National Technology Day 2026: From Pokhran-II to AI, tracing India’s biggest tech milestones

India observes National Technology Day every year on May 11 to commemorate the successful Pokhran-II nuclear tests conducted in 1998 under Operation Shakti. The tests marked India’s entry into the group of nuclear-capable nations and became one of the country’s defining scientific and strategic achievements.

The day was officially declared National Technology Day by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1999 to recognise the contribution of scientists, engineers and researchers towards India’s technological progress.

Apart from the Pokhran tests, May 11 also marks the successful test of the indigenous Hansa-3 aircraft and the successful test firing of the Trishul missile. Over the years, the occasion has evolved beyond defence achievements and is now used to highlight India’s advances across sectors including space, digital infrastructure, semiconductors, AI, healthcare and manufacturing.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on X, said: “Greetings on National Technology Day. We recall with pride the hard work and dedication of our scientists, which led to the successful tests in Pokhran in 1998. That landmark moment reflected India’s scientific excellence and unwavering commitment.

Technology has become a key pillar in building a self-reliant India. It is accelerating innovation, expanding opportunities and contributing to the nation’s growth across sectors. Our continued focus remains on empowering talent, encouraging research and creating solutions that serve both national progress and the aspirations of our people.”

India’s major technology milestones over the years

Pokhran-II nuclear tests (1998)

India conducted five underground nuclear tests in Rajasthan’s Pokhran desert in May 1998, establishing itself as a nuclear weapons-capable state.

Chandrayaan-3 Moon landing (2023)

India became the first country to land near the Moon’s south pole through ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 mission.

Mars Orbiter Mission: Mangalyaan (2013)

India became the first Asian nation to reach Mars orbit and the first country globally to do so in its maiden attempt.

Aadhaar and digital public infrastructure

India built one of the world’s largest biometric identity systems through Aadhaar, which later became the foundation for digital governance and welfare delivery.

UPI and real-time digital payments

UPI transformed India into one of the world’s largest digital payments ecosystems, significantly accelerating fintech adoption and digital commerce.

Covid-19 vaccine and healthcare technology push

India emerged as a major vaccine manufacturing hub during the pandemic while also scaling digital healthcare platforms and health-tech infrastructure.

India’s next technology push: AI, semiconductors and electronics manufacturing

Semiconductor manufacturing push

India has significantly expanded its semiconductor ambitions over the past few years through the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), which was launched in 2021 with a government outlay of ₹76,000 crore to support chip fabrication, packaging and display manufacturing.

In Budget 2026, the government also announced the next phase of the semiconductor mission alongside a ₹40,000 crore electronics components manufacturing push aimed at strengthening domestic supply chains.

So far, India has approved 12 semiconductor projects across states including Gujarat, Assam, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh, with cumulative investment commitments of around ₹1.60 lakh crore.

Among the largest approved projects is Tata Electronics’ semiconductor fabrication plant in Gujarat, being set up in partnership with Taiwan’s PSMC, with an investment of over ₹91,000 crore.

Micron Technology is also setting up a semiconductor packaging facility in Gujarat with an investment of ₹22,516 crore.

Just last week, the Union Cabinet approved two additional semiconductor projects worth ₹3,936 crore under the India Semiconductor Mission, taking the total number of approved units to 12.

India’s AI expansion

India has simultaneously accelerated its AI ambitions through the IndiaAI Mission, which has an allocation of more than ₹10,300 crore aimed at building compute infrastructure, AI models and research capabilities.

At the India AI Impact Summit 2026 held in February in New Delhi, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the summit attracted infrastructure-linked investment commitments exceeding $250 billion, spanning AI infrastructure, data centres, semiconductor manufacturing and high-performance computing capacity. The government also announced plans to expand India’s AI compute capacity by adding more than 20,000 GPUs to the existing IndiaAI Compute Portal infrastructure.

Alongside public investments, private sector participation has also increased. Tata Group recently announced an $11 billion investment towards an AI innovation city in Maharashtra. 

Leaders mark National Technology Day

Union Home Minister Amit Shah in an X post said, “Greetings to our technocrats and tech-savvy youths on #NationalTechnologyDay. Modi govt. is driving India's growth by harnessing their innovative prowess through a slew of game-changing initiatives. May this day be their inspiration to capitalise on them and further accelerate our journey to greatness.”

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “On National Technology Day, we salute the dedication, innovation and perseverance of our scientists, engineers and researchers who continue to shape India’s progress and strengthen the nation’s strategic capabilities. On this day, we express gratitude to our brilliant scientists and their efforts that led to the successful Pokhran tests in 1998. We remember with pride, the exemplary leadership of Atal Ji who showed outstanding political courage and statesmanship,” in an X post.

Malai Lakshmanan, Head of India Engineering, LinkedIn, said "On National Technology Day, India’s technology story is no longer about convenience, it’s about transformation. We’re seeing AI and digital innovation fundamentally reshape how organisations build, scale, and innovate and in turn, how people work, connect, and access opportunity. When it comes to engineering, it’s no longer just about incremental productivity gains, but about reimagining how software is written, systems are designed, and products are built. The real question is how builders adapt to harness these new capabilities, and what it takes to do so responsibly at scale."

Rajesh Kannan, CEO, Tata Motors Digital.AI Labs Limited, said "Technology is no longer an enabler at the edges of our business, it sits at the very core of how we imagine, scale and transform the future of mobility, while delivering tangible customer outcomes. Our greatest breakthroughs emerge when cutting‑edge technology converges with human ingenuity.  By embedding AI and autonomy across our value chain, we are empowering teams to reimagine intelligent, inclusive and impactful solutions - enabling smarter vehicles and customer friendly experiences across the automotive mobility ecosystem"