From Smart Ports to Thinking Ports

India's port infrastructure handles 95% of the country's trade volume and 70% by value. The physical capacity exists. What does not yet exist, at most ports, is the intelligence layer that would connect fragmented systems, standardise processes across stakeholders, and enable the shift from reactive operations to anticipatory decision-making. The distinction between a smart port and a thinking port, articulated at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, captures the challenge precisely. Smart ports have technology. Thinking ports have judgement. The distance between the two is architectural.