New Delhi, July 30: India’s semiconductor mission is not just about meeting domestic requirements but also aimed at contributing to a global demand for trusted manufacturing, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday.
In an address at a conference, 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 noted that an India-Japan pact on cooperation on the semiconductor supply chain was finalised this month and a similar agreement was sealed with the US in March.
The External Affairs Minister argued that trust and transparency have emerged as key issues for the future of the digital domain.
He also added that questions like who processes and harvests “our data is becoming crucial in a world of artificial intelligence.”
India has been trying to attract leading semiconductor producers to set up manufacturing facilities in the country in the backdrop of evolving geopolitical landscape and increasing global focus on ensuring resilient supply chains.
Jaishankar noted that the depiction of a “chip war” may be somewhat overstated, but it has “more than a fundamental kernel of truth”.
“Our semiconductor mission is not just about meeting domestic requirements. It is also about contributing to a global demand for trusted manufacturing. Indeed, it is truly a powerful case for Make in India and Make for the World,” he said.
In his virtual address at the SemiconIndia Conference 2023 in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar, Jaishankar also highlighted India’s growing cooperation in the critical technology domain with the US and mentioned the MoU 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. “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. Jaishankar said cooperation in semiconductors was a focus of talks during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US last month.
“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 that 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. (PTI)
