National Technology Day (May 11) often looks back at milestones. In Hyderabad, it feels like a moment to look ahead. Long defined by IT services and global delivery centres, the city is now moving into a deeper, more ambitious phase — one shaped by deep-tech innovation, research-led startups, and a growing culture of experimentation. From satellites being built and AI models being trained to climate solutions being engineered, the shift is both visible and structural. On the cusp of this moment, Hyderabad feels like a city in quiet acceleration — its ecosystem expanding not just in scale, but in depth. What emerges is a portrait of a city no longer following established tech narratives, but actively rewriting them, redefining its identity in the process.
A full-cycle space ecosystem
Hyderabad was the right base for Cosmoserve Space because operating costs here are significantly lower than in other space hubs. But cost alone is not enough to build a space company. Thanks to the support of DRDO and ISRO, Hyderabad has the infrastructure needed for manufacturing and testing, which has been instrumental in our growth. Hyderabad now houses space startups across almost every vertical. We have Skyroot working on launch vehicles, Dhruva in satellite manufacturing and ground stations, and Cosmoserve in space debris removal. Together, these companies enable the full cycle of space activity in one ecosystem: build a satellite, launch it, track it from the ground, use the data for applications on Earth, and finally remove the satellite from orbit once it has reached the end of its life. Several factors are driving this growth, including strong government support, ecosystem builders like T-Hub and T-Works, and the city’s improving infrastructure. Hyderabad is also expanding quickly and has the capacity to accommodate many more startups in the future. Hyderabad is often overlooked as a space-tech destination, but that perception is changing. When IN-SPACe hosted its Invest in Space event in collaboration with T-Hub, it brought the city into sharper focus for the entire space ecosystem. India’s space ecosystem has undergone a remarkable transformation. The country’s ambition to increase its share of the global space economy from 2 percent to 8 percent by 2030 now feels achievable, given the number of startups emerging across India, especially in Hyderabad. A major turning point was the Government of India’s space sector reforms in 2020, followed by the Indian Space Policy 2023, which formalised private sector participation across the space value chain. Having spent 15 years at ISRO, I would say the core philosophy of innovation remains the same. One of the biggest challenges for many startups is crossing the ‘valley of death’ — moving from a ground prototype at Technology Readiness Level 4 to a space-flight-ready product at TRL 8. At Cosmoserve, we were able to navigate that journey in just four months, thanks to structured processes and disciplined execution. Over the past seven decades, around 20,000 objects have been launched into space, and today there are about 50,000 large objects, along with crores of smaller fragments. With nearly one million satellites planned over the next decade, this problem will only worsen. We have developed bio-inspired soft robotic petals to capture objects in space, and our first technology demonstration is planned in the coming months. Commercial operations are targeted for 2028.
Dr Chiranjeevi Phanindra, founder of Cosmoserve Space, former ISRO scientist
Built on a deep R&D foundation
In the late 1990s, when the city was barely present on the IT map, there were proactive efforts to attract product R&D companies. Very quickly, the city became home to majors like Microsoft, Oracle, and others. That formed the grounding for an industry steeped in deep tech and product engineering, unlike cities that were centred primarily around services. Today, Hyderabad houses some of the largest global campuses of companies like Microsoft and Amazon, with Google expanding as well. Alongside this, the city has a strong tech education system and a deep research ecosystem. It has the largest number of government research labs, a leading IIT, and one of the country’s strongest AI research groups at IIIT-H, along with a globally ranked business school. IIIT-H has grown into a top-ranking research institution in the country and a leading centre for AI research in Asia. It has played a key role in providing talent to major tech companies while also co-creating emerging tech solutions through funded research projects. The institute also houses one of the largest and oldest academic incubators in the country, where startup-led innovation is rapidly emerging. Companies are increasingly setting up labs and centres of excellence with a long-term view on specific technology areas. These include initiatives in AI research, autonomous driving datasets, smart city living labs, and cybersecurity collaborations with state agencies. With over 120 faculty and 1,200 researchers, work spans across information technology and applied domains. Areas such as AI for healthcare, cybersecurity, and AI for Indian languages are expected to see significant breakthroughs. Efforts like building Telugu large language models, optimised for low-resource environments, are particularly relevant for India and the Global South.
Ramesh Loganathan, professor of practice & co-innovations, IIIT Hyderabad
Climate Code
Hyderabad is successfully leveraging its strong foundations in IT, pharma, and manufacturing to build a vibrant B2B deep-tech ecosystem. These sectors have a forward-looking mindset toward climate action, which gives startups like ours a head start in driving impactful, industry-level innovation. The local B2B ecosystem is filled with early adopters who actively encourage and integrate research-led, deep-tech products. This makes it significantly easier to scale academic innovations into commercial solutions. Interestingly, industry is leading policy here. High-end sectors like pharma and IT are setting the standard by actively absorbing deep-tech climate solutions beyond compliance. While formal policy development is still evolving, this strong industry demand provides validation for water-tech solutions. With rapid urbanisation placing immense pressure on infrastructure, data-driven policymaking is no longer optional. Policymakers must engage with deep-tech startups to build real-time decision-support systems that can help infrastructure adapt and scale efficiently. There remains a gap in awareness and patient capital, as many investors continue to prioritise fast-growth sectors. However, government initiatives are beginning to derisk deep-tech, and we expect investment in sustainability-driven technologies to improve over the next two to three years. Water is a global crisis. Solving water management challenges in complex Indian environments helps to build robust systems that are inherently scalable worldwide.
Vinay Chataraju, co-founder and CEO of Kritsnam Technologies
The Innovation Classroom
Hyderabad’s tech ecosystem stands out for its diversity. It is not just about IT anymore — there is strong momentum across digital health, biotech-AI, semiconductors, and industrial automation. Institutions like T-Hub, T-Works, and WE Hub enable ideas to move quickly from concept to commercialisation. BITS Pilani continues to evolve through initiatives like Project Vistaar, which aims to upgrade research infrastructure, establish an AI+ campus, and strengthen the innovation ecosystem. The institution contributes through specialised Centres of Excellence in AI, national security, semiconductor technologies, and sustainable energy. Facilities like the Nalini Kurra Wind Tunnel enhance aerospace and automotive research capabilities. Industry-academia collaboration is deeply embedded through programmes like Practice School, where students work on real-world problems with companies and research labs under joint supervision. Work Integrated Learning Programmes further support professionals in upskilling without interrupting their careers. Exposure to emerging areas such as generative AI, reinforcement learning, and large language models is shifting the focus from learning existing knowledge to creating new knowledge, opening pathways for research and entrepreneurship. Hyderabad offers a unique combination of scale, infrastructure, lower operational costs, and room for expansion — advantages that are becoming increasingly important as other major tech hubs face congestion and rising costs. Emerging technologies like AI, quantum computing, and cybersecurity will reshape both education and industry, driving the next wave of productivity, innovation, and competitive advantage.
Prof Paresh Saxena, head & associate professor, department of computer science and information systems, BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus