New Delhi. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh confirmed on Wednesday that the Indian military is aggressively building an indigenous "AI spine" to modernize warfare capabilities, explicitly ruling out foreign data partners. Speaking at the NDTV Defence Summit in Delhi, Singh stated that while there was "temptation" to engage global analytics giants like Palantir, the government shelved the idea because the volume of sensitive data involved made indigenous control non-negotiable.
The move isn't theoretical. Singh disclosed that "some attempts" to infuse AI compute capacity were already executed during Operation Sindoor, India's 2025 counterstrike against terrorist havens in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir following the Pahalgam attack. That initial trial has now moved "much further ahead," signaling a shift from experimental use to structural integration.
The architecture of this new capability is being built in parallel tracks. The Navy is developing its systems independently, while the Army is in the process of locking in deals with Indian industry partners. Singh noted they are working directly with the National AI Mission to ensure these tools are available for what he termed "AI spying," a phrase that underscores the intelligence-centric nature of the project. This stands in contrast to the US, where the Pentagon’s Project Maven relies heavily on Palantir’s infrastructure.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, speaking earlier at the same summit, framed this as part of a broader push to master advanced technologies including quantum computing and hypersonics. He highlighted the establishment of the Defence AI Council and a new DRDO research centre dedicated to indigenous quantum capabilities, noting that a policy framework for these technologies has already been issued.
The immediate next step is the formalization of contracts with domestic tech firms to provide the heavy compute capacity required for these AI models. With the Army actively seeking partners, the integration of this "AI spine" into daily military operations is expected to gain momentum in the coming months, prioritizing data sovereignty over speed of acquisition.