What’s your new year resolution? If it has anything to do with hitting the gym and promises of being regular with it, I don’t want to hear about it. At all. Me? I, as a rule, don’t keep any resolutions linked to the transition into another year. Anyhow, let’s talk about something that collectively keeps us enthralled. Technology, new gadgets and the trajectory we witness. It is a varied spectrum. Data centers intertwined with surging AI usage and the power they’ll consume, the growth of fintech ecosystem in the country paired with an urgent need for cybersecurity robustness, an increasing interest in EVs alongside the need to make battery swapping a viable reality for commercial use cases, cryptocurrency (in case you’d like to take the dip; personally, just not my thing) just some examples. We’ll talk about these and more.

TRENDS

Data Centers: India’s data center aspirations aren’t slowing down. In 2025, estimates peg that the country’s total market value would be around $10 billion, with cloud services, AI and 5G being the main growth drivers. As Sridhar Pinnapureddy, Founder & CEO, CtrlS Datacenters told HT, “India’s digital infrastructure is undergoing a remarkable transformation, with semiconductor chips and artificial intelligence emerging as the twin engines of our technological renaissance. The datacenter industry is set to surge, with colocation capacity standing at 917 MW in the first half of 2024 and a nearly 66% increase expected by 2026.” I must point to an interesting piece of data, which ties in India’s 5G data consumption, use of AI and the data centre growth quite well. The latest edition of the Ericsson ConsumerLab Report suggests that 67% of 5G smartphone users in India are expected to use Generative AI apps weekly within the next five years, which will add to the significant baseline increase the switch from 4G to 5G has already afforded.

EVs and relevance: How many EVs will be sold in India through 2025 is one question, but the biggest foundational element to that growth (particularly for commercial use cases) are battery specifics. Battery manufacturing and therefore cost, battery swapping tech for 2-wheeler EVs in particular, and longevity dictating costs. As Pulkit Khurana, Co-Founder of Battery Smart points out, “A key milestone has already been reached—price parity—with electric two-wheelers now matching the cost of ICE vehicles, while being much cheaper to operate. Battery swapping has emerged as an innovative solution, addressing both charging downtime and range anxiety, which are key concerns for EV owners. By reducing the upfront cost (since batteries account for 40% of the total price), battery swapping makes EVs more affordable.” The idea is, quickly swapping a battery provides a seamless use-case for commercial deployment (quick commerce fleets, courier companies can use these etc.) and thereby make them more practical. Charging stations too, for the swap batteries, can be used efficiently by infrastructure managers.

Where are we going with AI PCs?

I would like to end our first conversation of 2025 with a rather simple, yet pertinent question—What exactly are AI PCs, beyond Copilot in Windows 11? We’ve, since the first half of 2024, borne witness to almost every PC maker launching “AI PCs”, with Qualcomm, Intel or AMD chips. The key here being, a powerful neural processing unit for AI computations locally, in addition to the cloud. While the utility of AI is subjective, there have been some outliers. Asus and HP added in their own AI tools, which may be useful for users. Undeniably though, the new generation chips with a better spec baseline has translated into really powerful machines with really impressive battery life. If that definition does translate into faster and more frugal laptops, as examples seem to suggest, I’m all for it.

“We are on the cusp of a new era with AI PCs set to revolutionize personal computing. This innovation is reshaping productivity, enabling businesses to unlock unprecedented opportunities, and providing more intuitive, efficient, and personalized ways of working. While large enterprises will likely lead adoption, AI PCs also hold immense promise for India’s SMBs and individual consumers, from creative professionals to remote workers. These systems streamline complex tasks, automate processes, and elevate digital content creation,” Vineet Gehani, who is Senior Director for Personal Systems at HP India, tells HT.

More reading about AI PCs…

GADGETS

Our regular readers would remember that I’d mentioned about this week’s conversation in the previous edition—a look-back at the best tech (in my humble opinion; don’t shoot the messenger) from the past few months, and how that points us to the times that lie ahead. The trajectory of development, focus areas and how your experiences will perhaps be enhanced (or maybe not, it’s subjective).

Cutting edge: Apple iPhone 16 series

It wouldn’t at all be out of place to begin this discussion by analysing the current iPhones, and how they’ll inevitably evolve in the September of 2025. The iPhone 16 line-ups contours remained as they were the year before, with the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max phones. The iOS 18 updates you’ll see through till September (when the inevitable iOS 19 unveil is expected) will focus on improving the AI layering, that’s called Apple Intelligence. It’s work-in-progress, as it is with anything AI these days. Many have asked me if we’ll see a foldable iPhone this year? My expectation, and I’ve stuck to this since 2021, is that 2026 is when we may finally see a different form factor iPhone. Not before that.

