NEW YORK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with the CEOs of leading American tech companies in a roundtable in New York and discussed aspects relating to technology, innovation and more.
During the roundtable, Prime Minister Modi also highlighted the strides made by India in the field of technology.
The Prime Minister in a post on X on Monday said he had a "fruitful roundtable with tech CEOs in New York..."
"I am glad to see immense optimism towards India," he added.
The tech roundtable anchored by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) focused on Artificial Intelligence and Quantum; Biotechnology and Life Sciences; Computing, IT and Communication; and Semiconductor technologies.
The CEOs participated in a deep dive with the Prime Minister on the evolving technology landscape at a global level and how these cutting-edge technologies are contributing to the well-being of people around the world including in India. They touched upon how technology is being leveraged for innovations, which have the potential to revolutionise the global economy and human development, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
Prime Minister Modi appreciated the efforts of the MIT School of Engineering and its Dean for bringing the technology leaders together. He noted that technology collaboration and efforts such as the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (ICET) lie at the core of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.
The Prime Minister stressed that in his third term, India will make every effort to become the third-largest economy in the world. He encouraged the companies to take advantage of India's growth story for collaboration and innovation. "They can co-develop, co-design, and co-produce in India for the world, harnessing the opportunities from India's economic and technological growth," he said.
Prime Minister Modi assured the business leaders of India's deep commitment to the protection of intellectual property and to fostering tech innovation.
He also highlighted the economic transformation happening in India, particularly in electronics and information technology manufacturing, semiconductors, biotech and green development.
Prime Minister Modi told the CEOs that his government was committed to making India a global hub of semiconductor manufacturing. He also dwelt on India's BIO E3 policy to develop India into a biotech powerhouse. On AI, he noted that India's policy is to promote AI for All, underpinned by its ethical and responsible use.
The CEOs expressed their strong interest in investing and collaborating with India. They also agreed that investing in startups would be a synergistic opportunity to innovate and develop newer technologies in India.
According to MEA, India's growing prominence as a global technology hub, driven by its innovation-friendly policies and flourishing market opportunities, got much appreciation from the tech leaders.
The CEOs who attended the roundtable included Google's Sundar Pichai, Arvind Krishna of IBM, Julie Sweet (Accenture), Shantanu Narayen (Adobe), Lisa Su (AMD), Chris Viehbacher (Biogen Inc), Chris Boerner (Bristol Myers Squibb), David A. Ricks (Eli Lilly and Company), Enrique Lores (HP Inc.), Tim Archer (LAM Research), Noubar Afeyan (Moderna - Chairman), Hans Vestberg (Verizon), Thomas Caulfield (Global Foundaries), Jensen Huang (NVIDIA), and Martin Schroeter of Kyndryl.