New Delhi, June 17 -- HCL Technologies Ltd's new minority stake in Sarvam AI marks a distinct shift in how India's top information technology (IT) services firms are navigating the artificial intelligence (AI) wave. According to chief executive C Vijayakumar, the investment underscores the company's push into 'sovereign AI'-developing specialized AI solutions for governments.

Until last week, India's IT giants had primarily managed the rise of automation in three ways: upskilling their workforces, partnering with AI-native firms, and expanding into data centres to handle massive AI workloads. HCLTech's equity investment introduces a fourth strategic playbook-a textbook case of "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em".

The company's Sarvam inve...