Redefining slates: Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra

The past year (and perhaps a bit more) has really seen the revival of Android tablets as useful laptop replacements. Mind you, they still don’t work for everyone, but there are use-cases where they can. All credit goes to the tablet makers themselves, with Google still doing precious little to make Android work better for these larger screen formats. Samsung’s of course led the way, with the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra being my pick as the standout tablet. That 14.6-inch screen size is itself unique, and beyond that, it fits beautifully into creative workflows (editing and sketching are a delight) as well potentially as a laptop replacement if you’re buying the keyboard too. Expect a similar trend in 2025.

Photography prowess: Vivo X200 Pro

It was a smart move by Vivo, to finalize the 2025 flagship even before 2024 finished. Its predecessor, the X100 Pro, set a photography benchmark for Android phones and ran the iPhone’s consistency very close. The Vivo X200 Pro is a further upgrade, including telephoto portraits at 135mm focal length. Those are gorgeous, with pristine detailing. Vivo’s partnership with camera experts Zeiss should continue paying dividends (you could always argue whether this delivers more than Xiaomi-Leica or OnePlus-Hasselblad). Beyond camera tuning, Zeiss has also dictated the display quality this time around. Whether there is an “Ultra” this time around as well, and whether that makes it to India, is something Vivo must answer in due course of time. But as far as I’m concerned, among all Android flagships there are (and there will foreseeably be in the months to come), it’ll still be nigh impossible to surpass the camera benchmark Vivo’s set with the X200 Pro. Which makes the task for its successor (the X300 Pro?), even more difficult.

Sounds about right: Dyson OnTrac

“We’re not afraid to go into industries where other brands are perceived as leading those industries. We want to go in there and make better products and solve more problems,” Jake Dyson, Chief Engineer at Dyson told me, as we sat down for a conversation. This was when Dyson OnTrac headphones were on the agenda for India. Incidentally, Sonos’s timing with the Ace headphones meant it was a battle of the heavyweights, who were tentatively finding their feet in the headphone space. It impressed, and that builds us up nicely for a possible headphone portfolio expansion from Dyson. More price points perhaps, and that can only be good news for music lovers.

Portable gaming charm: Asus ROG Ally X

This still isn’t perfect, but the ROG Ally X essentially being the second generation, does get rather close. Portable Windows 11 form factors still are rare, and the gaming proposition is rather enticing for a market that’s craved (and given up on the idea) another Sony PlayStation Portable (remember the good old PSP?) generation. This year, Asus will surely take another step towards improved performance, better battery stamina, improvements across the board and hope Microsoft does the bare minimum too.

A foldable that defines all: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6

I’m hearing the global foldable smartphone market is dipping. Yet, conversational interest in foldable phones seems to be at an all time high. Hats off to Samsung for their persistence in defining this space over the years, and the Galaxy Z Fold6 which may be an incremental generational upgrade, but still defines the foldable phone category. There have been impressive rivals in the previous few months, including the Vivo X Fold3 Pro and the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. I’ll have to say—I may not be as averse to being seen with a foldable phone, than perhaps a year ago. The form factor is getting there, in terms of longevity, utility and pricing. Samsung, OnePlus, Vivo and Google will look to improve on their efforts.

Leading the power rankings: Apple iPad Pro

I had said that the Apple iPad Pro (2024) defines a vision of a powerful computer, without actually being one. The fact that Apple let the iPad Pro lead the way with the M4 chip, says a lot about its capabilities. In fact, that display is the result of fusing two panels, hence the name tandem OLED. This year, expect yet another generation of hardware that simply takes forward the experience benchmark again. I do get the feeling though, Apple’s planning something big in terms of an iPadOS overhaul. And if they aren’t, they must.

Collaboration of excellence: Xiaomi 14

More to the question of phone makers and camera companies coming together to improve the smartphone photography experience. One could always argue which is better, but among the most profound troika defining this collaboration, I’d have to say Xiaomi and Leica’s work is exceptional. A lot of that understanding comes from the conversations I had with the Leica and Xiaomi executives earlier in the year. While I didn’t get to experience the Xiaomi 14 Ultra over the summer, the time with the Xiaomi 14 did produce some images that were quickly added to the gallery favorites. The successor is keenly awaited, even more so because Xiaomi has Vivo’s X200 Pro in their sights. The next iteration of HyperOS updates will roll out across more in the portfolio.

INDUSTRY SPEAK

HT spoke with some industry leaders and experts, about their expectations for spaces as varied as fintech, cryptocurrency, telecom, chip manufacturing, AI and generative AI, the march towards 6G and many more, for the next twelve months. Here’s what they told us.

