NEW YORK:
After the roundtable meeting of prominent CEOs of Tech Companies with PM Narendra Modi, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that PM Modi has been focussed on transforming India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in a roundtable with the CEOs of leading American tech companies, where he emphasised India’s growth prospects and discussed initiatives to foster bilateral collaborations across various sectors.
After the meeting, Pichai said, “It is Digital India vision. He (PM Modi) pushed us to continue making in India, designing in India. We are proud to now make our Pixel phones manufactured in India. He is really thinking about how AI can transform India in a way that benefits the people of India. He challenged us to think about applications in healthcare, education, agriculture and he is also thinking about the infrastructure of India – be it data centres, power, energy and investing to make sure that India can transition.”
Pichai also mentioned Google’s India plans and investment in AI expansion.
“We are proud to be partnering with India. We are robustly investing in AI in India and we look forward to doing more. We have set several programs and partnerships. He has always challenged all of us to do more, more for India. Now, he is asking us to do the same with AI. He has a clear vision, both in terms of the opportunity that AI will create but he wants to make sure ultimately AI is there to benefit the people of India and he has a clear vision that it should all be in the service of the people of India. He is challenging us to do more,” Pichai added.
PM Modi In US: Tech Roundtable
The meeting took place at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel on Sunday during the second leg of Modi’s three-day US visit. It saw the participation of CEOs of 15 major US-based firms working on cutting-edge technologies such as AI, quantum computing and semiconductors.
“Had a fruitful roundtable with tech CEOs in New York, discussing aspects relating to technology, innovation and more. Also highlighted the strides made by India in this field. I am glad to see immense optimism towards India,” Modi said in a post on X.
During the conference, Modi said 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, according to a Ministry of External Affairs press release.
The prime minister stressed that in his third term, India will make every effort to become the third largest economy in the world, and encouraged the companies to take advantage of India’s growth story for collaboration and innovation.
Organised by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) School of Engineering, the CEOs of top US tech firms, including Google CEO Pichai, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayena, Accenture CEO Julie Sweet and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang attended the conference.
After meeting PM Modi, Huang said that PM Modi is an incredible student. “Every time I meet him, He wants to learn more about technology.”
“Artificial intelligence is a new industry and I am looking forward to partnering with India in a deep way. We are partnering with many companies, start-ups and IITs in India . AI really democratises computing, and this is India’s moment,” Huang added.
Others who participated in the roundtable include AMD CEO Lisa Su, HP Inc. CEO Enrique Lores, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, Dr Noubar Afeyan, Chairman of Moderna, and Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg.
Assuring the business leaders of India’s deep commitment to the protection of intellectual property and to fostering tech innovation, Modi highlighted the economic transformation happening in the country, particularly in electronics and information technology manufacturing and semiconductors.
Modi asserted that his government was committed to making India a “global hub of semiconductor manufacturing”.
He also talked about India’s BIO E3 (biotechnology for environment, economy and employment) policy to develop the country into a biotech powerhouse and on the topic of AI, noted that India’s policy is to promote AI for All, underpinned by its ethical and responsible use.
The CEOs appreciated India’s growing prominence as a global technology hub, driven by its innovation-friendly policies and flourishing market opportunities. They also expressed strong interest in investing and collaborating with India, agreeing that investing in startups would be a synergistic opportunity to innovate and develop newer technologies in the country.
Others who attended the conference include Biogen Inc CEO Chris Viehbacher, CEO of Bristol Myers Squibb, Chris Boerner, Eli Lilly and Company CEO David A. Ricks, LAM Research CEO Tim Archer, GlobalFoundries CEO Thomas Caulfield, and the CEO of Kyndryl, Martin Schroeter.
