Abstract
Semiconductors & Strategic Compute for Battlefield AI confronted one of the most structurally consequential vulnerabilities in India’s defence modernisation agenda: the near-total dependence of every AI-enabled military system on foreign-manufactured semiconductor chips. In an era where artificial intelligence governs everything from autonomous drone navigation to real-time battlefield intelligence fusion, the chip is the foundation upon which all operational capability rests. A nation that does not control its semiconductor supply chain does not truly control its weapons systems.
This issue brief examines three interlocking imperatives emerging: building an indigenous AI defence chip ecosystem anchored in the RISC-V open architecture; developing secure processors for tactical edge computing in contested operational environments; and advancing indigenous design capabilities for next-generation battlefield AI platforms. Together, these imperatives constitute the strategic agenda for India’s semiconductor sovereignty in defence, a sovereignty that is not merely an industrial aspiration but a national security imperative of the first order.