March of AI

“As we look ahead to 2025, AI isn’t just an enabler anymore—it’s becoming the backbone of how industries innovate, scale, and solve their most complex challenges. Custom AI in particular is emerging as a transformative force in 2025, allowing organizations to design AI solutions tailored to their specific needs. 2025 is where innovation meets purpose, and I truly believe India will play a defining role in shaping the future of AI for the world” – Sindhu Gangadharan, Managing Director, SAP Labs India, and Chairperson, Nasscom

“In 2025, the widespread adoption of Small Language Models (SLMs) and Speech-to-Speech Large Language Models (LLMs) is poised to revolutionize sectors like customer support, healthcare, BFSI, automotive, and telecom. These technologies promise to deliver exceptionally precise, low-latency solutions tailored to specialized linguistic demands, with SLMs providing unmatched accuracy for niche tasks and Speech-to-Speech LLMs enabling seamless, real-time multilingual communication” – Ganesh Gopalan, Co-Founder and CEO, Gnani AI

Cryptocurrency in India

“2024 was a year of tremendous growth and crucial milestones for the crypto industry, driven by groundbreaking events, regulatory milestones, and positive market dynamics. India is now home to 11.8% of crypto developers and 5.4% of Web3 creators worldwide. Spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, institutional inflows, and the rise of altcoins like XRP reinforced the increasing confidence in crypto as an asset class. Stablecoins issuers, now among the top holders of US Treasury securities, are redefining liquidity and monetary policies, signalling their integration into traditional finance” – Rahul Pagidipati, CEO, ZebPay

“Looking ahead to 2025, the focus will be on increasing knowledge and trust within the crypto community, fostering stronger collaborations with authorities, and enhancing blockchain utility to address real-world challenges. The future of crypto is about more than just trading; it’s about building a decentralized, inclusive, and innovative digital ecosystem. We are hopeful that in 2025, India will take the lead in forming progressive and comprehensive crypto regulation” – Vishal Sacheendran, Head of Regional Markets, Binance

Chips and manufacturing silicon

“As intelligence takes center stage in tech innovations, the importance of chipsets becomes even more significant. From smartphones, smart homes, satellite connectivity, Generative AI, advanced 5G solutions across 5G FWA, and automotive connectivity to transformative technologies like AI and 5G. We believe technologies like Agentic AI, Generative AI, advanced LLMs, and cloud computing have led to a tectonic shift in the industry. India is leading the AI adoption, surpassing the global average, projected to reach $17 billion by 2027” – Anku Jain, Managing Director, MediaTek India

Securing all that’s digital

“2024 marked a transformative year for both payment and connectivity, as the rapid growth of 5G, IoT, and digital payments unlocked new opportunities for seamless, secure transactions. As we look to 2025, cryptography, tokenization, and biometric authentication will drive further innovation, while the rise of embedded payments, connected devices, and hyper-connectivity, particularly in the automotive sector, will create smarter, faster, and more secure transaction ecosystems” – Matthew Foxton, India Regional President and Executive Vice-President, Branding & Communications, IDEMIA Group

Fintech, insurance and security

“Digital lending in India continues to evolve, with technology enabling unprecedented access to credit for millions, with initiatives like the Unified Lending Interface (ULI) will be instrumental in simplifying credit access, particularly for underserved populations. The next phase of growth in digital lending must focus on responsible practices that prioritize consumer protection and trust. Transparency in loan terms, ethical use of data, and embedding financial literacy into every interaction are no longer optional—they are essential” – Gaurav Jalan, Founder and CEO, mPokket

“The insurance sector in 2025 will look to revolutionise the ease of doing business for agents and making it easier for customers to access policies. AI and analytics are also used heavily in underwriting and operations to improve the efficiency of the existing processes and optimize outreach. Additionally, and more importantly, AI improves claim settlement speed. We realized that despite receiving all necessary documents, claims still took weeks due to manual approval processes. We automated the backend, reducing claim settlements to within 12 hours for claims that don’t require investigation” – Casparus J.H. Kromhout, Managing Director and CEO, Shriram Life Insurance.

6G and a first mover advantage?

“India is now poised to lead the global race towards 6G, with an exciting opportunity to drive technological leadership. With the on-going efforts like the Bharat 6G Vision, the government aims to create 10% of 6G patents from India and is evaluating 470 proposals on ‘Accelerated research on 6G Ecosystem’. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has also funded two next-generation testbeds for advance 6G research” – Lt. Gen. Dr. S.P. Kochhar, Director General, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI)