Unlocking India's Digital Future with AI Innovation and Security

The ET Soonicorns Summit 2025 will explore the potential of AI to drive growth, secure the digital ecosystem, and uphold trust in India's technological future. The conference will discuss the use of AI to bridge the digital divide, safeguard against financial fraud, and navigate ethical dilemmas such as deepfakes. Thought leaders, innovators, and changemakers will converge to discuss how AI can drive equitable growth and secure India's digital future.

India is poised to become a global innovation leader in artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors, as evidenced by recent government initiatives and partnerships. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched the IndiaAI Mission with a ₹10,371 crore outlay, aiming to transform the country's AI ecosystem and position India as a global leader in responsible AI development and governance [1]. This mission includes indigenous AI governance frameworks, bias mitigation, algorithmic transparency, and deepfake detection, all tailored to India's unique social, cultural, and linguistic diversity.

The IndiaAI Mission also focuses on democratising AI innovation, making it accessible to startups, researchers, and students. The AI Compute for Everyone pillar has made over 34,000 GPUs available at nearly 89% below market rates, while the AI workforce pillar is launching flagship skills programmes in tier 2 and tier 3 cities to open pathways for entry-level AI jobs [1]. The Safe and Trustworthy AI pillar is developing indigenous governance frameworks, with eight projects initiated and more than 400 under evaluation [1].

In parallel, India is strengthening its semiconductor capabilities. The government has approved six semiconductor manufacturing projects worth about ₹1,55,000 crore, including Tata's ₹91,000 crore fab and the CG Power–Renesas project. These projects are expected to begin commercial production within one to five years, with India aiming to launch its first indigenous chip by the end of 2025 [1].

The India Semiconductor Mission is supporting the full value chain—chip design, packaging, and testing—beyond the establishment of fabrication units. The Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme provides financial support for design across ICs, chipsets, SoCs, systems, and IP cores, with reimbursement of up to 50% of eligible costs, capped at ₹15 crore per application [1]. The Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme aims to train 85,000 specialists in VLSI and embedded system design over five years, with EDA tools provided to 278 academic institutions and 72 startups [1].

Global partnerships, such as the U.S.–India iCET and the CHIPS Act, are also playing a crucial role in advancing India's semiconductor capabilities. The United States is a key strategic partner, with Micron's ATMP facility in Gujarat producing around 40 million units per week for domestic and global markets, and U.S. companies like Lam Research, Applied Materials, AMD, and Microchip announcing significant investments in India [1].

The upcoming ET Soonicorns Summit 2025 will explore the potential of AI to drive growth, secure the digital ecosystem, and uphold trust in India's technological future. The conference will discuss how AI can bridge the digital divide, safeguard against financial fraud, and navigate ethical dilemmas such as deepfakes, with thought leaders, innovators, and changemakers converging to discuss equitable growth and secure India's digital future.

References:

[1] https://government.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/digital-india/revolutionizing-ai-and-semiconductors-indias-path-to-global-innovation-leadership/123218800