India’s Supabase Disruption: Ripple Effects on the Startup Ecosystem

On February 24, 2026, India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology ordered internet service providers to block access to Supabase, the popular open-source backend-as-a-service platform. The move, executed under Section 69A of the IT Act, has left thousands of developers and startups scrambling for alternatives. While the government has not yet clarified its rationale, the disruption is already sending shockwaves through India’s tech ecosystem.

India is considered one of Supabase’s fastest‑growing developer markets, with thousands of startups, independent developers, and enterprises relying on it for backend services.

Following the block, developers reported that thousands of apps went down, startups lost paying customers, student projects broke, and production systems were at risk.

While exact numbers of Supabase usage in India aren’t published, Supabase’s adoption in India is significant enough that the disruption was described as a major blow to the developer community, highlighting its widespread use in education, early‑stage ventures, and production environments.  

The blocking order was issued on February 24, 2026, under Section 69A of the IT Act, which empowers the government to restrict public access to online content. Supabase’s domain (supabase.co) became inaccessible across major ISPs like Jio, Airtel, and ACT. The company confirmed its infrastructure remains fully operational globally, but Indian users are being blocked at the DNS level.

Supabase has publicly reached out to IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on X (formerly Twitter), requesting clarity and a discussion with his team.

According to reporting, the government has not cited a specific reason for the block. Analysts suggest it could be linked to cybersecurity concerns, copyright disputes, or other regulatory issues, but nothing has been confirmed.  

Supabase: A Critical Tool for Developers

• Early-stage startups seeking cost-effective backend infrastructure.
• Independent developers building prototypes and MVPs.
• Enterprises experimenting with open-source alternatives to Firebase and AWS Amplify.

Its sudden unavailability in India is more than a technical inconvenience—it’s a strategic setback for a country positioning itself as a global innovation hub.

Immediate Fallout

• Startups face downtime: Many ventures dependent on Supabase for authentication, database hosting, and APIs are experiencing service interruptions.
• Costs rise: Migrating to alternatives like Firebase or AWS Amplify often means higher expenses, eroding the lean operating models of early-stage companies.
• Developer frustration: Social media is flooded with complaints from India’s developer community, highlighting both productivity losses and uncertainty about future access.

Ripple Effects on the Ecosystem

1. Investor Confidence

Unpredictable regulatory actions create a trust deficit. Venture capitalists may hesitate to fund startups reliant on foreign developer tools, fearing sudden disruptions.

2. Talent Migration

Developers may increasingly seek remote opportunities abroad or even relocate to countries with more stable digital policies. This risks a brain drain from India’s thriving tech talent pool.

3. Rise of Alternatives

• Global competitors: Firebase, AWS Amplify, and Hasura (ironically founded in India) stand to gain.
• Domestic platforms: Indian SaaS providers may see a surge in adoption, though questions remain about scalability and global integration.

4. Innovation Slowdown

Access to cutting-edge open-source tools fuels experimentation. Blocking Supabase could slow product launches and reduce India’s competitiveness in global tech markets.

Policy Signal: Digital Sovereignty?

Some analysts interpret the move as part of India’s broader push for digital sovereignty—encouraging reliance on homegrown platforms over foreign ones. While this aligns with national security and self-reliance goals, the lack of transparency risks alienating the very developer community driving India’s startup boom.

The Road Ahead

Supabase has reached out to Indian authorities for clarification, but until access is restored, startups must adapt quickly. Whether this disruption is temporary or part of a larger policy shift, the incident underscores a critical tension: India’s ambition to be a global tech leader versus its unpredictable regulatory environment.

Supabase vs. Alternatives: What Indian Developers Can Pivot To

Feature / Platform	Supabase	Firebase (Google)	AWS Amplify	Hasura
Core Offering	Open-source backend-as-a-service (Postgres DB, auth, APIs)	Proprietary backend-as-a-service (NoSQL DB, auth, hosting)	Full-stack cloud backend (GraphQL, APIs, storage, hosting)	GraphQL engine on Postgres
Database	PostgreSQL	Firestore (NoSQL)	DynamoDB (NoSQL) or RDS	PostgreSQL
Pricing	Free tier + usage-based	Free tier + usage-based, can get expensive	Pay-as-you-go AWS pricing	Open-source + enterprise support
Ease of Use	Developer-friendly, SQL-based	Easy onboarding, strong docs	Steeper learning curve, AWS ecosystem complexity	Requires DB setup, but powerful
Open Source	Yes	No	No	Yes
Scalability	High, Postgres scaling	High, Google Cloud infra	Very high, AWS infra	High, depending on DB setup
Community Support	Growing global open-source community	Large, mature ecosystem	Enterprise-heavy, AWS developer base	Strong open-source community
Best For	Startups, indie devs, rapid prototyping	Consumer apps, mobile-first startups	Enterprise-grade apps, complex infra	API-first startups, advanced dev teams

Takeaway

India’s Supabase block is more than a technical hiccup—it’s a stress test for the resilience of its startup ecosystem. How the government and developers respond will shape not just immediate productivity, but the long-term credibility of India as a global innovation hub.

