute races, and speculation about machines that may one day rival human intelligence. India appears in this narrative, but usually in a supporting role. It is described as a large market, a vast engineering workforce, and a services hub, rarely as a country that will shape the architecture of Artificial Intelligence (AI) itself.
HT Syndication: India must lead AI on its own terms
India, Feb. 17 -- As global leaders gather at the AI summit in Delhi, the familiar script plays out yet again: The US versus China, trillion-dollar valuations, compute races, and speculation about machines that may one day rival human intelligence. India appears in this narrative, but usually in a supporting role. It is described as a large market, a vast engineering workforce, and a services hub, rarely as a country that will shape the architecture of Artificial Intelligence (AI) itself.
How Indian founders without fancy credentials beat pedigreed returnees
- ADVERTISEMENT - New research shows that it’s home-grown entrepreneurs who are champions. Having survived harsh operating conditions, they outperform entrepreneurs with a foreign pedigree used to working in an environment of abundance. Government, please note The Indian flag, the U.S. flag and people miniatures with laptops are seen in this illustration taken March 10, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration There is an old joke about Harvard: how do you know someone went there?
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