Context:

As warfare undergoes a seismic transformation with the rise of artificial intelligence, countries like China are rapidly integrating AI into multi-domain military operations, posing strategic challenges for nations like India.

This article explores how AI is reshaping modern battlefields—from autonomous weapons and data-driven decision-making to electromagnetic and cyber warfare—and underscores the critical role of energy infrastructure, especially nuclear power, in sustaining this AI-driven defence future.

It highlights the urgency for India to bridge its technological and energy gaps to remain competitive in this evolving agentic age of warfare.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• China’s Early Lead in Military AI Deployment
• China-Pakistan AI Collaboration: A Growing Concern for India
• Energy: The Hidden Backbone of Future AI Warfare
• India’s Early Foray into Military AI
• Conclusion

China’s Early Lead in Military AI Deployment

• Even before the launch of the DeepSeek AI model, China’s People’s Liberation Army had begun integrating AI into its core military functions under the concept of “intelligentised warfare.”
• China is using AI to improve artillery systems by reducing firing intervals and increasing accuracy, enhancing operational efficiency on the battlefield.
• The PLA is integrating generative AI into drones to autonomously detect and strike enemy radar systems with high precision.
• The technological advancements of DeepSeek are expected to further bolster China’s efforts to expand AI capabilities across its armed forces.

China-Pakistan AI Collaboration: A Growing Concern for India

• Experts warn that China's active assistance to Pakistan’s Centre of Artificial Intelligence and Computing (established in 2020) is a strategic threat, with a focus on cognitive electronic warfare and AI-enabled decision-making.
• They revealed that during Operation Sindoor, Pakistan possibly used AI-backed capabilities—enabled by Chinese satellite data and backend analysis—for real-time targeting and vector tracking.
• C4ISR and Civil-Military Fusion: A Strategic Imperative
  • There is a great emphasis on C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance).
  • Also, the expertise in virtual domains like cyberspace, space, and the electromagnetic spectrum highlights the need for India to accelerate its civil-military integration and tech capabilities.
  • While China leads in implementing multi-domain warfare strategies, India is still catching up.
  • The collaboration between China and Pakistan underscores the urgency for India to develop indigenous capabilities in AI, cyber warfare, and multi-domain operations.

Energy: The Hidden Backbone of Future AI Warfare

• Modern militaries must analyse data across land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace. Handling such volumes is impossible without robust AI systems—powered by massive, consistent energy supplies.
• Technologies like machine learning, big data analysis, and NLP require vast, stable electricity reserves.
• Nuclear energy is emerging as the most viable source to power large AI data centres.
• India’s Nuclear Shortfall: A Strategic Risk
  • India’s current nuclear power capacity stands at only 7.5 GW—just one-third of South Korea’s.
  • This poses a serious limitation for future AI and robotics-led defence capabilities.
  • Experts advocate placing Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) next to AI data centres to create a self-sustained defence tech ecosystem—enabling smart drones, robots, and next-gen weaponry.
  • India’s overdependence on renewables without proper storage and the earlier reduction in thermal capacity have destabilized the grid.
  • SMRs and private sector thermal investments are now being reconsidered as long-term solutions.

India’s Early Foray into Military AI

• India began its journey into AI-powered defence as early as 1986 with DRDO’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR), focusing on autonomous technologies in combat, surveillance, logistics, and more.
• Despite India's head start, China’s rapid AI advances—combined with its support to Pakistan’s AI and computing initiatives—pose a growing strategic challenge.
• As per the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies, AI will power everything from autonomous weapons and predictive analytics to virtual combat simulations and cyber defence.
• Global Precedents: Ukraine and Israel’s AI Use
  • Ukraine has deployed AI-enabled drones, while Israel’s “Lavender” system reportedly identified over 37,000 Hamas targets, marking the Gaza conflict as the first “AI war.

Conclusion

While AI is revolutionizing warfare, its success hinges on vast and stable energy resources—making energy strategy an inseparable part of defence preparedness.