‘No nation can truly call itself self-reliant if…’: Gautam Adani on the new geometry of power

Gautam Adani, speaking during the Confederation of Indian Industry's (CII) Annual Business Summit 2026, said that the “geometry of power” has changed across years. Earlier it used to be about political freedom, but now true independence actually refers to energy and digital security.

Giving examples of China and the US, Adani said that no nation can be truly independent if it is dependent on imports for energy and digital prowess.

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"What has become even more obvious from the recent Middle East conflict and targeted attacks on infrastructure is that energy security and digital security are no longer independent dimensions. They are now the twin foundations of national power. And it is increasingly evident that the country that controls its energy will drive its industrial future. The country that controls its compute will drive its intelligence future, and the country that controls both will shape the century ahead. This is the new geometry of power. If 1947 was about our political freedom, true independence in the 21st century will mean owning the energy that lights our homes and the intelligence that guides our minds,” he said.

Adani said that it was not a theory and that the two largest economies of the world – US and China – have understood it well. “Their systems may be different. Their politics may be different. Their institutions may be different. But their strategic objectives are the same. No nation can call itself truly self-reliant if it depends on others for the energy that powers its economy or the intelligence that shapes its destiny,” he said.

Adani said that the world is fractured and contested. Semiconductors have become instruments of statecraft, data is being treated like national treasure, clouds are being weaponised and artificial intelligence is being built behind the protective walls of data centres.

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AI is not merely software, he said, adding that it is a strategic infrastructure spanning energy, data centres, chips, networks, compute and talent.

"India must not rent the infrastructure of its intelligence future. India must build it, power it and own it on its own soil," he said.