उपराज्यपाल, दिल्ली
Ambassador of the United States of America to India, H.E. Mr. Sergio Gor Ji,
President and CEO, ITI Council, Mr. Jason Oxman Ji,
Distinguished representatives from India and US
Industry leaders, policy experts and guests
Over the past several decades, the India–United States relations, have undergone, a significant transformation. From a relationship that once faced differences on strategic and economic issues, our two countries have built a broad-based and forward-looking Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Today, our co-operation spans, defence and security, trade and investment, space, energy, education, and critical and emerging technologies. Technology, has become a principal pillar, of this partnership, reflecting a strong convergence, of our strategic interests.
We are entering, a period of profound techno-logical transformation. Artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum technologies, advanced telecommunications, robo-tics and digital infrastructure, are becoming foundational, to economies, societies and governments. Countries, that can develop these capabilities, secure the infrastructure, on which they depend, and participate meaningfully, in global technology value chains, will have considerable advantages ahead.
Artificial intelligence perhaps, best illustrates this transformation. AI can reshape health-care, education, agriculture, manufacturing, financial services and public administration; improve public service delivery; and create new opportunities, for research, businesses and entrepreneurs. For India, with its scale, diversity, and vast pool of technology talent, AI can become, a powerful instrument, of inclusive development.
But AI cannot be viewed, in isolation. Its growth, depends on computing capacity, advanced semi-conductors, data centres, reliable energy, secure digital infra-structure, and skilled human capital. This is precisely, where the India–United States partnership, can acquire greater strategic depth.
The United States brings, exceptional strengths, in frontier AI research, advanced computing, semi-conductor design, venture capital. India brings, a vast pool of scientific, and engineering talent, a growing innovation eco-system, and experience in deploying, digital technologies, at population scale. Bringing these strengths together, can create possibilities, that neither country could realise, as effectively, on its own.
The vision outlined, by our Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi ji, from the Red Fort, on Independence Day provides an important framework. In his vision of ‘Sapt Dhara’, the seven streams of national strength, that can propel India, towards a developed nation, by 2047, the third stream is, technology and innovation. AI, quantum technology, space, robotics and data centres, have been identified as areas, where India must develop leadership, and move from being a market for technology, to becoming a hub of innovation.
India’s techno-logical ambition, can not simply be, about adopting technologies developed elsewhere. It must, increasingly, be about designing, developing, and deploying solutions, for India’s own challenges, and, ultimately, for global markets. Our experience, with digital public infrastructure, particularly UPI, demonstrates, that India can develop solutions, at extra-ordinary scale, with relevance, far beyond our borders.
The same strategic logic applies, to semi-conductors. Chips are foundational, to telecommunications, automobiles, defence systems, medical equipment and, AI data centres. Recent disruptions, in global supply chains, have shown that, semiconductor resi-lience is increasingly a matter of economic and national security.
India has taken significant steps, to build a semi-conductor ecosystem, including the approval of Semicon 2.0, covering chip design, fabrication, advanced packaging, and the wider ecosystem, of materials, equipment and manufacturing. India has also joined, the United States and other partners, through the Pax Silica initiative, to strengthen resi-lient supply chains for AI, semi-conductors, and critical technologies.
These efforts are also creating new opportunities for investment and enterprise in Delhi. Delhi is strengthening its position as a destination for technology, innovation and knowledge-based industries, with the new Master Plan providing a framework for greater private investment. This can further connect Delhi with India’s growing technology and innovation ecosystem.
Here, the complementarity between our countries, is clear. American strengths, in semiconductor design, research, intellectual property, equipment and advanced technology, can complement, India’s engineering talent, expanding manufacturing capabilities, and large domestic market. Co-operation should extend, across the value chain—from research and design, to manufacturing, testing, packaging, and skills development—contributing to resilient, global supply chains.
The evolution, from the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology, i.e. i-CET, to the U.S.–India TRUST initiative, is particularly significant. TRUST expands co-operation across AI, semi-conductors, quantum technologies, bio-technology, energy and space, while addressing, critical minerals and resilient supply chains. It recognises, that the technologies shaping, the future are deeply inter-connected.
As countries seek to diversify, supply chains, reduce excessive dependencies, and build technology resilience, India and the United States, have a shared interest, in a reliable and diversified global technology, eco-system.
Our relationship, should therefore be viewed, not simply through, technology transfer, or market access, but as a partnership, in building capabilities. Indian and American companies, universities, researchers, investors and governments can work together, to develop the technologies, that will define, the next generation of economic growth.
As we look, towards the next decade, our technology partnership, should be guided by, three principles: trust, complementarity, and long-term strategic vision. We must build eco-systems, where security and innovation, reinforce each other, leverage the respective strengths, of both countries, and look beyond, immediate commercial opportunities, towards the technology architecture, we want to create.
The opportunity before India, and the United States, is therefore much larger, than co-operation in AI alone. It is about building an eco-system, in which AI, semi-conductors, quantum technologies, critical minerals, digital infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and human capital, reinforce one another.
The India–United States relationship, has repeatedly demonstrated, its ability to evolve, with changing circumstances. The age of AI, offers another opportunity, to take this partnership to a new level. Our shared objective, should be to ensure, that technology remains, not a source of division, but an instrument of partnership; not merely a measure, of national power, but a means of creating shared prosperity.
Thank you.
Jai Hind