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What is the story about?
India’s manufacturing opportunity is being reshaped by a world in flux. Geopolitical tensions, supply-chain disruptions, rising protectionism and the accelerating adoption of AI are changing the economics of production and forcing businesses and governments to rethink what resilience, competitiveness and self-reliance mean.
Against this backdrop, MAKE 2026: India’s Global Manufacturing Era, presented by CNBC-TV18 and the manufacturing platform Zetwerk, brought together industry leaders, C-suite executives, defence scholars and Indian Air Force leadership to examine the technologies, infrastructure and policy frameworks that could define India’s next phase of manufacturing.
Zetwerk is a technology-led, asset-light manufacturing platform for industrial and consumer goods in India and globally. Its diverse customer base ranges from start-ups to large industrial companies, including 8 Sensex companies, 16 Nifty 50 companies and 102 Fortune 500 companies in India, spanning utilities, renewables, consumer electronics, artificial intelligence infrastructure, aerospace, space and defence, oil and gas, and industrial automation.
Across the discussions, one theme emerged clearly: India’s manufacturing ambition can no longer be separated from technological sovereignty. From building the data-centre infrastructure required for the AI economy and developing indigenous semiconductor capabilities to strengthening defence manufacturing and accelerating the clean-energy transition, the opportunity is increasingly about building complete ecosystems rather than isolated capabilities.
The AI Infrastructure Supercycle: Building The Backbone Of India’s AI Economy
The AI boom is creating a new infrastructure cycle, one that is moving beyond conventional CPU-based cloud infrastructure towards high-density GPU compute and purpose-built AI factories. In a discussion moderated by CNBC-TV18’s Reema Tendulkar, Sunil Gupta, Co-Founder, MD & CEO of Yotta Data Services; Sharad Agarwal, CEO of Sify Infinit Spaces; and Ankush Sabharwal, Founder of CoRover.ai BharatGPT, examined what it will take to build the physical and technological backbone of India’s AI ambitions.
India’s data-centre capacity is projected to expand from 1.6 GW to 8 GW over the coming years, but scaling compute brings its own challenges around electricity, water and cooling. The panel explored how closed-loop cooling and renewable energy can help address the sustainability demands of increasingly power-intensive infrastructure.
The discussion also looked beyond massive model training towards smaller language models, edge computing and localised inference. That shift could make AI more practical across enterprises and public services, while reducing dependence on centralised infrastructure. Yet the larger question remains one of sovereignty: how can India manage its dependence on foreign GPUs, develop indigenous semiconductor ecosystems and build local intellectual property while making AI accessible across healthcare, education, agriculture and governance?
Defence Is Moving From Hardware To Software
The transformation underway in defence manufacturing is equally fundamental. In a fireside chat with Reema Tendulkar, Dr Chandrika Kaushik, Director General (PC&SI), DRDO, outlined how modern warfare is increasingly being shaped by drones, cyber operations, electronic warfare and AI-driven systems.
For India, this evolution makes indigenous technology capability a strategic imperative. DRDO is working towards 100% software and AI-stack sovereignty across its platforms under the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision, while partnerships with private companies, startups and public enterprises are being facilitated through initiatives such as TDF and iDEX.
The shift is already visible in India's expanding defence exports, with platforms and systems such as Pinaka, BrahMos and Akash finding markets beyond India. Looking ahead, the focus will increasingly move towards hypersonic systems, advanced propulsion and the manufacturing capacity required to produce these technologies at scale.
The IAF’s Indigenisation Push: A Larger Industrial Opportunity
The defence manufacturing opportunity extends beyond government laboratories and large contractors. In a special address, Air Marshal Tejpal Singh AVSM VM, Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Plans), Indian Air Force, highlighted the Indian Air Force’s continuing role in advancing indigenous platforms including Tejas, HTT-40 and Light Combat Helicopters.
