Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology
Q. Why is it in News?
· India
and the United States unveiled a roadmap for enhanced collaboration in
high-technology areas, with a focus on addressing regulatory
barriers and aligning export controls for smoother trade and “deeper
cooperation” in critical areas.
· This was part of the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) announced by President Joe Biden and Prime Minister NarendraModi last year.
· The Initiative on Critical and Emerging
Technologies is a framework agreed upon by India and the U.S. for cooperation
on critical and emerging technologies in areas including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductors and wireless
telecommunication.
· It was launched in January this year to
strengthen their strategic partnership and drive technology and defence
cooperation. Mr. Modi and Mr. Biden first announced the
framework on the sidelines of the Quad meeting in Tokyo in May 2022.
Q. What are
the focus areas of the initiative?
· Primarily, the iCET seeks to position New Delhi and
Washington D.C. as “trusted technology partners” to build supply chains and
support the co-production and co-development of items.
· Key takeaways include setting up a research agency
partnership to drive collaboration in areas like AI; developing a new defence
industrial cooperation roadmap to accelerate technological cooperation for
joint development and production; developing common standards in AI; developing
a roadmap to accelerate defence technological cooperation and ‘innovation
bridge’ to connect defence startups;
supporting the development of a semiconductor
ecosystem; strengthening cooperation on human spaceflight; advancing
cooperation on development in 5G and 6G;
and adopting OpenRAN network technology
in India.
Q. What has
been the progress so far?
· India and the U.S. have made “significant progress” in
several key areas identified for collaboration since the launch of iCET, a
likely outcome of multiple high-profile visits and talks between officials and
stakeholders over the past year.
· As Mr. Doval mentioned in the second round of iCET talks,
the two countries have already put in place the Quantum Coordination Mechanism, launched a public-private dialogue
(PDD) on telecommunication to drive collaboration in OpenRAN, 5G and 6G, and
held “important exchanges” on AI and space.
· In March, India
and the U.S. signed anMoU on establishing a semiconductor supply chain that
paved the way for creating a semiconductor sub-committee to review
recommendations from an industry-led task force launched in connection with the
iCET.
· On the defence front, the two countries are close to
concluding a mega jet engine deal, with a final announcement expected during
Mr. Modi’s visit.
· In addition, a new initiative to advance cutting-edge
technology cooperation, known as the India-U.S.
Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X), is set to be launched during the
visit. India and the U.S. have also concluded a roadmap for ‘Defence Industrial Cooperation’ to
guide the policy direction for the next few years.
· The two countries have also established a Strategic Trade Dialogue to remove
regulatory “barriers” and review existing export control norms to take forward
strategic technology and trade collaborations envisaged under iCET.
· India and the United States unveiled a roadmap for
enhanced collaboration in high-technology areas, with a focus on addressing
regulatory barriers and aligning export controls for smoother trade and “deeper
cooperation” in critical areas.
· “The United States and India affirm that the ways in
which technology is designed, developed, governed, and used should be shaped by
our shared democratic values and respect for universal human rights,” the White
House said.