“When global innovation finds a home in Bengaluru and Karnataka, it scales for the world,” Chief Minister Siddaramaiah promised a global audience gathered at the opening of the 28th edition of Bengaluru Tech Summit, the State’s annual tech exposition, on November 18. The tech event is scheduled between November 18 and 20.
“Bengaluru, which has been celebrated as the Silicon Valley of India in the last three decades, now stands as something much larger, a global epicentre of innovation, talent, research, and technological leadership,” said Mr. Siddaramaiah while addressing an audience that comprised lawmakers, diplomats and ambassadors from 16 counties, innovators, technocrats, industry experts, and and researchers.
“As we stand ahead of the next digital revolution, driven by AI, quantum, biotech, space, and green tech, Bengaluru Tech Summit 2025 is Karnataka’s invitation to the world to co-create a future that is bold, humane, and transformative,” he said in his inaugural address.
“Karnataka’s rise as a technology powerhouse was no accident,” said the Chief Minister, adding that it was the result of visionary policies, deep institutional strength, and an ecosystem that nurtured creativity and excellence at every stage.
Knowledge ecosystem
The Chief Minister said the State was powered by one of the world’s strongest knowledge ecosystems, with Bengaluru becoming synonymous with entrepreneurial energy. The State, which has 85 universities, 243 engineering colleges and nearly 1,800 ITIs, and over 16,000 start-ups, has attracted nearly 47% of India’s total start-up funding. Highlighting productivity and employability, he said, “The State has a low unemployment rate at 4.3%.”
Mr. Siddaramaiah pointed out that Karnataka is India’s largest R&D and product development hub, and contributes 42% of the country’s IT exports, valued at over ₹3.2 lakh crore, growing at a rapid 27% year-on-year. The State is home to 550 Global Capability Centres (GCCs), which is nearly one-third of India’s total. Over 400 of the Fortune 500 companies have operations in Bengaluru, also a major hub for semi-conductors, aerospace, defence, biotech, electronics manufacturing, animation & gaming, and deep-tech, he added.
Social justice
He said this edition of BTS, on the theme ‘Futurise: To shape the unknown, scale the unimaginable and shift the world forward’, was designed to capture the essence of Karnataka’s collective mission. “With ‘Futurise’, we reaffirm our belief that technology must drive social good, economic justice, sustainable development, inclusion, and prosperity for all,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said.
Continuing on the theme of inclusitivity, he said, “A defining feature of our approach is inclusivity. Through the ‘Beyond Bengaluru’ initiative, we are consciously decentralising our technology economy by developing Tier-2 cities as the next generation innovation clusters.”
This, he said, is not merely an economic strategy, but a commitment to equitable growth. “Every district in Karnataka must have access to the opportunities of the digital age. Every young person, whether in a metro or a small town, should have the chance to build a career in high-value technology and research,” he said.
Key role of policies
Emphasising Karnataka’s policy thrust, Mr. Siddaramaiah said, “Karnataka launched the country’s first IT policy in 1997, and continues this leadership role with new policies.
“At this summit, we are also taking a historic step with the launch of three transformative policies: the Karnataka Information Technology Policy 2025-30, the SpaceTech Policy 2025-30, and the Startup Policy 2025-30.”
Published – November 18, 2025 03:59 pm IST
