According to the Critical Technology Tracker report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, India has emerged as a global research powerhouse, ranking among the top five countries in 45 out of 64 critical technologies in 2023, up from 37 a year before. The report highlights that the country has secured the second position in seven technologies. 

In the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence (AI), India ranks just behind the US and China in several essential areas, such as advanced data analytics, AI algorithms, hardware accelerators, machine learning, advanced integrated circuit design and fabrication, natural language processing, and adversarial AI. 

The significant growth 

This is a significant improvement over 2003–2007, when India only placed in the top five for four technologies, as per the report. Space, defence, energy, environment, Artificial Intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, cybersecurity, advanced computing, advanced materials, and quantum technology are only a few domains in which the tracker covers critical technologies. It aggregates data from 2003 to 2023, tracking high-impact research—defined as the top 10% of the most-cited papers—as a measure of a nation's research performance, strategic objectives, and potential for future technological advancements. 

With a dominant position in 57 out of 64 critical technologies, China leads in the global research charts. On the other hand, according to 2019–2023 rankings, the US, which dominated 60 technologies between 2003 and 2007, currently only leads in seven, including quantum computing, vaccines, and medical countermeasures. 

Top takeaways for India in the Critical technologies research 

• In critical technologies research, India has surpassed the UK. Currently, it is ranked in the top five for 45 out of 64 critical technologies, compared to the UK's 36. Between 2018 and 2022, the UK ranked among the top five nations for 44 of the 64 critical technologies, whereas India ranked among the top five for 37 of the 64 critical technologies. This demonstrates significant progress from 2003 to 2007 when India was ranked among the top five countries for only four technologies.  
• Overall, a few Indian-based institutions are listed in the top 20 rankings for any period between 2003 and 2023, while researchers around the globe are citing more Indian research papers in critical technologies. However, two Indian institutions rank among the top 20 for critical technology research for the 2019–2023 period: Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (ranked 10) and Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (ranked 14). The remaining 20 institutions on the list are all headquartered in China.  
• According to the ASPI critical technology tracker, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in New Delhi is the fifth-ranked institute in the world for the highest quality of biofuels research.   
• India now ranks second in seven out of 64 critical technologies, surpassing the US in two new areas (distributed ledgers and biological manufacturing).  
• According to the ASPI tracker, only the United States and China lead in all 64 critical technologies. However, the report emphasizes that India is still a strong performer across a variety of technologies, particularly in biofuels and high-specification machining processes, where it has been "making major gains since 2019."  
• According to the report, India is predicted to surpass China shortly in terms of biofuel publication rate. "This is significant and would mark the only technology in which the lead country is not the United States or China," it noted. 

Source: Full report