From Foodtech to Neurotech: Goyal’s Temple Raises $54M

Zomato co-founder Deepinder Goyal has unveiled his latest venture, Temple, a wearable technology startup focused on neuro-performance. The company has secured $54 million (₹493 crore) in seed funding, valuing it at $190 million post-money.

Investor Participation

• Led by Peak XV Partners, Steadview Capital, and Info Edge Ventures
• More than 80 prominent founders and angel investors joined the round
• Goyal personally invested ₹104 crore (~$12.5 million)
• Over 30 Temple employees bought in at full valuation

Product Vision

• Temple is developing a wearable device capable of measuring cerebral blood flow
• Target audience: elite athletes and high-performance professionals
• Focus: brain-focused biometrics rather than traditional heart rate or sleep metrics
• Positioned at the intersection of sports science, neurotech, and health monitoring

Why It Matters

• Scale of funding: $54 million seed round ranks among India’s largest
• Founder-led conviction: Goyal’s personal investment underscores commitment
• Market differentiation: Focus on cognitive and neurological performance sets Temple apart from Apple Watch, WHOOP, and Oura

Industry Context

• The global wearables market has centered on lifestyle and fitness
• Temple’s neuro-performance focus could mark the next frontier in health-tech innovation
• Potential to reshape monitoring of cognitive resilience and brain health

ISRO to Build Its Own Chips in 4 Years

ISRO has set an ambitious target to achieve indigenous semiconductor production within the next four years. This effort is part of India’s broader Semicon India Mission, backed by a ₹76,000 crore government outlay to reduce dependence on imports and establish the country as a global hub for chip manufacturing.

Key Highlights

• ISRO’s Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), Chandigarh: Already developed the Vikram 32-bit processor, designed for space missions and capable of withstanding extreme launch and space conditions.
• Government push: Multiple fabrication and design facilities are being set up under the India Semiconductor Mission to strengthen domestic capability.
• Timeline: The target is to scale indigenous semiconductor production within four years, aligning with India’s self-reliance (Aatmanirbhar Bharat) vision.
• Parallel initiatives: IIT Madras’s SHAKTI project is also building open-source, industrial-grade processors based on RISC-V architecture, complementing ISRO’s efforts.

Why It Matters

• Strategic independence: Chips are critical for defense, space, telecom, and consumer electronics. Indigenous production reduces vulnerability to global supply chain disruptions.
• Economic impact: A domestic semiconductor ecosystem could attract global investment, create high-tech jobs, and position India as a competitive player in the global chip market.
• Space applications: ISRO’s processors are tailored for reliability in extreme environments, ensuring mission safety and reducing reliance on foreign technology.

To recall, at Semicon India 2025 in New Delhi, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw formally unveiled ISRO’s Vikram 32-bit processor, developed at the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), Chandigarh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was presented with the chip at the event, underscoring government backing for indigenous semiconductor development. The government’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) also issued releases highlighting India’s roadmap toward becoming a “full-stack semiconductor nation,” with applications spanning broadband, surveillance, smart meters, motor control, and space technology.

Additionally, ISRO has collaborated with IIT Madras on the SHAKTI project, successfully booting aerospace-grade processors based on RISC-V architecture. These announcements collectively mark India’s official commitment to achieving self-reliant semiconductor production within the next four years.

Adani Group Records ₹74,945 Crore ($8.23B) Tax Contribution in FY25

The Adani Group has reported a record tax contribution of ₹74,945 crore in FY25, marking a 29% increase from the previous year’s ₹58,104 crore.

Breakdown of Contributions

• Direct taxes: ₹28,720 crore
• Indirect taxes: ₹45,407 crore
• Other contributions: ₹818 crore

Context & Scale

• This amount is roughly equivalent to the cost of building the entire Mumbai Metro network, underscoring the scale of the Group’s contribution.
• Major contributors within the conglomerate include Adani Enterprises, Adani Cement, and Adani Ports & SEZ (APSEZ).

