Semiconductor plan powerful case for Make in India, make for world: External affairs minister S Jaishankar

Addressing the SemiconIndia Conference 2023 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, the minister said the semiconductor mission “is truly a powerful case for make in India and make for the world”.

He told top executives of leading global semiconductor firms that their decisions and relationships have implications far beyond immediate business and can contribute to re-engineering the global economy.

Jaishankar also highlighted India’s growing cooperation in the critical technology domain with the US and mentioned a memorandum of understanding on semiconductor supply chain and innovation partnership that was firmed up during US commerce secretary Gina M Raimondo’s visit to New Delhi in March.

Trust and transparency have emerged as key issues for the future of the digital domain and questions like who processes and harvests “our data is increasingly crucial in a world of artificial intelligence”, Jaishankar said. “Nor indeed can we any longer separate even basic manufacturing and everyday commodities and services from their data implications,” he added. “As political democracies, pluralistic societies and market economies, we all have understandable concerns of both privacy and security. It is, therefore, essential that those of us who are comfortable working with each other enhance our collaboration,” Jaishankar said.

He also explained India’s focus and approach in the technology domain. “It sought to establish a collaborative mechanism that would represent a productive intersection of America’s CHIPS and Science Act and India’s semiconductor mission,” he said.

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Cooperation in semiconductors was a focus of talks during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US last month, he said, adding, “The joint statement highlighted this aspect of our cooperation.””Three US companies – Micron Technology, Lam Research and Applied Materials – made specific commitments that have been the subject of your deliberations as well,” he said. Jaishankar said India’s entry as the latest member of the ‘Minerals Security Partnership’ is worth noting, given the importance today of diversifying and securing supply chains in that area.

“Similarly, cooperation between the two countries has been a visible tailwind in the sphere of advanced telecommunications. Even as India’s 5G rollout starts to gather momentum, it is noteworthy to seek Bharat 6G and the American NextG Alliance co-lead research,” he said.

“Launching Open RAN deployments and participating in the US Rip and Replace programme is also worth noting. This collaboration today extends to new initiatives and additional domains and can be expected to grow steadily,” he added.

“We see that, for example, in space where India is signing the Artemis Accords and promoting stronger Isro-Nasa collaboration. It is visible too in the creation of a Joint Indo-US Quantum Coordination Mechanism,” he said.