India must move beyond being just a services-oriented economy and focus on becoming a product nation, developing end-to-end solutions in both software and hardware, said Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw. Speaking at the 'Chips 2 Startups' and Indian Web Browser Development Challenge awards ceremony, he stressed that innovation should no longer be limited to government institutions but should involve a broad partnership of startups, academia, students, and researchers.
Vaishnaw underscored the need for India to address the entire spectrum of chip design and development, considering both value and volume. He highlighted the example of chip controllers in Brushless DC (BLDC) motors, a crucial component in electric vehicles, as a high-volume, mid-value segment where India can make a significant impact. He also pointed out that RISC-V, an open-source chip architecture, presents an opportunity for India to design its own CPUs and GPUs, making it a sustainable product in the global market.
Abhishek Singh, CEO of the IndiaAI Mission, echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing the importance of India developing its own large language model (LLM). He warned that the cost of not building an indigenous AI model could surpass the investment required to create one. For true digital inclusion, an Indian AI model must support voice-based interactions, especially for the 500 million people who are yet to be fully integrated into the digital economy.
Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Jitin Prasada, called for stronger research and development collaborations between India and the global technology ecosystem. He urged industry leaders to prioritize research as the key to India's progress in the sector.
Singh further called upon India’s large IT firms to invest in AI research, stating that companies like TCS and Infosys should establish dedicated research divisions, similar to global tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Intel. He questioned why only startups are taking risks in cutting-edge technology while established IT companies hesitate to do so.
India’s transition to a product-based economy, with a focus on AI, chip design, and indigenous innovations, will be critical in shaping the future of its technology sector.