A new global index, the Critical and Emerging Technologies Index, has been launched to assess the performance of 25 countries across five critical technology sectors: AI, biotechnology, semiconductors, space, and quantum.

Key Highlights

• India’s Position: India ranks significantly behind the U.S., China, and Europe in most technology sectors, with an overall score of 15.2. 
  • This places India below France but ahead of Russia, Canada, and Australia.
• U.S. Dominance: The U.S. leads the index in all five sectors, especially in AI, semiconductors, and space. 
  • This is attributed to its deep investments, strong research workforce, and decentralized innovation ecosystem involving government, academia, and industry.
• China Closing the Gap: China is rapidly advancing, especially in biotechnology and quantum technologies, although it still faces challenges in semiconductors and advanced AI due to its reliance on foreign tools and weaker private research.
• Europe’s Position: Europe ranks third overall, showing particular strength in biotechnology and quantum technologies, but it lags behind in semiconductors and space.
• Sector-Specific Analysis:
  • AI: The U.S. holds a commanding lead, followed by China and Europe, with emphasis on funding, talent, algorithms, computing power, and data.
  • Biotechnology: The U.S. and Europe are strong, particularly in human capital, funding, and capabilities like pharmaceutical production and genetic engineering.
  • Semiconductors: The U.S. leads, but Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea rank higher than Europe, with a focus on chip design, funding, and talent.
  • Space: The U.S. dominates in funding, talent, and defense assets, with Russia ranking third and India seventh.
  • Quantum: The U.S. is ahead in funding, talent, and core technologies, with policy, global influence, and security being secondary factors.

About the Critical and Emerging Technologies Index

• The Critical and Emerging Technologies Index is a global index published by the Harvard Kennedy School that assesses the performance of 25 countries across five key technology sectors.
• Aim: The index is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of how countries are positioned in these rapidly evolving and strategically significant fields.
• Criteria: The index evaluates each technology sector based on six important criteria: Geopolitical significance, Systemic leverage, GDP contribution, Dual-use potential, Supply chain risk, and Time to maturity.
• Significance: This index is intended to help policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers understand the relative strengths and weaknesses of different countries across these critical technological fields, as well as the potential risks and opportunities they face in the global tech landscape.

Conclusion

India’s performance across these sectors underscores the need for strategic investments, improved talent development, and enhanced research capabilities to close the technological gap and secure its position in these key emerging sectors.

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