Modi-Trump talks: AI, hi-tech, semiconductors in focus as India, US pledge to boost technology ties

New Delhi: Artificial Intelligence, innovation and next-generation technologies figured prominently during the high-stakes discussion between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump at the White House, as the two sides announced transformative measures, including the US-India TRUST initiative, roadmap on accelerating AI infrastructure and INDUS Innovation, to boost tech ties.

Artificial intelligence, semiconductors, data centres, and quantum - the essential building blocks shaping an intelligent, new-age world - were in focus as the two leaders held bilateral talks at Washington, DC.

India and the US pledged to enhance collaboration in areas of critical and emerging technologies and announced the launch of the US-India Transforming the Relationship Utilising Strategic Technology (TRUST) initiative.

According to India-US joint statement, the TRUST initiative aims to catalyse government-to-government, academia and private-sector collaboration to promote the application of critical and emerging technologies in areas like defence, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum, biotechnology, energy and space, while encouraging the use of verified technology vendors and ensuring sensitive technologies are protected.

As a central pillar of the 'TRUST' initiative, the leaders committed to work with US and Indian private industry to put forward a US-India roadmap on accelerating AI infrastructure by the end of the year, identifying constraints to financing, building, powering, and connecting large-scale American-origin AI infrastructure in India with milestones and future actions.

The US and India will work together to enable industry partnerships and investments in next-generation data centres, cooperation on development and access to compute and processors for AI, innovations in AI models and building AI applications for solving societal challenges while addressing the protections and controls necessary to protect these technologies and reduce regulatory barriers, the joint statement said.

The leaders also announced the launch of INDUS Innovation, a new innovation bridge modelled after the successful INDUS-X platform, that will advance US-India industry and academic partnerships and foster investments in space, energy, and other emerging technologies to maintain leadership for both sides in innovation and to meet the needs of the 21st century.

The leaders also reinforced their commitment to the INDUS-X initiative, which facilities partnerships between US and Indian defense companies, investors and universities to produce critical capability for our militaries, and welcomed the next summit in 2025.

As part of the TRUST initiative, India and the US committed to build trusted and resilient supply chains, including for semiconductors, critical minerals, advanced materials and pharmaceuticals.

The leaders hailed 2025 as a pioneering year for US-India civil space cooperation, with plans for a NASA-ISRO effort through AXIOM to bring the first Indian astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS), and early launch of the joint 'NISAR' mission, the first of its kind to systematically map changes to the Earth's surface using dual radars.

They also called for enhanced collaboration in space exploration, including long-duration human spaceflight missions, spaceflight safety and sharing of expertise and professional exchanges in emerging areas, including planetary protection.

The two leaders committed to further commercial space collaboration through industry engagements in conventional and emerging areas, such as connectivity, advanced spaceflight, satellite and space launch systems, space sustainability, space tourism and advanced space manufacturing.

Underscoring the value of deepening ties between the US and Indian scientific research communities, the two sides announced a new partnership between the US National Science Foundation and the Indian Anusandhan National Research Foundation in researching critical and emerging technologies.

The partnership builds on ongoing collaboration between the US National Science Foundation and several Indian science agencies to enable joint research in the areas of semiconductors, connected vehicles, machine learning, next-generation telecommunications, intelligent transportation systems, and future biomanufacturing, the statement informed.

The leaders determined that their governments redouble efforts to address export controls, enhance high-technology commerce, and reduce barriers to technology transfer between our two countries while addressing technology security.

They also resolved to work together to counter the common challenge of unfair practices in export controls by third parties seeking to exploit the overconcentration of critical supply chains.