Raghu Krishnan

Sunday afternoon well spent #avgeek #aircraft #bangalore

A War Comes to India’s Backyard: One week after the U.S. sank an Iranian frigate in India’s maritime backyard, important questions remain unanswered. The attack occurred outside any recognized conflict zone in a war with no clear basis in international law. Without a UN Security Council mandate or even U.S. congressional authorization, most American legal scholars have characterized the military campaign as an illegal war of aggression. Why did the U.S. sink the Iranian frigate close to the waters of its “Major Defense Partner,” India? In doing so, it sent a troubling message to New Delhi — that Washington does not feel bound to consider Indian interests or sensitivities. Around the same time the Iranian vessel was torpedoed, the U.S. deputy secretary of state, speaking from Indian soil, said Washington would not allow India to rise as an economic rival. The target of the U.S. submarine attack was an Iranian ship returning in a non-combat configuration after essentially expending its munitions during an India-hosted multilateral naval exercise. The bodies of 87 sailors have so far been recovered, with an unknown number still missing. Of the 32 sailors rescued, ten remain hospitalized in Sri Lanka. Even if the Indian government’s reluctance to condemn the U.S. attack is understandable, why has New Delhi not even expressed sadness or offered condolences over the deaths of the guest sailors — many of them cadets — who had saluted India’s president at the fleet review ceremony and toured the Taj Mahal? Diplomatic caution need not preclude simple humanity. At the very least, those who came as guests deserved to be remembered with dignity.

ET scores yet another timely exclusive as @SurabhiA_ET sits down with @IBM boss @ArvindKrishna a day after the company stock had the worst single-day decline in 25 years over fears that AI would eat legacy services business, sparked by a blogpost from @AnthropicAI on @claudeai COBOL capabilities. Krishna, credited with a major turnaround at the tech major, takes all the questions, says the markets are “clearly overreacting” and that the reason so much of legacy systems runs on mainframes is because they are the best suited for those kind of workloads. “It’s got nothing do with COBOL,” he says. “ Why does the bulk of the world retail banking… run on the mainframe? It's got nothing to do with COBOL. It has to do with the architecture of the mainframe. For certain critical workloads, like if you're a bank that does a trillion dollars of transac- tions a day… That's a workload that the mainframe is great for. Or you want resilience… or… encryption… or… six nines (99.9999%) of availability, that is our customer who uses the mainframe.” Read in full: m.economictimes.com/tech/technolog…

HCL Infotech & Foxconn will break ground for a new Rs 3,700 crore semiconductor plant in Noida tomorrow. Interestingly this is HCL's 50th anniversary and a return to hardware manufacture after 12 years, in a manner of speaking. Founded by Shiv Nadar, HCL began by making calculators in 1976, moved to computers in 1978 but exited computers/hardware around 2013 to focus on software and IT services.

#Space #Update Didn't find time to share this yesterday when the story appeared in print. Imp thread: India & US are set to deepen space partnership with an ambitious agenda, including docking of uncrewed #Gaganyaan module with the @Space_Station. 1/n File pic: Indian Navy

#AI knows how #caste works in #India. Here's a long piece based on multiple research studies on caste is as deep-rooted in #LLMs as it is in the society. As AI systems move into hiring, credit scoring, education, governance, and healthcare, the stakes intensify with such #bias!

As a new parent, I spend a lot of time changing diapers and feeding the baby. 15 months ago I wasn't doing any of this. I felt busy then too, so where did all this childcare time come from? I analyzed the Census Bureau's American Time Use Survey to find out how most parents do it. The answer: less sleep and less screen time. The funny thing is, parents report being pretty happy about this tradeoff.

