Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden on September 8 took stock of the two countries’ partnership across technologies, spanning semiconductors, nuclear energy, 6G networks, and biotech, among other things, in a bilateral meeting ahead of the G20 Summit.
This is President Biden’s first visit to India as the US President. The last US Presidential to visit India was by Donald Trump in February 2020.
Modi and Biden reiterated their support for building resilient global semiconductor supply chains, noting in this respect a multi-year initiative of Microchip Technology to invest approximately $300 million in expanding its research and development presence in India and Advanced Micro Device’s announcement to invest $400 million in India over the next five years to expand research, development, and engineering operations in India.
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The leaders also expressed satisfaction at the ongoing implementation of announcements made in June 2023 by US companies, Micron, LAM Research, and Applied Materials.
The US reiterated its commitment to working together with India in the quantum domain, both bilaterally and through the Quantum Entanglement Exchange, a platform to facilitate international quantum exchange opportunities; and welcomed the participation of India’s SN Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata, as a member of the Quantum Economic Development Consortium. It was also recognised that the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay joined the Chicago Quantum Exchange as an international partner.
The two leaders hailed the signing of an Implementation Arrangement between the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and India’s Department of Biotechnology to enable scientific and technological research collaborations in biotechnology and biomanufacturing innovations. They welcomed the call for proposals released by NSF and India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to foster academic and industrial collaboration in semiconductor research, next generation communication systems, cyber-security, sustainability and green technologies, and intelligent transportation systems.
Reaffirming their commitment to building resilient technology value chains and linking defence industrial ecosystems, Modi and Biden recommitted their administrations to promoting policies and adapting regulations that facilitate greater technology sharing.
The leaders welcomed the signing of an MoU between Indian universities, represented by the Council of Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT Council), and the Association of American Universities (AAU) to establish the India-US Global Challenges Institute, with a combined initial commitment of at least $10 million.
The Global Challenges Institute will bring together leading research and higher-education institutions from across our two nations, including beyond AAU and IIT membership, to advance new frontiers in science and technology, spanning collaboration in sustainable energy and agriculture, health and pandemic preparedness, semiconductor technology and manufacturing, advanced materials, telecommunications, artificial intelligence, and quantum science.
Modi is scheduled to hold 15 bilateral meetings over the next two days when world leaders gather in the national capital for the G20 Summit.
The Prime Minister earlier said that these meetings would give an opportunity to review India's bilateral ties with these nations and further strengthen developmental cooperation.
"It is my firm belief that the New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in human-centric and inclusive development," the Prime Minister posted on X, adding, "I look forward to productive discussions with world leaders over the next two days." "I will also be holding bilateral meetings with several leaders and Heads of Delegation to further deepen the bonds of friendship and cooperation," Modi said.
On September 9, he will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy besides attending the G20 events.
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