- Modi meets top US tech leaders amid semiconductor push
- He wants tech leaders to consider India as a prime destination for manufacturing and innovation
- Modi and Biden signed the India-US semiconductor pact at the annual Quad summit
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called on leading US tech companies to consider India as a prime destination for manufacturing and innovation. Modi met with top tech CEOs in New York, a day after attending the annual Quad summit alongside leaders from the US, Australia, and Japan.
India has been positioning itself as a viable alternative to China for global firms seeking to diversify their supply chains. The country has made notable strides in semiconductor manufacturing, though it still trails behind key players like China and Taiwan.
The meeting, held on Monday, brought together 15 prominent CEOs, including Sundar Pichai of Google, Shantanu Narayen of Adobe, Arvind Krishna of IBM, and Jensen Huang of NVIDIA. Modi emphasised India’s potential as a collaborative hub for tech innovation, stating that companies can “co-develop, co-design, and co-produce in India for the world.”
India’s Ministry of External Affairs highlighted that the roundtable focused on technology’s role in driving global innovation, with the potential to “revolutionise the global economy and human development.”
During the Quad summit, Modi also met with US President Joe Biden, where the two countries signed several key agreements. A significant outcome was the India-US semiconductor pact, described as a “watershed arrangement.” The deal aims to establish India’s first semiconductor fabrication plant, which will produce chips for national security, next-gen telecommunications, and green energy. The plant will supply chips to the US military, allied forces, and India’s own defence sector.