Context:

• The article marks the anniversary of the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) of 1975, a landmark Indo-US collaboration.
• It also traces the evolution of technology cooperation from Cold War idealism to the present-day era of American “techno-capitalism” under Donald Trump, assessing implications for India.

SITE - A Pioneering Indo-US Technological Collaboration:

• Launch year: A pioneering collaboration launched in 1975.
• Partners: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), using ATS-6 satellite.
• Coverage: 2,400 villages across six of India’s most underdeveloped states to beam educational programmes in local languages.
• Content focus: Primary education, health awareness, agricultural practices, and national integration.
• Significance: Landmark in India’s developmental technology vision; expression of US “scientific internationalism.”
• Setback: Indo-US tech cooperation stalled after India’s 1974 nuclear test due to US non-proliferation concerns.

Revival of Technology Cooperation:

• Renewed engagement: It took three decades to overcome these disputes and rebuild bilateral trust.
• 2023 milestone: Launch of Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (ICET) under President Biden to boost cooperation in advanced technologies.
• Challenges: Bilateral frictions over Russia, trade, Pakistan; divergent tech ecosystem paths.

Contrasting Global Technology Models:

• US model:
  • Shift from state dominance (NASA) to private sector leadership (SpaceX).
  • The state acts as a catalyst through defence procurement, standard-setting.
• China model:
  • Centralised, mission-driven technological modernisation since late 1970s.
  • Heavy state investment; global reach via Digital and Space Silk Roads.
• India’s position: Hybrid approach; reforms in space sector but lag in mobilising private sector and upgrading higher education/research.

Trump’s Techno-Capitalism:

• Philosophy: Deregulatory, nationalist, expansionist, pro-entrepreneur.
• AI Policy (2025): Remove regulatory barriers, build AI infrastructure, boost AI manufacturing, mobilise massive public-private investment.
• Cryptocurrency Policy (GENIUS Act):
  • Dollar-backed stablecoins with full reserves.
  • Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
  • Rejection of central bank digital currency.
  • Aim: To reinforce US dollar supremacy, to counter de-dollarisation.
• Ideological architect:
  • Peter Thiel - a venture capitalist and co-founder of PayPal and Palantir, and a staunch supporter of Trump’s tech agenda.
  • Thiel insists that true innovation arises not from state mandates or regulatory frameworks, but from visionary entrepreneurs liberated from liberal-democratic constraints.
  • His worldview blends libertarian individualism with a muscular nationalism that sees China as America’s principal technological adversary.

Global Shift in State-Tech Relations:

• This marks a decisive break from the techno-optimism of the 1990s, when the rise of the internet was seen as heralding a borderless, decentralised world where the state would gradually recede.
• However, this dream proved short-lived. Governments reasserted themselves through regulation, surveillance, and digital sovereignty.
• Today, the world is witnessing the rise of a new state-capital compact—a “tech broligarchy”.
  • Trump’s approach: Aligning Silicon Valley elites with US geopolitical objectives.
  • Objective: To pursue technological supremacy not for utopian ends, but for strategic advantage.

Implications for India:

• Risks:
  • AI automation threatens IT outsourcing jobs.
  • Possible decline in H-1B visa approvals.
  • Rise of techno-nationalism in the West affecting India’s tech exports.
• Required actions:
  • Overhaul domestic tech sector.
  • Increase R&D investment.
  • Integrate private enterprise into innovation strategies.
  • Prepare workforce and regulations for rapid tech transformation.

Conclusion:

• India stands at a pivotal juncture where strategic investment in research, innovation, and private sector integration can transform it into a leading technological power.
• By proactively adapting to global shifts in AI, space, and digital finance, India can secure its competitiveness and resilience in the emerging techno-capitalist world order.