IDC–Dell study: 96% of Indian government leaders advancing sovereign AI strategy

India is emerging as one of the most distinctive Sovereign AI markets in Asia Pacific, with 96% of government leaders actively advancing strategies, according to a new IDC study commissioned by Dell Technologies.

Unlike other countries where regulation and innovation are treated separately, India has operationalised AI sovereignty through proven national platforms such as Aadhaar, UPI, ONDC, and Bhashini. These systems embed governance, data stewardship, and trust into the nation’s digital fabric. “India has built something truly pioneering; a digital public infrastructure that functions as both a governance framework and an innovation platform,” said Manish Gupta, President & MD, Dell Technologies India.

From strategy to execution

The study shows India’s government sector has moved decisively from awareness into action:* 46% are evaluating Sovereign AI technologies* 46% are running proofs of concept* 4% have already moved into significant investmentNearly 73% of leaders see Sovereign AI as essential for protecting sensitive national data, while 70% view it as a hedge against geopolitical risk and supply chain disruption. Investment priorities include national security and defence (46%) and procurement/supply chain (36%).

India’s leaders show stronger confidence in agentic AI than the Asia Pacific average. Almost all respondents (97.7%) believe agentic AI will accelerate adoption, with 44.4% saying it will play a major role — well above the regional average of 36.9%.

Two critical challenges remain:

* Specialist AI talent – 92% cite the need for skills in AIOps, sovereign data governance, and network integration.* Cybersecurity resilience – 36% highlight strengthening security posture as essential, alongside navigating cross-jurisdictional regulations (34%).“India has built something truly pioneering; a digital public infrastructure that functions as both a governance framework and an innovation platform,” said Manish Gupta, president and managing director, Dell Technologies India. “Sovereign AI in India isn’t a policy aspiration; it’s being engineered into the foundations of how the nation operates. Dell Technologies is committed to partnering with government leaders to strengthen the infrastructure, talent, and security capabilities that will power this vision at national scale.

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