Historical Echo: When Indigenous Tech Relied on Foreign Foundations
![clean data visualization, flat 2D chart, muted academic palette, no 3D effects, evidence-based presentation, professional infographic, minimal decoration, clear axis labels, scholarly aesthetic, Layered foundation chart showing three distinct material strata: 'Canadian Heavy Water' in blue-gray texture with low opacity, labeled at 60% depth; 'U.S. Uranium' in granular ochre bands beneath, marked with isotope tags; atop them, a thin top layer in solid saffron labeled "Indigenous Reactor (CIRUS)" with a cracked surface, scale 1:100 by depth, resting uneasily on lower tiers. Vertical axis marked in precise increments from 0–100 meters underground, horizontal axis labeled “Technological Autonomy Index” with dotted trend line projecting upward from sublayers. Lighting from above, flat and even, casting no shadows, on a white grid background with fine gray lines, minimal sans-serif labels, monochromatic palette with only red used for the 1974 nuclear test annotation point on timeline inset. [Nano Banana]](https://081x4rbriqin1aej.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/viral-images/cefd010e-5ce4-4e89-bb7e-0ba7a7e31bf5_viral_4_square.png "clean data visualization, flat 2D chart, muted academic palette, no 3D effects, evidence-based presentation, professional infographic, minimal decoration, clear axis labels, scholarly aesthetic, Layered foundation chart showing three distinct material strata: 'Canadian Heavy Water' in blue-gray texture with low opacity, labeled at 60% depth; 'U.S. Uranium' in granular ochre bands beneath, marked with isotope tags; atop them, a thin top layer in solid saffron labeled \"Indigenous Reactor (CIRUS)\" with a cracked surface, scale 1:100 by depth, resting uneasily on lower tiers. Vertical axis marked in precise increments from 0–100 meters underground, horizontal axis labeled “Technological Autonomy Index” with dotted trend line projecting upward from sublayers. Lighting from above, flat and even, casting no shadows, on a white grid background with fine gray lines, minimal sans-serif labels, monochromatic palette with only red used for the 1974 nuclear test annotation point on timeline inset. [Nano Banana]")
Seoul’s push for a sovereign AI model, trained on Chinese-developed frameworks, mirrors the CIRUS reactor’s reliance on Canadian heavy water—symbolic autonomy masking structural interdependence. The competitiveness of cities now hinges less on brand claims than on visibility into the full stack of innovation dependencies.
In 1957, when India launched its first indigenous nuclear reactor, *CIRUS*, it was celebrated as a triumph of self-reliance—yet the heavy water came from Canada and the uranium from the U.S., both later used in India’s 1974 nuclear test, which shocked the West[1]. Much like today’s AI sovereignty projects, the facade of independence masked deep interdependence. South Korea’s current AI dilemma—building a national model trained on Chinese-developed frameworks or code—is no different[2]. The lesson repeats: in moments of technological nationalism, the drive for symbolic autonomy often outpaces the reality of globalized innovation. True independence isn’t measured by branding, but by control over the full stack—from raw data to deployment infrastructure. And that control, history shows, is nearly always shared, even when governments insist otherwise.
—Catherine Ng Wei-Lin
Published February 2, 2026