Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that India is seen as a trusted value chain partner and vibrant democracy, and as a country that is focused on inclusive growth. In an interview with a private media channel on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Mr Vaishnaw asserted that people trust India as a country with which they can work, co-create, and co-develop new technologies. 

 

The Minister informed that India is working on all five layers of Artificial Intelligence, including AI architecture, application, model, chip, infra and energy. Replying to a question on the AI Impact Summit, which is scheduled to be held in New Delhi next month, the Minister said one of the objectives of the Summit is to make technology accessible to all as Prime Minister Narendra Modi always focuses on democratizing technology. He further stated that AI has great capabilities, but there are certain harms as well. He emphasised that there should be right guardrails so that these harms can be controlled. 

 

Speaking on the country’s semiconductor ecosystem, Mr Vaishnaw noted that out of ten semiconductor and chip manufacturing plants approved by the government, four plants have already begun pilot production in recent months. He added that one of these is going to start commercial production in the last week of February. He termed it a very significant milestone. The Minister also asserted that the bullet train project is progressing very well, and the construction for the first section will be ready by December this year. The Minister added that the first section, which will run from Surat to Bilimora, will be opened in August next year.