India Tech Tracker - October 2023

BUSINESS STANDARD | OCTOBER 26, 2023

The Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS), a not-for-profit organization, is bringing eleven grassroots innovators together through its initiative, “Flip the Notion.” By doing so, the initiative aims to institutionalize a participatory, community-led approach that will in turn facilitate the development of community-driven frameworks. The overall focus of this initiative is to harness climate resilience through innovation. As a part of this, the innovators presented various interventions and outreach programs that have been executed in communities affected by climate change. They also discussed the positive impact that these engagements have had when it comes to future preparedness and upskilling.

 

BBC | OCTOBER 19, 2023

A day after the United States tightened export controls on semiconductor sales to China, U.S.-based Nvidia and Taiwan-based Foxconn announced their partnership in establishing "AI factories." These data centers leverage Nvidia chips for various applications, including autonomous vehicle training, robotics, and language models. This partnership aims to tap into the growing AI market. However, the United States’ intention to impose additional restrictions on advanced chip exports to China will impact Nvidia's operations, particularly the sale of high-end AI chips like the A800 and H800 in the Chinese market.

 

Foxconn, known for its Apple product manufacturing, aims to diversify and transition into a platform solution company, exploring domains like smart cities and smart manufacturing. It is also betting on electric vehicles as a growth driver. Nvidia's stock valuation has surged past $1 trillion, placing it among the elite "trillion dollar club" alongside Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon.

 

MINT | OCTOBER 13, 2023

India is advancing its AI strategy, with seven committees submitting reports on the same. This strategy includes developing an India Datasets platform to collect anonymized data for AI models and creating AI compute infrastructure through public-private partnerships. The India AI initiative prioritizes supporting startups, enhancing skills, and addressing challenges related to computing and structured data, especially in local languages. The forthcoming Digital India Act will deal with AI dataset monetization and regulation. The aim is to make AI a driver of India’s $1 trillion digital economy, benefiting sectors like agriculture, healthcare, education, fintech, cybersecurity, governance, and language programs. Data sets will be managed independently, focusing on anonymization, while regulation will emphasize the use of AI models rather than the datasets themselves.

 

ECONOMIC TIMES | OCTOBER 7, 2023

E-commerce giant Amazon launched the first pair of prototype satellites for its planned Kuiper internet network. This is part of its plan to deploy an additional 3,236 satellites and offer broadband internet globally over the next few years. Elon Musk’s SpaceX is also competing for the latter goal, with nearly 5,000 Starlink satellites in orbit. The Kuiper network was first announced in 2019, and Amazon has pledged a total of $10 billion for its development. Last month’s mission will now test the company’s first pieces of technology in space. According to information shared by the web giant, the two satellites were built at a plant in Redmond, Washington, and the remaining satellites will be launched in bulk. Over the next decade, the market for broadband internet services from low-Earth orbiting satellites is estimated to become worth nearly tens of billions of dollars.

FORBES | OCTOBER 31, 2023

Last month, G7 leaders reached agreement on a set of international guiding principles on artificial intelligence (AI). They also agreed on a voluntary code of conduct for AI developers. This is an outcome of the Hiroshima AI process, which was established at the G7 Summit in May to endorse global guardrails for advanced AI systems. The code "aims to promote safe, secure, and trustworthy AI worldwide and its purpose is to provide voluntary guidance for actions by organizations developing the most advanced AI systems, including the most advanced foundation models and generative AI systems." The eleven principles listed under the code include testing AI systems prior to their deployment, the development of risk mitigation policies, public reporting of the capabilities and limitations of AI systems, information sharing, and reporting incidents involving misuse, among others.

 

REUTERS | OCTOBER 27, 2023

As per a recent UN announcement, a thirty-nine-member advisory body will be created to address issues in the international governance of AI. It will be comprised of a diverse set of representatives from six continents. For its immediate tasks, the advisory body will need to build a global scientific consensus on risks and challenges, help harness AI for sustainable development goals, and strengthen international cooperation on AI governance. Additionally, it will help bridge other existing and emerging initiatives on AI governance and issue preliminary recommendations by the end of 2023, with final recommendations forthcoming in the summer of 2024, ahead of the Summit of the Future.

 

BUSINESS STANDARD | OCTOBER 26, 2023

Announcing the establishment of the world’s first AI safety institute, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that the institute “will carefully examine, evaluate, and test new types of AI so that we understand what each new model is capable of.” He also said that the institute will explore “all the risks from social harms like bias and misinformation.” While expressing his belief that AI could cause a transformation equivalent to the industrial revolution or the birth of the internet, he sounded caution on the issue of dual use of technology. He also touched on the fear of humanity losing control over technology. The announcement was made ahead of the Global AI Summit held last week. Speaking on the summit invite to China, Sunak explained that there could be no serious strategy on AI without engaging leading powers.

