In this episode of Interpreting India, Adarsh Ranjan is joined by Zoe Jay Hawkins, co-founder and deputy executive director of the Tech Policy Design Institute. They explore the evolving idea of AI sovereignty, the geopolitics of compute, and how countries are navigating access to the foundational infrastructure that powers artificial intelligence. Drawing from her research at the Oxford Internet Institute, Zoe unpacks the political geography of AI compute, the rising concentration of AI chips and data centers, and what this means for both developed and developing economies.
In this episode of Interpreting India, Adarsh Ranjan is joined by Zoe Jay Hawkins, co-founder and deputy executive director of the Tech Policy Design Institute. They explore the evolving idea of AI sovereignty, the geopolitics of compute, and how countries are navigating access to the foundational infrastructure that powers artificial intelligence. Drawing from her research at the Oxford Internet Institute, Zoe unpacks the political geography of AI compute, the rising concentration of AI chips and data centers, and what this means for both developed and developing economies.
What does “AI sovereignty” really mean, and how can countries conceptualize it across different levels? Why is access to compute becoming a critical geopolitical issue, and how concentrated is the global compute landscape today? How should countries, especially in the Global South, approach compute scarcity, supply chain risks, and long-term AI strategy?
As AI systems grow more powerful, the computational infrastructure behind them has become a strategic resource, one that is unevenly distributed across the world. This episode takes a deep look at the three layers of compute sovereignty: where data centers are located, who owns them, and who manufactures the chips that power them. Zoe explains how access to compute has quickly shifted from a technical issue to a core question of economic resilience and sovereignty.
The conversation unpacks new research showing how few countries actually host advanced AI-relevant data centers, and how global dependencies on companies like Nvidia shape strategic decisions. Adarsh and Zoe discuss the implications for countries that are “compute deserts,” the growing push toward sovereign capabilities, and why a binary view of sovereignty is misleading. They also explore how countries are attempting to secure compute, through public investment, regional collaborations, and new transnational initiatives.
Finally, the episode examines the emerging tension between the pursuit of compute sovereignty and the environmental and socioeconomic costs of data centers. As global investments flow into AI infrastructure, Zoe argues for a more grounded, people-centric approach to AI strategy, one that balances access, sustainability, and long-term national priorities amid evolving questions about the future of the AI industry.
Carnegie India does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
In this episode of Interpreting India, Nidhi Singh is joined by Raymond Ononiwu, founder and CEO of Horus Labs, for a conversation that cuts through the noise around compute, data centres, and AI infrastructure to ask a more fundamental question: who is this all actually being built for?
Nidhi Singh, Raymond Ononiwu
In this episode of Interpreting India, Vrinda Sahai is joined by Nicolas Köhler-Suzuki, Advisor for Trade and Economic Security at the Jacques Delors Institute, for a detailed conversation on the India-EU Free Trade Agreement. After decades of slow-moving negotiations, both sides have arrived at what is shaping up to be the most ambitious trade deal India has ever signed. Nicolas unpacks what is in the agreement, what is missing, and what its success will depend on in the years ahead.
Vrinda Sahai, Nicolas Köhler-Suzuki
In this episode of Interpreting India, Nidhi Singh is joined by Mariano-Florentino (Tino) Cuéllar, President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and one of the very few people to have attended all four global AI summits, from Bletchley Park to Delhi. The conversation traces the arc of AI summit diplomacy, what has been accomplished, where the gaps remain, and what the process reveals about how different parts of the world are thinking about a technology that is moving faster than any single government or institution can keep up with.
Nidhi Singh, Mariano-Florentino (Tino) Cuéllar
In this episode of Interpreting India, Nidhi Singh is joined by Nikhil Narendran, Partner at Trilegal, for a conversation on two of the most pressing issues shaping India's digital future: data protection and AI governance. From the nuts and bolts of India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act to deeper questions about regulating artificial intelligence, Nikhil brings the perspective of a technology lawyer who is not just advising on these issues but actively living them.
Nidhi Singh, Nikhil Narendran
In this episode of Interpreting India, Srinath Raghavan speaks with Gaddam Dharmendra, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Carnegie India and India’s former Ambassador to Iran about the ongoing U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran and what it means for the region. The conversation looks at Iran’s response to sustained attacks, the wider impact on energy markets and regional stability, and the changing relationships between Iran, the Gulf countries, and global powers. It also reflects on India’s position as it balances its ties across West Asia while navigating strategic and economic pressures, and what lies ahead as the conflict continues to shape the region.
Srinath Raghavan, Gaddam Dharmendra
