On December 2, 2025, a US Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee hearing spotlighted India as a vital democratic partner in the intensifying AI race against China’s rapid military fusion of AI, including PLA deployments of surveillance and unmanned systems along India’s borders. Key witnesses like Tarun Chhabra (Anthropic) and experts from CSIS and AEI urged deeper US-India coordination on AI standards, chip supply chains, and trusted frameworks, citing India’s upcoming February 2026 AI summit as a pivotal venue. Senators Pete Ricketts and Chris Coons likened the contest to a “Sputnik moment” with China, emphasizing democratic tech stacks over Beijing’s 2030 AI supremacy goal. From India’s strategic lens, this bolsters border security, semiconductor self-reliance, and counters PLA AI threats amid deepening bilateral ties in cybersecurity and dual-use tech