Prime Minister Narendra Modi has just concluded his maiden state visit to the United States of America (US) and his sixth as India’s head of government and one of the significant outcome of the same is the agreement on enhanced cooperation on technology on many fronts.These include artificial intelligence (Al), quantum computing, semiconductors, high performance computing (HPC), cyber security, next gen telecom, space, advance materials and bio-tech apart from defence. Both the nations have built up a larger strategic comfort over the last two decades around technology sharing ever since the signing of the Next Step in Strategic Partnership (NSSP) in July 2005 and the declaration of India as a ‘Major Defense Partner’ (MDP) by the US in 2016.
The key steps towards shaping the contours of the tech cooperation into deliverables began on 31 January this year when the national security advisers of India and US met in Washington DC to operationalize the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) announced by Prime Minister Modi and President Biden in May 2022 and then have a follow up meeting in New Delhi on 13 June involving all stakeholders from government, industry and academia to identify achievables and seal the deliverables. Clearly the meeting in White House on 22 June set these areas in perspective for the road ahead when it was mentioned by both the leaders that ‘technology will play the defining role in deepening our partnership’.
Semiconductor Industry
Semi conductor sector is a crucial area, and both countries have started well by signing the MoU on Semiconductor Supply Chain and Innovation Partnership so that India’s late start in the sector can be leap frogged and cover many of the low-hanging fruits as well the gaps in the global supply chain regime. Micron Technology’s announcement to invest up to US$825 million to build a new semiconductor assembly and test facility in India with support from the Indian government, is an important step as this will motivate many other companies who are exploring areas outside of China to invest in India. What is crucial is to explore further a better coordinated approach so that capacity building for fabrication plants and its ancillary industry happens in India and give further fillip to the electronics manufacturing ecosystem which has taken off very well in the last five years.
Read more at: https://organiser.org/2023/07/05/182205/bharat/india-us-relations-tech-transfer-to-define-partnership/?fbclid=IwAR2CxFiPvYpxrR1gcqpS4EYyx5E4BxPfywUlvcH-u4jWBdvEIUZlDKwbXKs
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