India's Deeptech sector set to hit $30 billion by 2030, driven by defence and robotics: Report

New Delhi, Nov 9 (IANS) India’s deeptech ecosystem is entering a breakout phase, with its market opportunity projected to touch $30 billion by 2030, fuelled by a surge in defence innovation and robotics manufacturing, a report has said.

Once considered a niche sector, deeptech — which includes advanced fields like AI, robotics, autonomous systems, and energy propulsion — is now emerging as India’s next big economic engine, bridging national security goals with global industrial demand, Redseer Strategy Consultants said in its report.

The report noted that India’s defence deeptech spending has doubled over the past decade, reaching $80 billion, outpacing the growth rates of traditional defence leaders such as the US and China.

This has propelled India’s deeptech base to an estimated $9-2 billion as of FY2025, growing 2.5 times in the last five years.

"India is fast becoming the only trusted, low-cost scale hub outside China," the report said, adding that the defence and robotics sectors are leading the charge. The global robotics market, currently valued at around $60 billion, is projected to expand nearly fourfold to $230 billion by 2030.

Within this, humanoid robots alone are expected to represent a $10 billion opportunity.

India’s edge lies in cost efficiency — building humanoid robots in India costs 73 per cent less than in the US, driven by local integration, lower labour costs, and optimised sourcing.

According to the report, autonomous systems, AI-enabled military training tools, and advanced drone propulsion technologies as immediate growth opportunities for Indian firms.

Redseer’s noted that India’s combination of strategic defence needs, cost competitiveness, and innovation-driven startups will redefine its role in global technology supply chains.

"Deeptech is no longer tomorrow’s bet — it’s today’s reality. India’s defence-deeptech flywheel is spinning faster than ever, creating investible, predictable, and scalable growth for the next decade,” the report said.

--IANS

aps/vd