With more than 44 MAKE projects and 110 iDEX projects underway, the opportunity for private-sector participation is expanding. But translating that opportunity into deployable capability requires more than technological ambition. The discussion underscored the importance of stronger aerospace certification, disciplined programme management, realistic timelines and comprehensive lifecycle and MRO support.
The longer-term ambition is even more significant: moving towards sixth-generation technologies through a “Whole-of-Nation” model that brings together the armed forces, industry, MSMEs, startups and academia.
Amitabh Kant: Manufacturing Competitiveness Starts With Execution
The broader economic and policy context came into focus in a conversation between CNBC-TV18 Managing Editor Shereen Bhan and Amitabh Kant, Former G20 Sherpa & Former CEO, NITI Aayog.
Kant placed India’s manufacturing opportunity against a backdrop of geopolitical conflict, supply-chain disruption and rising protectionism. In such an environment, manufacturing competitiveness increasingly depends on the ability to build resilient domestic capabilities while remaining integrated with global markets.
Energy is central to that equation. India’s transition away from fossil-fuel dependence towards green hydrogen, battery storage and a 1,500 GW renewable-energy capacity target will determine not only the sustainability of its growth but also the energy security underpinning its industrial expansion.
The conversation also examined the role of AI, data and talent in raising manufacturing productivity, alongside the impact of Production Linked Incentive schemes and Free Trade Agreements. But policy incentives alone cannot create globally competitive manufacturing ecosystems. Execution, risk-taking, predictable taxation and an environment capable of attracting sustained private investment will ultimately determine how effectively India converts its manufacturing ambition into capacity.
From Self-Reliance To Global Competitiveness
Taken together, the conversations at MAKE 2026 point to a broader redefinition of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Self-reliance is no longer simply about producing more domestically. It is about developing the technology, infrastructure, skills, supply chains and industrial ecosystems that allow India to compete in a more fragmented global economy.
AI infrastructure, semiconductors, defence systems and clean energy may appear to be separate manufacturing stories. Increasingly, they are interconnected. Each requires advanced technology, resilient supply chains, large-scale investment and the ability to move from innovation to industrial production.
That is the larger manufacturing opportunity before India: not merely becoming an alternative production base, but building the capabilities to shape the next global industrial order.
Against this backdrop, MAKE 2026: India’s Global Manufacturing Era, presented by CNBC-TV18 and the manufacturing platform Zetwerk, brought together industry leaders, C-suite executives, defence scholars and Indian Air Force leadership to examine the technologies, infrastructure and policy frameworks that could define India’s next phase of manufacturing.
Zetwerk is a technology-led, asset-light manufacturing platform for industrial and consumer goods in India and globally. Its diverse customer base ranges from start-ups to large industrial companies, including 8 Sensex companies, 16 Nifty 50 companies and 102 Fortune 500 companies in India, spanning utilities, renewables, consumer electronics, artificial intelligence infrastructure, aerospace, space and defence, oil and gas, and industrial automation.
Across the discussions, one theme emerged clearly: India’s manufacturing ambition can no longer be separated from technological sovereignty. From building the data-centre infrastructure required for the AI economy and developing indigenous semiconductor capabilities to strengthening defence manufacturing and accelerating the clean-energy transition, the opportunity is increasingly about building complete ecosystems rather than isolated capabilities.
The AI Infrastructure Supercycle: Building The Backbone Of India’s AI Economy
The AI boom is creating a new infrastructure cycle, one that is moving beyond conventional CPU-based cloud infrastructure towards high-density GPU compute and purpose-built AI factories. In a discussion moderated by CNBC-TV18’s Reema Tendulkar, Sunil Gupta, Co-Founder, MD & CEO of Yotta Data Services; Sharad Agarwal, CEO of Sify Infinit Spaces; and Ankush Sabharwal, Founder of CoRover.ai BharatGPT, examined what it will take to build the physical and technological backbone of India’s AI ambitions.
India’s data-centre capacity is projected to expand from 1.6 GW to 8 GW over the coming years, but scaling compute brings its own challenges around electricity, water and cooling. The panel explored how closed-loop cooling and renewable energy can help address the sustainability demands of increasingly power-intensive infrastructure.
