PM Modi calls upon top tech CEOs to be part of India's growth story

Urges them to co-develop, co-design and co-produce in India for the world

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called upon US technology giants to take advantage of India’s growth story for collaboration and innovation and “co-develop, co-design, and co-produce in India for the world”. 

On the second day of his three-day US tour, Modi met the chief executives of 15 major technology-oriented corporations and multinationals in New York. “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,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.  

Organised by the MIT School of Engineering, the CEOs’ roundtable witnessed participation from Google’s Sundar Pichai, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Adobe’s Shantanu Narayen, and Accenture’s Julie Sweet, among others.

“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 MEA said. 

They also agreed that investing in startups would be a synergistic opportunity to innovate and develop newer technologies in India.

The PM 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. He stressed that in his third term, India would make every effort to become the third-largest economy in the world, it said. 

The PM said the 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 artificial intelligence, Modi noted that India’s policy is to promote AI for All, underpinned by its ethical and responsible use.

Nvidia CEO Huang said: “He (Modi) is such an incredible student, and every time I see him, he wants to learn about technology, artificial intelligence, the potential and opportunity for India, the impact on India, society and industry.

He said India is home to some of the world’s greatest computer scientists, which is a great opportunity. “Artificial Intelligence is also a new industry, a new manufacturing industry. I’m looking forward to partnering with India in a very deep way to make that possible,” Huang said.

Google CEO Pichai said the Prime Minister has been focused on transforming India with his Digital India vision. “He challenged us to think about applications in health care, education, agriculture, and he’s also thinking about the infrastructure of India, be it data centres, power, energy and investing to make sure India can transition. We are robustly investing in AI in India, and we look forward to doing more,” Pichai said.

Meanwhile, Modi held separate talks with world leaders, including his Nepalese counterpart K P Sharma Oli and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, discussing various facets of bilateral ties and reaffirmed India's support for the Palestinian people.