#Space #Update @isro, which has been analysing the data from the failed #PSLVC62 from Jan 12, is expected to formally set up a Failure Analysis Committee (FAC) to investigate the causes for the mishap and recommend corrective measures soon. 1/n

#Space #update Two updates: 1. @isro has floated a tender to install a sophisticated rail track system at 2nd Launch Complex (SLC) in #Kulasekarapattinam. 2. Isro study finds possible landing sites for #Chandrayaan4. Read on... 1/n Pics: SLC foundation laying day | CH-4 study

Isro has been carrying out stringent reviews ahead of the mission, especially in the backdrop of two back-to-back #PSLV failures that cost India 2 strategic sats — #Risat1B & #Anvesha — and given that the previous attempt to launch Gisat had failed in 2021. 7/n

ಹುಚ್ಚನಂತೆ ಇರು, ಪೆದ್ದನಂತೆ ಇರು, ಹೇಗಾದರೂ ಇರು, ನೀನು ನೀನಾಗಿರು. ಗುರಿಯೆಡೆಗೆ ಹೆಜ್ಜೆ ಹಾಕುತ್ತಿರುವ ನಿನ್ನ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಅರಿಯದವರಿಗೆ, ಸಾಧನೆಯ ಶಿಖರದೊಂದಿಗೆ ಪರಿಚಯವಾಗುವಂತಿರು. — ದ.ರಾ.ಬೇಂದ್ರೆ

India suffers from Brain Drain. But how much? I came across a few sources (given at end of thread) and was astonished at the quantity and quality of brain drain. 🧵 on how much India has lost and some economic impacts. (1/n)

#Space #Update #Exclusive More than four months after @INSPACeIND announced winners of India’s first EO Sat System under PPP or the #EOPPP, a concession agreement is expected to be signed as early as this week, allowing the winning consortium to finally begin work on ground. 1/n

From runway to real estate? Karnataka Cabinet clears a sports complex at the 205-acre Jakkur Aerodrome; Chief Secretary directs officials to inform the High Court and submit plans. Govt is committing infanticide by killing its own flying school, warns @CaptGopinath

#Space #Update  While @isro is analysing what exactly went wrong with #PSLVC62, here are some key details on how it prepped for the come-back mission. #PSLV went thru an unusually rigorous preparation cycle. Isro didn't want anything left to chance after #PSLVC61. 1/n Pic: Isro

A low launch cadence and a high failure rate can never sustain a space program. Combined with a lack of accountability and the absence of publicly released FAC reports, bad leadership can bring anything great to its knees. (+ first time we lost foreign customer payloads)

#space #update India has taken a formal step towards building its own space station, with @isro inviting Indian industry to develop & realise the first module of #BhartiyaAntrikshStation (#BAS). 1/n

#Update #Space Space engineering co @DhruvaSpace today announced #PolarAccess1 (PA-1), its most integrated launch prog, under which it'll support 10 missions serving multiple Indian states & 2 countries aboard #PSLVC62, scheduled for lift-off on Jan 12. 1/n Pic: Dhruva

#Update #Space India will open 2026 Space calendar with def, diplomacy & new tech. #PSLVC62, year's 1st mission, slated for Jan 12, will launch #Anvesha (EOS-N1) by @DRDO_India, a sat for Nepal through @IndianDiplomacy, test on-orbit refuelling & 13 more sats. Read thread 1/n

#Space #India As India moves deeper into the decade with 2026, here's my take on why Isro & DoS must knuckle down. Ambition alone won't be enough. India must address the gap between ambition and ability to deliver. This can become an important year, and they must he mindful...

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Madras is fast becoming a critical junction point for deep tech venture capital in India, as investors increasingly turn to the institute for technical diligence, advisory, and problem-solving support while navigating long-gestation, science-heavy bets. Over the last five years, IIT-Madras has generated more than Rs 2,800 crore through consultancy. The momentum has gathered pace as venture funds move beyond quick-turn consumer tech models and seek conviction in deep tech areas such as space, semiconductors, AI systems, climate technologies, and advanced manufacturing. Good one by @shaw_reshab moneycontrol.com/technology/dee…