The discussion also looked beyond massive model training towards smaller language models, edge computing and localised inference. That shift could make AI more practical across enterprises and public services, while reducing dependence on centralised infrastructure. Yet the larger question remains one of sovereignty: how can India manage its dependence on foreign GPUs, develop indigenous semiconductor ecosystems and build local intellectual property while making AI accessible across healthcare, education, agriculture and governance?
Defence Is Moving From Hardware To Software
The transformation underway in defence manufacturing is equally fundamental. In a fireside chat with Reema Tendulkar, Dr Chandrika Kaushik, Director General (PC&SI), DRDO, outlined how modern warfare is increasingly being shaped by drones, cyber operations, electronic warfare and AI-driven systems.
For India, this evolution makes indigenous technology capability a strategic imperative. DRDO is working towards 100% software and AI-stack sovereignty across its platforms under the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision, while partnerships with private companies, startups and public enterprises are being facilitated through initiatives such as TDF and iDEX.
The shift is already visible in India's expanding defence exports, with platforms and systems such as Pinaka, BrahMos and Akash finding markets beyond India. Looking ahead, the focus will increasingly move towards hypersonic systems, advanced propulsion and the manufacturing capacity required to produce these technologies at scale.
The IAF’s Indigenisation Push: A Larger Industrial Opportunity
The defence manufacturing opportunity extends beyond government laboratories and large contractors. In a special address, Air Marshal Tejpal Singh AVSM VM, Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Plans), Indian Air Force, highlighted the Indian Air Force’s continuing role in advancing indigenous platforms including Tejas, HTT-40 and Light Combat Helicopters.
With more than 44 MAKE projects and 110 iDEX projects underway, the opportunity for private-sector participation is expanding. But translating that opportunity into deployable capability requires more than technological ambition. The discussion underscored the importance of stronger aerospace certification, disciplined programme management, realistic timelines and comprehensive lifecycle and MRO support.
The longer-term ambition is even more significant: moving towards sixth-generation technologies through a “Whole-of-Nation” model that brings together the armed forces, industry, MSMEs, startups and academia.
Amitabh Kant: Manufacturing Competitiveness Starts With Execution
The broader economic and policy context came into focus in a conversation between CNBC-TV18 Managing Editor Shereen Bhan and Amitabh Kant, Former G20 Sherpa & Former CEO, NITI Aayog.
Kant placed India’s manufacturing opportunity against a backdrop of geopolitical conflict, supply-chain disruption and rising protectionism. In such an environment, manufacturing competitiveness increasingly depends on the ability to build resilient domestic capabilities while remaining integrated with global markets.
Energy is central to that equation. India’s transition away from fossil-fuel dependence towards green hydrogen, battery storage and a 1,500 GW renewable-energy capacity target will determine not only the sustainability of its growth but also the energy security underpinning its industrial expansion.
The conversation also examined the role of AI, data and talent in raising manufacturing productivity, alongside the impact of Production Linked Incentive schemes and Free Trade Agreements. But policy incentives alone cannot create globally competitive manufacturing ecosystems. Execution, risk-taking, predictable taxation and an environment capable of attracting sustained private investment will ultimately determine how effectively India converts its manufacturing ambition into capacity.
From Self-Reliance To Global Competitiveness
Taken together, the conversations at MAKE 2026 point to a broader redefinition of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Self-reliance is no longer simply about producing more domestically. It is about developing the technology, infrastructure, skills, supply chains and industrial ecosystems that allow India to compete in a more fragmented global economy.
AI infrastructure, semiconductors, defence systems and clean energy may appear to be separate manufacturing stories. Increasingly, they are interconnected. Each requires advanced technology, resilient supply chains, large-scale investment and the ability to move from innovation to industrial production.
That is the larger manufacturing opportunity before India: not merely becoming an alternative production base, but building the capabilities to shape the next global industrial order.
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