India has long been a global leader in software development, but now, the nation is making rapid strides in hardware manufacturing. With five semiconductor plants under construction, India is strengthening its position in the global electronics sector. In an article written by Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in a national daily, the Minister said, the country will soon reach a major milestone with the launch of India’s first Make in India semiconductor chip this year.
Highlighting the country’s achievements in the digital and electronics sector, Mr Vaishnaw said, technology and innovation are no longer limited to labs but are transforming the lives of citizens. He said the Government is facilitating the development of the country’s foundational models, including large language models (LLMs) and problem-specific AI solutions tailored to meet the needs of the country. The Minister asserted that the nation is shaping its digital future with a strong focus on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), Artificial Intelligence, Semiconductors, and Electronics manufacturing. He said semiconductors and electronics form the backbone while DPI serves as the driving force propelling the country’s tech revolution. To democratise AI access, India has launched a Common Compute facility featuring 18 thousand plus Graphics Processing Units available at a subsidized cost of under 100 rupees per hour. This initiative enables startups, researchers, and academia to develop AI applications, including foundational models. The Government is curating large-scale non-personal anonymised datasets to train AI models, reducing biases and enhancing accuracy. These datasets will power AI-driven solutions across critical sectors like agriculture, weather forecasting, and traffic management. To ensure India remains a leader in AI research, multiple Centers of Excellence have been established to develop foundational AI models.
Lauding the country’s Digital Public Infrastructure, the Minister said, it is setting global benchmarks. Unlike corporate or State-controlled models, India’s public-private approach uses public funds to build platforms like Aadhaar, UPI, and DigiLocker. AI integration into these platforms is making financial transactions, governance, and services more efficient and inclusive. The Minister said, the global interest in India’s DPI framework was evident at the G20 Summit, where various countries had expressed the desire to replicate the model. Japan has granted a patent to India’s UPI system, highlighting its scalability and global appeal.
Referring to the recently concluded Mahakumbh 2025, Mr Vaishnaw highlighted that India leveraged its DPI and AI-driven management for seamless operations of Mahakumbh 2025, the world’s largest gathering ever. AI-powered tools monitored the railway passenger movements in real-time to optimize crowd dispersal. The multilingual chatbot Kumbh Sah’AI’yak, powered by Bhashini, assisted visitors with translations, lost-and-found services, and real-time updates. These innovations have transformed Mahakumbh into a model of AI-enabled event management.
The Minister said India’s workforce is at the heart of its digital revolution. The country is adding one Global Capability Center (GCC) every week reinforcing its status as a preferred destination for global Research and Development and technological development. The National Education Policy 2020 is revamping university curricula to include AI, 5G, and semiconductor design, preparing graduates for the digital economy.
The Minister stressed that India is adopting a pragmatic, techno-legal approach to AI governance. The Government is investing in AI-driven safeguards against deepfakes, cybersecurity threats, and privacy risks, ensuring responsible AI deployment. He said India wants to leverage technology for inclusive growth while maintaining a regulatory framework that fosters innovation.
