Why India-Australia Technology Cooperation is a Welcome Development

Collaboration on critical and emerging technologies has been high on the agenda for the Australian and Indian governments in recent months. On 17 November 2021, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison gave a virtual inaugural address at the Bengaluru Technology Summit. Morrison’s speech was accompanied by an announcement expressing Australia’s commitment to establish a Centre of Excellence for Critical and Emerging Technology Policy in India. The very next day, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a keynote address at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Sydney Dialogue, in which he emphasised the importance of technology to the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership, which was established in 2020.

Industrial Policies Alone Cannot Give Desired Results in Tech Sector

The India Cellular and Electronics Industry (ICEA) recently released a report detailing the effects of import tariffs on the domestic electronics industry. Currently, India’s import tariff rate for electronic and technology goods is much more than those of competing countries like China and Vietnam. This has been on the back of the recently announced 76,000 crore package to build the Indian semiconductor industry. But high import tariffs, trade restrictions, and taxation meant as protectionist measures decline the competitiveness of Indian goods in the global market. More importantly, it completely negates the effect of industrial policy measures which are meant to be supportive and business-friendly like the production linked incentive (PLI) scheme.

Countering Hate In The Digital World

Ongoing police investigations to identify the culprits behind the condemnable “Bulli Bai” and “Sulli Deals” apps, which “auctioned” several prominent and vocal Muslim women, implicate individuals born close to the turn of the century. At first glance, this indicates that digital natives are not resilient against problems such as disinformation, hate speech and the potential for radicalisation that plague our informational spaces. But placed within the broader context of decreasing levels of social cohesion in Indian society, that such apps were even created requires us to frame our understanding in a way that can point us towards the right set of long-term interventions.

What’s Behind China’s New National Standardization Outline Document?

China’s “Standards 2035” project gained headlines in April 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. October 2021 saw the release of the National Standardization Development (NSD) outline document as the first official document detailing China’s ambitions in the coming decade in the realm of technical standardization processes. The NSD visualizes a standardized system that promotes high-tech innovation and “opening up” of the technology sector, while also leading to high-quality development. The core points covered in the document provide a glimpse into the Chinese state’s strategic approach toward technical standards.

A Four-Point Action Plan for Quantum Technologies

In the 2020 Budget speech, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the National Mission for Quantum Technologies and Applications (NM-QTA) with a total outlay of ₹8000 crore over five years for strengthening the quantum industry in the country. A Lok Sabha question posed in July 2021 enquired about the status and progress of the mission. The reply that was provided by the minister of state for science and technology, Jitendra Singh, mentioned that the mission had not even received approval yet. Singh also announced that no funds were allocated, disbursed or utilised under NM-QTA during the financial year 2020-21.

Are Government’s New Schemes For Semiconductors Enough To Make India Atmanirbhar?

the Union Cabinet recently approved a ‘comprehensive programme for the development of a sustainable semiconductor and display ecosystem’. This programme emphasised that India intends to play a more prominent role in the hyper-globalised semiconductor supply chain. Following up on that announcement, the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) on December 21 notified four specific schemes to reduce India’s dependency on imports and build an ecosystem for the production of semiconductors. On December 30, MeitY released the guidelines for these schemes.

Russian energy industry makes new social media connection

Russia’s energy industry currently brings in a major chunk of state revenue and is tied to common prosperity and employment in the Russian economy. Although a willingness eventually to phase out hydrocarbons now exists, the idea is to switch to exporting greener sources of energy such as hydrogen instead of just watching business decline.

Read the full article on Asia Times

Behind Beijng’s proposal to regulate military applications of AI

China recently submitted a position paper on regulating the military applications of artificial intelligence to the sixth review conference of the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW).The takeaway from this position paper is that countries should debate, discuss, and perhaps eschew the weaponization of AI. By initiating a discussion on regulating military applications of AI, Beijing wants to project itself as a responsible international player.

Has China achieved its leap to ‘Quantum Supremacy’?

The quantum race is heating up. Last month, the US and Australia signed an official agreement on quantum technology and information science, emphasising the exchange of skills and development in the field for the protection of intellectual property as well as building safe and secure research environments.

Lessons for India From China’s Technical Standardisation Strategy

China recently released the National Standardisation Development (NSD) Outline, which serves as the first major document in the public domain on the standardisation strategy of the state in the coming years. This serves as a potential road map for the Chinese government and provides a glimpse into its intentions of utilising technical standards as an economic and strategic tool to further advance its interests.The standardisation strategy envisioned by the Chinese government can also serve as a model for India to increase its presence in the international technical standards domain. China’s pursuit offers India an opportunity to emulate its neighbour in simultaneously strengthening its domestic standardisation schemes while improving its leverage in international standards developing organisations. The NSD outline document provides India with a few pointers on the path it can take to influence technical standards-setting at the international level.

In Software-obsessed India, Hardware Finally Gets Place in the Sun

The Union Cabinet, on 15th December, approved a much-awaited 'comprehensive program for the development of a sustainable semiconductor and display ecosystem'. Holding up a silicon wafer and a semiconductor chip, Ashwini Vaishnav, the Minister of Communications and Electronics & Information Technology, outlined the focus areas in a press briefing that's sure to garner attention from major global semiconductor firms. The program will cost the government ₹76,000 crores over six years. The government expects an overall investment of ₹170,000 crores in return. There are five reasons to like the program announced by the minister.

