EQ Saturday Sapience #85

Equity Intelligence 21st September 2024

It's time for India to become the world's front office, Why the hype for hybrid cars won’t last and fully electric vehicles will win the race, Micro Amul - are farmer-run companies the next big idea in Indian agriculture?, Conversation with Nandan Nilekani around India’s digitalisation.  

• The tech giant Nvidia is also sealing deals with Tata, Reliance, and Infosys and is in talks with the Indian government to supply GPUs. Nvidia will deliver AI computing infrastructure and platforms for developing AI solutions like creating large language models (LLMs) in Indian languages, building GPU cloud infrastructures, and helping India build its sovereign AI… Read more 
• The car industry’s effort to decarbonise revolves around replacing petrol with batteries. A growing number of customers want both. Buyers who cannot afford a fully electric car, or worry about the availability of charging points, are turning to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), sales of which are rocketing. But the hybrid ride may prove to be short-lived… Read more 
• A large majority of farmers are small and marginal landholders, owning less than two hectares of land. They purchase inputs in retail and sell their harvest in wholesale markets, having little or no bargaining power. A company owned by farmers can negotiate better prices for seeds, fertilizers and pesticides. With access to working capital, the company can own or lease warehouses and hold a member-farmers’ produce till it fetches a fair price in the market. It can also engage in primary processing and market members’ produce, either as a business-to-business (B2B) venture or as a retail brand. The idea was to harness the collective bargaining power of an 800-1,000-member company… Read more 
• Nandan Nilekani, Co-founder and Chairman of Infosys and EkStep, and architect of Aadhaar, shares his vision for India's digital transformation. In conversation with Mohandas Pai, he delves into the creation of Aadhaar, the evolution of India Stack, and the concept of digital public goods. Nandan also offers a masterclass on the challenges and strategies involved in taking Indian software to global markets… Watch here 
• "Risk never looks like risk when it’s generating a high return." —Howard Marks