India and the United States are rising technology powerhouses, with India boasting a vast pool of IT professionals and the United States equipped with cutting-edge infrastructure. Both nations are establishing partnerships that promote mutual growth and development in the future.
The National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan of the United States and Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval convened the second session of the U.S.-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) in New Delhi in June 2024. Since the inception of iCET in January 2023, both nations reportedly made considerable progress in enhancing and broadening strategic collaboration across vital technology domains, including space, semiconductors, advanced telecommunications, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, biotechnology, and clean energy.
According to white house, the efforts remain firmly rooted in a mutual commitment to ensuring that technology is conceived, developed, and implemented in alignment with the democratic principles and respect for universal human rights, while also acknowledging that the future security and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region will depend on the robustness of the U.S.-India partnership.
In the course of the second iCET meeting, NSA Jake Sullivan and NSA Ajit Doval articulated a vision for the forthcoming phase of the strategic technology partnership. They emphasized their dedication to aligning this collaboration with significant advancements in key critical and emerging technology sectors.
This will involve concentrating the efforts on co-production, co-development, and research and development (R&D) initiatives to maintain its position at the forefront of innovation. Additionally, they highlighted the importance of enhancing coordination with like-minded nations to provide secure, reliable, and cost-effective technology solutions for the citizens of both the United States and India, as well as their global partners. In this context, they expressed their support for the inaugural meeting of the U.S.-India-ROK Trilateral Technology Dialogue, which took place in Seoul in March, along with the ongoing collaboration with Australia and Japan through the Quad.
What are the areas of focus of the Initiative:
AI research agency partnership.
Defense industrial cooperation, defense technological cooperation, and defense startups.
Innovation Ecosystems.
Semiconductor ecosystem development.
Cooperation on human spaceflight.
Advancement in 5G and 6G technologies, and adoption of OpenRAN network (system that allows interoperation between cellular network) technology in India.
Progress so far:
Significant accomplishments encompass the Quantum Coordination Mechanism, the facilitation of public-private discussions regarding telecommunications, crucial dialogues on artificial intelligence and space, a memorandum of understanding for the creation of a semiconductor supply chain, and the completion of a roadmap for defense industrial collaboration. India and US are reported to be nearing the finalization of a substantial jet engine agreement, and a new initiative known as the India-U.S. Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) is poised for launch. Additionally, a Strategic Trade Dialogue has been initiated to tackle regulatory obstacles and assess export control standards.
Conclusion
Despite the longstanding relationship between the United States and India, concerns persist on both sides. This is particularly significant as the current situation demands substantial investments and the utilization of each other's strengths to create a cohesive ecosystem for the advancement of critical and emerging technologies. The initiative known as iCET has generated a notable enthusiasm. From startups in space and defense to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and large corporations, the iCET is regarded as a unique framework that could not have been introduced at a more opportune time in the geopolitical landscape of technology, driven by the necessity to diversify and seek new markets among "trusted technology partners."
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