India Must Move From Tech Services-Led Nation To IP-Led Nation: HCL’s Roshni Nadar
New Delhi: HCL Technologies chairman Roshni Nadar Malhotra on Thursday said India’s technology sector needs to shift from scale-driven growth to an AI-driven, intelligence-driven and Intellectual Property (IP)-driven model. “India must transform from being a technology services-driven nation to an IP-driven nation; services scale with effort. IP scales infinitely,” he said while speaking at the AI Impact Summit 2026.
He said that the future belongs not only to those who use technology, but also to those who build, own and shape platforms, models and products.
“In the AI economy, value accrues not only to those who distribute platforms, models and products, but also to those who build and own them. This shift is not just economic, it is transformative,” he added.
Malhotra, who has consistently featured in the Forbes list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women, said AI carries a dual effect: it reduces costs through automation while expanding new markets and opportunities.
He added that three strategic shifts are required for India to lead in the AI economy: from scale to building intellectual property, from adoption to creation, and from fragmented efforts to a national AI infrastructure that democratizes computing and innovation.
“Computing can unlock innovation across startups, universities, organizations and institutions. When computing is accessible, innovation ceases to be central. When innovation is not central, intellectual property proliferates. This is how an intellectual property nation is built, not by a single champion but by an ecosystem, but aimless ambition is incomplete,” he said.
According to him, artificial intelligence is not just a technological change but also a leadership moment. Every revolution raises a human question, and AI challenges us to redefine the unique by asking what should be handed over.
As artificial intelligence takes over the tasks of writing, calculating, diagnosing, and predicting, leadership must move beyond knowing to decision-making. Malhotra said HCL Tech is repositioning itself from a human-centric distribution model to an integrated system of software, intelligent agents and human expertise.
This transformation reflects a broader national desire to evolve from a nation driven by services to one driven by intellectual property.
“We are evolving from a human-centered delivery model to an integrated system of software products, intelligent agents, and human expertise that delivers results at scale. This is more than just a business shift. It reflects a broader national ambition to create intellectual property that creates lasting, compounded value,” the president said.
He said AI must be managed responsibly, as uncontrolled speed and unsafe scaling are unsustainable.
Elaborating on the matter, he gave an example from the T20 cricket match and said that like a powerful hitter in the short format of the game, AI is changing the game but success depends on how intelligently we set the field.
“AI will define this decade, but what the world will remember for centuries will be the leadership that shaped it responsibly, intelligently and clearly,” he added.
