Future Isn't Just Coded, It's Mined — Anil Agrawal On Why Focus Should Be Beyond AI
India should focus on resources as much as technology, says the Vedanta Group chairperson.
Vedanta Group Chairperson Anil Agarwal sparked a debate on Tuesday on India's future economic focus, stating that the nation must shift its attention to foundational mineral resources with the same intensity currently afforded to high technology.
In a post on X, Agarwal quoted a Bloomberg report from October 3, 2025, showing global gold mining stocks surging 135% year-to-date, outpacing AI-driven semiconductor stocks at 40%. This was driven by central bank gold accumulation amid economic uncertainty.
He expressed "amazement" that an ancient asset that is gold, is currently outperforming modern technology, which he described as combining "the best of human ability with the power of machines, AI".
While acknowledging the revolutionary potential of artificial intelligence and other new technologies, Agarwal pointed out that technology cannot exist without the materials extracted from the Earth.
"Interestingly, the future is as much about technologies like AI as it is about the resources from below the Earth, not just gold but copper, aluminium, zinc, lithium and many more, all of which are the building blocks of every new technology," he wrote.
Agarwal emphasised a range of crucial industrial metals, naming copper, aluminium, zinc, lithium and many more, labelling them the "building blocks of every new technology".
The Vedanta CEO's take ended in a clear policy recommendation for India. He urged the country to focus on developing its resources sector as much as its technology sector.
Agarwal called for significant reform to unlock the potential of the industry for a new generation. He stated that India needs to "motivate our young entrepreneurs and startups to enter this sector".
The key to this motivation, according to the tweet, lies in government action or rather, inaction. Agarwal proposed that the resource sector "should be freed up".
"India should focus on resources as much as technology. We need to motivate our young entrepreneurs and startups to enter this sector. It should be freed up, and they shouldn't have to go to the Government," he said.
He meant that there is a strong need for deregulation and simplified licensing processes that allow private capital and innovation to drive resource exploration and extraction.
