"Securing the foundations of AI together!": India-US hold roundtable to deepen AI, chips, critical minerals cooperation
Washington DC, June 26
India and the United States held a closed-door roundtable bringing together senior government officials and industry leaders to strengthen cooperation in artificial intelligence, semiconductor supply chains and critical minerals, as both countries seek to deepen their strategic technology partnership.
In a post on X on Friday, the Indian Embassy in the United States highlighted the significance of the meeting, saying, "Securing the foundations of AI together!"
The embassy said Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra, MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) Secretary S Krishnan, and US Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce Bill Guidera addressed a gathering of Indian and American companies working in semiconductors, critical minerals and AI.
The post said, "Ambassador @AmbVMKwatra, Secretary MeiTY S. Krishnan and Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce Bill Guidera addressed a group of Indian and US companies working on the chips, critical minerals and AI in a closed-door round table organised by Embassy along with USISPF and Silverado Policy Accelerator. Additional Secretary (Americas) Nagaraj Naidu from MEA, USISPF President Mukesh Aghi and DAS Christopher Saldana from DoE also joined the discussions."
According to the embassy, the discussions were also attended by Additional Secretary (Americas) Nagaraj Naidu from the Ministry of External Affairs, USISPF (US-India Strategic Partnership Forum) President Mukesh Aghi and Deputy Assistant Secretary Christopher Saldana from the US Department of Energy.
The embassy said the roundtable focused on strengthening the investment environment and expanding bilateral cooperation on AI.
It added, "Discussions focused on addressing shared barriers for investment, creating durable demand signals, and opportunities for AI collaboration at various levels, including frontier and application."
Earlier, on June 8 (local time), India's Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, held a series of high-level engagements with top corporate and technology leaders to discuss investment expansion, supply chain resilience, and emerging technologies.
Detailing the meetings in separate posts on the social media platform X, the Indian envoy highlighted New Delhi's growing economic and technological partnership with the US.
Ambassador Kwatra met with Chris Nicholas, the President and CEO of retail giant Walmart, to deliberate on the company's deepening footprint in the Indian market.
Reviewing the meeting, the ambassador posted on X that he had a "productive conversation with Chris Nicholas, President and CEO of @Walmart, on their investments in India, long-term growth plans and commitment to building resilient supply chains."
In another high-profile meeting on the same day geared towards futuristic tech collaboration, the Indian diplomat engaged with Ylli Bajraktari, the President and CEO of the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP).
The interaction took place ahead of Bajraktari's upcoming visit to New Delhi for the prestigious India-US Forum, where bilateral tech ties are expected to be a major focus.
Sharing insights from their discussion on X, Ambassador Kwatra noted that he had an "Insightful conversation with @Ylli_Bajraktari, President & CEO of @scsp_ai, ahead of his upcoming visit to New Delhi for the India-U.S. Forum. Exchanged perspectives on the trajectory of advanced technologies including Quantum, and the future of AI, including Physical AI and the expanding India-USA cooperation in tech space."
— ANI
Reader Comments
Interesting to see closed-door roundtables on such critical topics. Transparency in these partnerships matters, but I understand the sensitivity around chips and minerals. Hope this translates into real job creation in both countries.
While this is good news, I hope we aren't just importing AI solutions from the US. India has brilliant talent—we need to build our own frontier models and chips, not just assemble or use them. The talk about "durable demand signals" sounds like a euphemism for market access.
As someone working in tech, this is music to my ears! AI + semiconductors + critical minerals = the holy trinity of future geopolitics. India positioning itself as a reliable partner while maintaining strategic autonomy is smart. The Walmart mention shows this isn't just about government—it's about business too.
Let's be honest—India has abundant critical minerals, but we export raw materials and import refined products. This partnership MUST include technology transfer for processing and refining. Otherwise we're just swapping one dependency for another. Hope MeitY and DoE are negotiating smartly.
Proud moment for India! 🇮🇳 From being a back-office destination to co-creating frontier technologies with the US. The SCSP meeting about "Physical AI" is fascinating—think robotics combined with AI transforming manufacturing. Our engineering talent combined with American capital... unbeatable combination! 💪
J We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.