US multinational technology giant IBM on Wednesday inked three pacts with the IT ministry in a bid to drive innovation in Artificial Intelligence, semiconductor and quantum technology for India.
The move aims to add momentum to India's comprehensive national strategy for AI, strengthen efforts to be self-reliant in semiconductors, and advance National Quantum Mission.
The agreements will help the IT ministry access IBM's capabilities to build and advance India's competency and scale its growth mission in the AI, semiconductor and quantum space.
"These are technologies that will shape the future of tech... they represent tremendous opportunities for academic, startup and innovation ecosystem, as also the broader opportunity of creating global standard talent in India that can take advantage of the scope in quantum, semiconductor and AI," Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said at a briefing.
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IBM will be a knowledge partner of the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) for a semiconductor research centre.
IBM may share its experience with ISM on intellectual property, tools, initiatives, and skills development, aimed at promoting innovation in semiconductor technologies such as logic, advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration, and advanced chip design technologies, using modernised infrastructure.
India is moving ahead at full speed on the Indian Semiconductor Mission, and has achieved tremendous progress, the minister said.
The IBM partnership will significantly expand the footprint of semiconductor innovation in startups, help in semiconductor research in the soon-to-be-announced semiconductor India research centre and address the issue of creating talent in semiconductor.
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IBM and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) will also explore opportunities for working jointly to support the advancement of India's National Quantum Mission by building competency in quantum computing technology, applications in areas of national interest, and a skilled quantum workforce.
Activities would broadly focus on workforce enablement, development of industries and startups, R&D, and quantum services and infrastructure.
"IBM and IndiaAI -- Digital India Corporation intend to collaborate to establish a national AI Innovation Platform (AIIP) for India that will focus on AI skilling, ecosystem development, and integrating advanced foundation models and generative AI capabilities to support India’s scientific, commercial, and human-capital development in this technology," an IBM release said.
AIIP will serve as an accelerator for incubation and competency development in AI technologies and their applications for use cases of national importance.
Sandip Patel, Managing Director, IBM India and South Asia, said the collaboration reinforces the company's commitment to be the trusted partner for India in enhancing its innovation capabilities.
"Supporting the government's efforts in building infrastructure, enhancing human capital and knowledge creation in these three areas of technology will be integral to India's digital transformation and economic growth," Patel said.
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