New Delhi | India’s deeptech sector is likely to witness exponential growth, with its market opportunity projected to reach USD 30 billion by 2030, driven by defence innovation and a surge in global robotics, according to a report by Redseer Strategy Consultants.

India has observed a significant shift in spending towards defence deeptech, with the national defence budget doubling over the past decade to USD 80 billion. This expansion surpasses growth rates recorded by top global spenders, such as the US and China, during the same period.

"India's deep tech opportunity has grown 2.5 times in the past 5 years and is poised to be a USD 30 billion juggernaut by 2030. India is emerging as the only trusted, low-cost scale hub outside China. Its deeptech base, i.e. USD 9-12 billion as of FY2025, is being pulled forward by spending in India's defence deeptech and global robotics," the report noted.

India’s emerging status as a trusted, low-cost global hub outside China is being cemented by deeptech advancements in robotics. The global robotic machines market, valued at USD 60 billion, is anticipated to surge to nearly USD 230 billion by 2030, with humanoids, representing a breakout category and an estimated USD 10 billion opportunity in the same period.

India enjoys a substantial cost advantage, with production costs for humanoid robots about 73 per cent lower than in the US, attributed to efficient local integration, comparatively low labour costs, and cost-optimised sourcing.

Immediate opportunities identified by Redseer lie in autonomous systems, AI-enabled training, and energy propulsion technologies, particularly in the development and deployment of intelligent and resilient drones.

"Deeptech is no longer tomorrow's bet -- it’s the next economic engine. India’s defence-deeptech flywheel is turning and creating investible, predictable returns," the report said.