Key Points

Speaking at the launch of AI for Viksit Bharat Roadmap: The Opportunity for Accelerated Economic Growth and the NITI Frontier Tech Repository, the minister highlighted that AI has emerged as the biggest technological change in recent decades and will have an impact similar to that of the Internet.

"Over a period of the last few decades, the biggest change which has happened and the biggest factor which has joined this constellation of technologies is AI because AI is now affecting practically everything that we do. Like the Internet, which changed everything that we did, AI is also going to fundamentally change the way we work, the way we live, the way we consume... That's why it's very important to make sure that we are frontrunners in AI technologies." Vaishnaw said.

He added that today the country is in a position to dream of a Viksit Bharat, a developed India, which is very different from the initial decades after independence.

"Today, the growth is inclusive, the growth is robust, and it's driven by technology," he said.

The minister also highlighted that technology forms the fundamental base of growth and no country can aspire to become developed without mastery and confidence in a few critical technologies.

"These technologies are telecom technology, semiconductors, electric vehicles, biotech, some of the most complex engines, quantum, rare earth, and a few more. These are technologies which we will have to master, we'll have to adopt, we'll have to develop talent pipeline, and we will have to make sure that we remain in the frontier," he stated.

According to the minister, the path towards leadership in these sectors will rest on two pillars, research and development on one hand, and building a strong and deep talent pipeline on the other.

He said these priorities have been integrated into almost every technology initiative.

Sharing an example, Vaishnaw recalled the semiconductor mission launched in 2022. He said the Prime Minister had laid out a clear 20-year roadmap to create a strong ecosystem with talent development at its core.

"That's why today we have 278 institutions, universities, and colleges, where the students are today using the latest semiconductor design tools. They are designing chips, and 20 of those chips got manufactured recently at SCL (Semi-Conductor Laboratory) Mohali. Another batch of 15 is, at this point of time, undergoing manufacture, taping out at SCL Mohali," he informed.

The minister concluded by stressing that India's focus on AI, semiconductors, and other critical technologies will be crucial in ensuring the country's position as a global technology leader in the coming decades.

- ANI