NEW DELHI: India and the US have agreed to foster greater cooperation in critical and emerging technologies from space to semiconductors besides co-development and co-production of hi-tech items, including jet engines, following the inaugural meeting of the US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) led by NSAs Ajit Doval and Jake Sullivan in Washington.
The announcement by both sides comes amidst reports that US President Joe Biden is understood to have invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a state visit this summer and the invitation has been accepted in principle.
Officials on both sides are now working on mutually convenient dates, according to multiple sources, who noted that it is currently in the early stages of logistical planning, reported news agency.
Comprising civilian and defence scientists, and bureaucrats, the iCET is being led by the NSAs to cut through bureaucratic layers and translate the oft-repeated intention between the two sides into action to deepen ties in frontier areas. PM Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden had agreed on this initiative during their meeting in Tokyo in May 2022, said an MEA release.
The roadmap to make both countries “trusted technology partners” will span quantum technology, artificial intelligence, human flights in space, 5G/6G, talent exchanges and semiconductor fabrication ecosystems. They also identified the fields of biotechnology, advanced materials, and rare earth processing technology as areas for future cooperation, said a White House Factsheet.
The intention to get moving on more intensive collaboration in an area that is usually closely guarded was reflected from the presence of the ISRO chief, DG DRDO chiefs, the Principal Scientific Advisor to PM and his Defence counterpart, the Telecom Secretary and representatives from MEiT and Doval-led National Security Council Secretariat. They were joined on the US side by the NASA Administrator, the National Science Foundation chief and senior officials from the Departments of State, Commerce and Defence, and the National Security Council.
The two sides announced several joint panels that will achieve closure on regulatory restrictions, export controls and mobility barriers that have been hindering more active US-India cooperation in high-technology areas spanning several strategic domains. The aim is to position the two countries as building technology value chains and support the co-development and co-production of items, said the MEA release.
The US administration assured that it would ease export barriers to India in a few critical areas, including through efforts towards legislative changes. These include a quick review of General Electric’s request to produce jet engines in India for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and lobbying the Congress to allow exports of High Performance Computing (HPC) technology and source code.
This iCET was preceded by the US-India Business Council with US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Sullivan, Doval and other senior US and Indian officials besides over 40 CEOs, university presidents to foster increased technology cooperation.
The US supported the development of a fabrication ecosystem in India and agreed to plan human space flight opportunities, NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) project and STEM talent exchanges.
They also resolved to launch a new “Innovation Bridge” that will connect the US and Indian defence startups, focus on research in maritime security and intelligence surveillance reconnaissance (ISR), and develop a new bilateral Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap.