India's semiconductor story is moving beyond government announcements and into actual manufacturing.

MeitY secretary S Krishnan says five to six semiconductor projects could be in commercial production by the end of 2026, with three projects already having started production.

The bigger shift is ISM 2.0, which expands the focus beyond fabs to:

• Chip design and advanced packaging
• Semiconductor equipment and materials
• Silicon photonics and power semiconductors
• R&D and manufacturing talent

India already has a strong semiconductor design workforce, but manufacturing remains the weak link. The government says building that workforce will be a major priority.

Domestic semiconductor demand is also expected to reach around $200 billion, up from roughly $100 billion.

If India can actually get multiple fabs and packaging facilities running at scale, this could be the point where "India's semiconductor ambitions" start becoming an actual industrial ecosystem.

The real question: can India turn these projects into globally competitive semiconductor manufacturing, or will we remain stronger at chip design than chip production?

India's EV conversation usually focuses on domestic sales, subsidies and charging infrastructure. The bigger opportunity could be turning India into an EV manufacturing and export hub.

If Indian-built EVs can become competitive in Europe, that could create a much larger technology and manufacturing ecosystem than simply selling EVs inside India.

• Made-in-India EV exports reportedly reached $369 million.
• Exports surged roughly 16-fold in the first quarter of FY2026-27.
• Europe is emerging as an important destination.
• The shift could push Indian manufacturers to improve software, battery technology and vehicle platforms for global markets.

Should India focus more on becoming a global EV export hub instead of treating EVs mainly as a domestic transition away from petrol and diesel?

iPhone 18 Pro Max leaks point to a 2nm chip, variable aperture camera and bigger battery

Apple's yearly iPhone upgrades are getting harder to justify when phones already have excellent cameras and performance. But the iPhone 18 Pro Max is shaping up to target some of the areas where Android flagships have been pushing ahead.

A variable-aperture camera and a larger battery could be more meaningful upgrades than another small CPU performance bump.

• The A20 Pro is reportedly moving to a 2nm manufacturing process.
• A variable-aperture main camera is expected.
• Leaks point to a battery exceeding 5,000mAh.
• Apple is also reportedly working on improved Siri capabilities and a smaller Dynamic Island.
• The Indian market could see strong competition from Samsung, Google and Chinese flagship makers if these upgrades materialise.

If the iPhone 18 Pro Max actually gets a 5,000mAh+ battery and variable aperture, would that be enough to justify upgrading from an iPhone 15/16/17 Pro?

Mahindra's new EV can use Gemini AI to control 200+ car functions

Voice assistants in cars have mostly been limited to navigation, music and basic commands. Mahindra is pushing this much further by putting a Google Gemini-powered AI agent into a production vehicle.

The interesting part for Indian buyers is not the AI branding. It is whether this actually makes driving easier without turning the car into another gadget that needs constant internet connectivity.

• Mahindra has introduced TEQ_Talk, powered by Google's Gemini Enterprise automotive agent.
• It is debuting in the BE 6 SPORTEQ.
• The system can control more than 200 vehicle functions.
• Functions include navigation, entertainment, climate control, cabin features and the digital owner's manual.

Would you actually trust an AI assistant to control 200+ functions in your car, or would you rather have traditional physical controls?

Your phone has two SIM slots. Here's how to actually use both

Most people use dual SIM simply to keep two phone numbers. But there's a smarter way to split them.

1. Keep banking separate

Use one number only for your bank accounts, UPI and important documents. Don't use it for shopping, social media or random website registrations.

2. Use different networks

One SIM can handle mobile data while the other handles calls. You can pick whichever operator offers better pricing or coverage.

3. Separate work and personal life

Keep your personal number for family and friends and use the second for work. You can silence the work SIM after office hours without disconnecting your personal number.

4. Have a backup network

Travel somewhere with poor coverage from your primary operator? Switch to the second SIM.

5. Keep your main number away from spam

Use your secondary number for shopping, delivery apps, online registrations and other services that don't need your primary number.

The key is to treat your two numbers differently instead of simply having two active SIMs.

Do you actually use your dual-SIM phone strategically, or is the second SIM just sitting there unused?

India's gaming market generated $1.04 billion in 2025, up 14.8% year over year, making India the fastest-growing gaming market tracked by Niko Partners.