This surge reflects both the expansion of Adani’s businesses and stronger profitability across its portfolio.

Adani Group has also published a document titled ‘Basis of Preparation and Approach to Tax’ on the websites of its seven entities, which provides a complete breakdown of Adani Group’s global tax and other contributions.

NTT DATA Releases Technology Foresight Report 2026: 6 Trends Defining the Age of Mass Intelligence

• NTT DATA Foresight Report 2026 Reveals Six Trends Shaping the Future of Technology Innovation

NTT DATA, a global leader in AI, digital business and technology services, today announces the release of the NTT DATA Technology Foresight Report 2026. The annual Technology Foresight report examines how businesses are growing by making the most of digital, AI, and other advanced technologies and identifies trends for the future.

As we enter the age of mass intelligence, businesses are prioritizing tools that are focused on learning, adaptation and autonomous behaviour. In this rapidly changing world of artificial intelligence, it is critical that businesses formulate medium- and long-term strategies to establish a presence in the global market.

For the report, NTT DATA examined six trends that indicate the direction of change centred on technology, while taking into account the relationship between technology, business, and society.

Trends and Overview for 2026

• Human-orchestrated autonomy: Autonomy enters a new phase where intelligent systems can operate and act at scale and speed yet remain guided by human intent to ensure that decisions are purposeful, transparent, and aligned with broader enterprise and societal goals.
• Embodied agency and emotions: Emotionally responsive systems are emerging as social infrastructure. Synthetic emotion fosters trust, engagement and ethical interaction, humanizing data and enabling co-evolution between human and artificial empathy which drives well-being, productivity and affective transformation across society.
• Intelligence we trust: Cybersecurity evolves into a trusted layer of adaptive intelligence, learning and adapting to complex threats while maintaining confidence across increasingly interconnected ecosystems. As AI systems gain autonomy, security extends to protecting their integrity, transparency and ethical behaviour.
• Informed infrastructure: Infrastructure becomes an active foundation for innovation, using continuous intelligence to optimize performance, anticipate demand and balance agility, cost, control and sustainability in real time. It seamlessly spans the hybrid continuum of devices, edge and cloud, orchestrating diverse workloads wherever they deliver the greatest value and efficiency.
• Sovereign Silicon Ecosystems: Semiconductor innovation is vital for national resilience and technological autonomy. Nations are building end-to-end chip ecosystems to secure supply chains, protect IP, and maintain computing leadership. Control over silicon drives digital transformation, emphasizing collaboration, sustainability, and global innovation.
• From illusory efficiency to sufficiency: The next frontier of growth moves beyond the pursuit of narrow efficiency toward sufficiency, where technology enables businesses to thrive responsibly within planetary boundaries while strengthening resilience and long-term credibility.

"The rise of mass intelligence shifts our focus from acceleration to significance," said Oliver Koeth, Managing Director Technology & Innovation DACH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), NTT DATA. "When emotionally aware systems, sovereign compute and trusted infrastructure come together, technology evolves into a purposeful ally - amplifying resilience and reinforcing the values that will define our shared future."

For more information, please visit NTT DATA Technology Foresight website.

NTT DATA uses the NTT DATA Technology Foresight report to create visions for the future together with customers around the world and develops the technologies and services necessary to realize those visions, including the following use cases:

• NTT DATA Unveils Smart AI Agent™ Ecosystem, Revolutionizing Industry Solutions with Intelligent Automation and Strategic Alliances
  Link
• MUFG Bank, NTT DATA and NTT West Publish PoC Report on Inter-Data Center Connectivity Using IOWN APN
  Link
• NTT DATA Partners with Google Cloud to Accelerate Agentic AI Adoption and Cloud Modernization for Enterprises Globally
  Link

The Technology Foresight Report plays a key role in NTT DATA's innovation strategy, with the Company using it to guide the creation of new businesses and drive social change.

About NTT DATA

NTT DATA is a $30+ billion business and technology services leader, serving 75% of the Fortune Global 100. We are committed to accelerating client success and positively impacting society through responsible innovation. We are one of the world's leading AI and digital infrastructure providers, with unmatched capabilities in enterprise-scale AI, cloud, security, connectivity, data centers and application services. Our consulting and industry solutions help organizations and society move confidently and sustainably into the digital future. As a Global Top Employer, we have experts in more than 70 countries. We also offer clients access to a robust ecosystem of innovation centers as well as established and start-up partners. NTT DATA is part of NTT Group, which invests over $3 billion each year in R&D.

Visit us at nttdata.com.