Quantum computing: China ahead, US plays catch-up

The shadow of geopolitical competition with China looms large over the recent cooperation agreement on Quantum Science and Technology between Australia and the US. The joint statement identifies Quantum technologies as a “critical emerging technology” while reiterating commitment to “democratic institutions” and “to an open, inclusive and resilient Indo-Pacific region.” The statement also says that the two sides resolve to protect sensitive technologies with implications for national security, a reference to the alleged theft of IP and tech espionage by China.

Three Reasons Why China’s Tech Prowess is Overhyped

If one were to judge the technological prowess of a nation-state on the basis of daily news, China comes across as heads and shoulders above the rest. Hardly any day passes by without reports reminding us that China is well on its path to creating a self-reliant technology industry. While China’s technological progress is quite real, I want to list three caveats to make you recalibrate exponential growth projections and over-optimistic predictions about China’s tech ecosystem.

Technology will be at the Forefront of Biden's Summit for Democracy

The Summit is not just about democracy. It signals the intent of the Biden administration to unite the world’s democracies for protection of individual liberties. This brings us to the area of technology which is now at the heart of protecting democratic values. There is a need for global consensus among all democratic states to arrive at a common technology governance framework that is in line with the democratic rights of citizens. The summit will be a platform for states to find the right balance of governance with respect to regulation and freedom in the technology sphere. The future of multilateralism lies in the creation of need-based coalitions focusing on specific areas of technology cooperation.

Sydney Dialogue Pointed the Need for Global Tech Governance

The month of November saw the world’s first-ever conference dedicated to emerging and critical technologies. The Sydney Dialogue, a brainchild of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), was held virtually from November 17-19.The presence of and the delivery of keynote addresses from key political leaders emphasized the criticality of the dialogue. In the current digital and information age, emerging technologies have become an intrinsic part of everybody’s lives as well as tools of statecraft. There was a common vision echoed throughout the discussions: The design, deployment, and usage of these technologies need effective regulations to minimize the harms and maximize the benefits that critical and emerging technologies have to offer.

The contest to create the web's third generation has intensified

There are now three broad visions for the future of the internet. The first is a transformation into what Tim Berners-Lee calls “Web 3.0", a network that understands natural language and, depending on who you ask, will be open and ubiquitous, allow users to take back control from corporations and governments, and include billions of Things like sensors, robots and kitchen sinks. This vision is promoted by veterans and purists who believe that Big Tech’s dominance undermines open protocols that enable the internet, and also by many in the tech community who resent the market power of Google, Meta, Apple and Amazon. For their part, the world’s biggest tech companies see that it will be harder to grow at the giddy rates they are used to, and sprawling across various sectors can only take them so far. That’s why Mark Zuckerberg is promoting the second vision, that of a “metaverse", an immersive 3-D virtual reality world where everyone will have to wear goggles to plug in. Beyond Meta (previously Facebook), Microsoft, Roblox and many other companies are throwing their weight behind this vision while trying to get to the head of the queue.

Needed: Intelligent act to regulate AI

The 41st General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) concluded on 24 November 2021 with a major step on the global development of norms on the use and regulation of Artificial Intelligence (AI).193 member states of UNESCO signed and adopted the draft AI Ethics Recommendation. It can be touted as the first globally accepted normative standard-setting instrument in the realm of AI. The voluntary, non-binding commitment is a major point of cooperation between States and leaders in identifying principles of ethics in the regulation AI systems that find wide application in today’s world.

India Needs a 20-Year Semiconductor Strategy

To succeed in semiconductor manfacturing, it is essential to reflect on the difference between being able to manufacture one line of chips and achieving semiconductor self-sufficiency or even becoming a key manufacturer. The current discourse masks this difference. The dominant narrative suggests that India is in a do or die situation, one in which building a fab now implies the elimination of critical strategic vulnerabilities. In contrast, another failure means India is resigned to a position of weakness in the information age. This understanding is misplaced. Getting one fab going will not make India a key manufacturer. We will still be dependent on manufacturing equipment, designs, and chips manufactured outside India. India needs to drop the dream of swadeshi semiconductors. Instead, it should aim to become a key player in a trusted, plurilateral semiconductor ecosystem that keeps key adversaries out. In our view, at least five specific parts of the puzzle need to fall in place.

If not for the internet...

One of the most interesting things about living in a small town is discovering bits of history where you thought none existed. The pandemic has forced me to move back to my hometown, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. As a city, Kanpur has a rich colonial history and was an eventful place during 1857.Last week, I listened to the Kanpur and Lucknow episode of the Musafir Stories (an excellent podcast). I learned about 'Baron Carlo Marochetti Road', or as it is known today in the city, 'Doodhwali Gali'. The Baron Marochetti Road is named after an Italian-French sculptor who was responsible for sculpting the Cawnpore Memorial. This monument represents the loss of 73 women and 124 children in July 1857.Read the full article in Deccan Herald

The Race for the Domination of AI Chips

With AI and advanced semiconductor technology an integral part of Industry 4.0, the impact of AI chips on the global technology landscape will gradually evolve in the coming decade.  The concept of new applications of semiconductors is gradually emerging and the concept of using artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms on high-end chipsets has opened an entirely new market for these devices, also known as AI chips.