But the bigger story is how early the market still is.

• Gaming ARPU was just $2.04 in 2025.
• Mobile remains the biggest revenue driver.
• Battle royale still dominates, but Roblox, Minecraft and other genres are gaining ground.
• Female participation has risen from 43% in 2023 to 49% in 2026.
• 84.6% of Indian players use UPI for gaming payments.
• India's player base could cross 700 million by 2030.
• Revenue is projected to reach $1.77 billion by 2030.

The shift away from a battle-royale-only market is particularly interesting. User-generated content, roleplay, esports and PC gaming are bringing different audiences into the ecosystem.

India already has the players. The next challenge is getting them to spend.

Can India become a major global gaming market, or will low player spending remain the industry's biggest problem?

India's private space sector has changed dramatically since the government opened the industry to private players in 2020.

According to the latest government data:

• Around 440 space-tech startups are registered with DPIIT.
• 113 authorisations have been granted to 52 private entities by IN-SPACe.
• 18 of those authorised companies are startups, including Skyroot, Agnikul, Pixxel, Digantara, Bellatrix and Dhruva Space.
• Private investment jumped from $100.5 million in FY2021-22 to $618.5 million by March 2026.
• Two commercial rockets from Indian private companies are planned for FY2026-27.
• More than six private launches could take place in FY2027-28, although that launch manifest is yet to be approved.

The interesting shift is that India's space story is no longer just about launching satellites.

Private companies are now working across rockets, propulsion, satellite constellations, Earth observation, space communications and in-space technologies.

The next test is execution. Can India turn hundreds of startups and billions in capital into a globally competitive commercial space industry?

Which Indian space startup do you think has the best chance of becoming the country's next major global space company?

Amazon Independence Day / Mega Deal Days tech deals that actually look decent:

Just scrolled through the ongoing Amazon Great Freedom / Mega Deal Days sale (still live till ~16th). Here are 5 that stood out across a few sites for value right now:

• Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra ~₹94,999 effective - https://link.amazon/A0iPA1A1q
• OnePlus Nord CE6 ~₹33,999 - https://link.amazon/B01DLzCT3
• Realme Narzo 100x 5G ~₹21,499 - https://link.amazon/B08bCJPJe
• Sennheiser Momentum 4 ~₹26k - https://link.amazon/B0ibi1fOX
• TCL 139 cm (55 Inches) 4K UHD Smart QD-Mini LED Google TV - https://link.amazon/A0hABvqDL

HDFC 10% instant and Amazon Pay ICICI 5% cashback are the usual stackers. Prices move fast and bank offers have caps, so double-check the live page + eligibility before you pull the trigger.

Anyone grabbed any of these already? Or spotted something better in the same price bands? Drop links/prices if you’ve verified them.

India's nuclear plants generate around 0.15 cubic metres of radioactive solid waste per MW every year, according to a recent parliamentary reply.

That's roughly 150 litres per MW.

But not all nuclear waste is equally radioactive, and it isn't simply dumped somewhere.

The interesting part:

• Waste is classified as gaseous, liquid or solid.
• Gaseous waste is treated before controlled release within regulatory limits.
• Liquid waste undergoes purification.
• Solid waste is segregated and its volume reduced before disposal.
• Solid waste is placed in engineered facilities with multiple protective barriers.
• Disposal sites are continuously monitored, including groundwater through bore wells.
• The AERB regulates and authorises radioactive waste management.

India also follows a closed nuclear fuel cycle. Spent nuclear fuel isn't simply treated as waste. It can be reprocessed to recover usable uranium and plutonium, leaving a smaller quantity of high-level waste requiring long-term management.

That's different from the US, which largely follows a once-through fuel cycle.

Finland has gone further with Onkalo, an underground repository designed to isolate spent nuclear fuel deep inside stable bedrock.

As India plans a major expansion of nuclear power, waste management could become just as important as building the reactors themselves.

Would you be comfortable living near a nuclear waste storage facility if the monitoring and safety systems were independently verified?

India's technology story is no longer just about IT services. The country is increasingly building its own chips, rockets, supercomputers, AI infrastructure and advanced defence systems.

