<h1>Tech founder urges national tech self-reliance; engineers framed as frontline in GPS, OS, AI sovereignty race</h1> At a national university-run techno-management festival, a technology industry founder urged technological self-reliance, warning that national sovereignty increasingly depends on indigenous control of GPS, operating systems and AI platforms, and characterizing engineers as frontline actors in technology competition. The address and associated panels highlighted legal and policy implications: the need for sustained R&D investment, domestic supply-chain and IP strategies for semiconductors, medical devices and critical components, procurement and defense-tech procurement reform, workforce and education alignment, and regulatory frameworks to incentivize local innovation while managing export controls and cross-border data and platform risks.