A few developments worth looking at:

• Semiconductors: 12 semiconductor projects worth around ₹1.64 lakh crore had been approved by June 2026, including fabs, compound-semiconductor facilities and packaging units. Indian chip-design programmes have already produced seven chips from 16 tape-outs.
• Supercomputing: India has deployed 38 supercomputers with 47 petaflops of combined capacity under the National Supercomputing Mission, including the indigenous PARAM Rudra series.
• Space: IN-SPACe has approved India's first fully commercial Earth-observation satellite constellation, opening another major role for private Indian space companies.
• Rocket propulsion: Indian startups are now working on technologies such as full-flow staged-combustion and rotating-detonation engines, technologies that have historically been extremely difficult to develop.
• Quantum and 6G: India's R&D programmes are already working on quantum key distribution, post-quantum cryptography and 5G/6G satellite-terrestrial integration.
• Defence technology: The Indian Army is working on more than 300 technology projects spanning AI, quantum computing, 6G and AI-enabled cloud systems.
• Electronics: Mobile-phone production reached approximately ₹6.27 lakh crore in FY2025-26, while exports reached around ₹2.59 lakh crore, compared with ₹1,500 crore in exports in 2014-15.

The interesting part isn't that India has suddenly become a technology superpower.

It's that the country's ambition is changing from using technology built elsewhere to building more of the underlying technology itself.

Chips. Compute. Rockets. Satellites. AI. Quantum. Defence systems.

That's a very different technology story from the India of a decade ago.

Which Indian technology breakthrough do you think will have the biggest impact over the next 10 years?

Here are 5 solid watches currently seeing strong discounts.

1. Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 (40mm LTE)

• Around ₹24,999
• Premium pick with Sapphire glass, advanced health sensors, and solid build. Biggest absolute saving in the list.

Check it out: https://link.amazon/B02RiG8hA

2. Fire-Boltt Ninja Call Pro

• ₹999
• Bluetooth calling, HD display, 120+ sports modes. One of the steepest discounts of the sale.

Link: https://link.amazon/B0hPj4oNU

3. boAt Wave Call 3

• ₹1199
• Reliable budget calling watch with decent battery and display. Frequently mentioned as a strong under-₹1,000 option.

Link: https://link.amazon/B0j3M6XJS

4. Noise Twist Round

• ₹1,599 (MRP ₹4,999)
• Round dial, Bluetooth calling, health tracking. Clean design and good mid-budget value.

Link: https://link.amazon/B0cR9TgJr

5. Titan Crest

• ₹5,399 (MRP ₹13,995)
• More premium hybrid-style option with AMOLED display and better materials. Good middle ground.

Link: https://link.amazon/B06cFOqd2

Anyone already ordered one of these? Which one looks best to you right now?

Google's Made by Google event has now happened, with the Pixel 11 lineup at the centre of the launch. The series was expected to include the Pixel 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro XL and foldable Pixel 11 Pro Fold.

This is particularly relevant for India because Google has been pushing Pixel much harder here than it did a few generations ago.

Is Google's AI-first Pixel strategy actually enough to challenge Samsung and Apple in India's premium market?

This is the story I'd pick if you want something less obvious.

The latest funding data shows Indian semiconductor startups are increasingly working on equipment, packaging, photonics and AI accelerators, rather than simply designing chips. H1 funding alone reached 81% of the entire amount raised during 2025.

That matters because designing a chip is only one piece of the semiconductor supply chain.

Should India focus less on trying to build a few giant fabs and more on building 100 smaller companies around them?

Airtel has removed its ₹299 prepaid plan across India, along with the ₹579, ₹619 and ₹649 packs.

The new entry point for an unlimited daily-data plan is now ₹349.

• ₹299 plan: 1.5GB/day for 28 days
• ₹349 plan: 2GB/day for 28 days
• That's a ₹50 increase, or roughly 16% more
• ₹199 and ₹219 low-data plans remain
• Several mid-range options have also disappeared

The interesting part isn't just the price hike. Airtel has effectively removed some of the middle ground. If you need more than a basic low-data plan, ₹349 is now the obvious step up.

Airtel is already India's highest-ARPU major operator at around ₹264, so this looks more like targeted monetisation than a blanket tariff hike.

And if Airtel can move users upward without losing them, expect Jio and Vi to be watching closely.

Would you pay ₹349 for 2GB/day, or is this the point where you start looking at Jio/Vi?