 

GLOBAL TIMES | OCTOBER 18, 2023

In a significant development for AI governance, China has launched its Global AI Governance Initiative. It is framed as a notably different one compared to the United States’, which is seen as imposing stricter restrictions on AI to preserve its dominance. Instead, the Chinese initiative is considered to promote an “open, inclusive, and fair approach” to the governance of emerging AI technology. It opposes using AI for manipulating public opinion, spreading disinformation, or interfering in other nations' internal matters and emphasizes “fairness and non-discrimination in AI development.” Additionally, it seeks to address universal concerns regarding AI development and governance, foster international discussions and rulemaking, and promote cooperation and benefits for all through AI technology. The initiative is likely to have implications for technological development with its Belt and Road Initiative partners.

 

CNBC | OCTOBER 17, 2023

The U.S. Department of Commerce is tightening restrictions on advanced AI chip sales to China, aiming to close previous loopholes in export controls. These restrictions affected chip stocks like Nvidia, Broadcom, Marvell, AMD, and Intel, which saw stock price declines in response. Prior limitations prevented the sale of Nvidia's H100 processor, but China could buy slightly slower versions, like the H800 or A800. The new rules now ban these chips as well, potentially impacting Intel and AMD. These restrictions target AI semiconductors, raising concerns about potential economic retaliation from China. Nvidia had anticipated these restrictions, acknowledging their potential long-term consequences. The United States aims to prevent Chinese access to advanced semiconductors for AI, especially for military applications, not to hinder China's economic growth. The rules include performance thresholds for exporting AI chips to China, and companies must notify the U.S. government for such exports. These rules will undergo a 30-day public notice period before taking effect.

WALL STREET JOURNAL | OCTOBER 23, 2023

SpaceX and the European Space Agency recently signed an agreement for two launches that will carry four of Europe’s navigation satellites, Galileo, into orbit next year. For the first time in fifteen years, Galileo satellites will be launched from outside EU territory. The mission will mark the first time that SpaceX launches a satellite by EU containing classified equipment. This has nudged both the United States and the EU to start talks on an agreement to protect classified information stored on the satellites.

 

BUSINESS STANDARD | OCTOBER 18, 2023

IBM has signed memoranda of understanding with entities within India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to accelerate innovation in AI, semiconductors, and quantum technology for India. The aim is to accelerate India’s comprehensive strategy for AI, strengthen efforts toward self-reliance in semiconductors, and advance its National Quantum Mission. As part of the three MoUs, the company intends to build a national AI Innovation Platform (AIIP) under the India AI program. In addition, IBM will establish a center for cultivating the semiconductor research and development ecosystem while also developing India’s infrastructural capabilities for providing local quantum services.

 

THE HINDU | OCTOBER 12, 2023

The Union Cabinet approved the country's three separate MoUs with Papua New Guinea, France, and Trinidad and Tobago in the field of digital technologies. The memorandum signed with France furthers work on previously agreed-upon cooperation goals between the two countries. These include their participation in the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence and the 2019 Indo-French Roadmap on Cybersecurity and Digital Technology. The MoUs signed with Papua New Guinea and Trinidad and Tobago concern the sharing of successful digital solutions implemented at population scale for digital transformation. Both agreements mentioned India’s efforts to promote India Stack, an indigenous set of software and protocols that constitute the foundation for Aadhaar and the Unified Payments Interface. The MoUs signed with Papua New Guinea and Trinidad and Tobago represent India’s leadership efforts in the global south. This involves supporting countries in their digital public infrastructure (DPI) journey by sharing open-source versions of the systems used to build India’s digital identity and payments infrastructure.

 

MONEY CONTROL | OCTOBER 4, 2023

India’s National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) has partnered with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to launch a $600-million fund that will invest in sustainability projects. A statement from the Indian government said that the JBIC will contribute 51 percent of the figure, and India will contribute the rest. As per a statement from the NIIF, this fund will target investments in sustainable projects in the areas of renewable energy, e-mobility, and waste management. The fund is also expected to boost collaboration between firms in the two countries amid instability in global supply chains.

PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU | OCTOBER 31, 2023

From November 1 to November 9, 2023, the NITI Aayog will be organizing feeder thematic workshops on varied themes that were discussed in the G20 New Delhi Leaders' Declaration. The workshops encompass a variety of themes, such as G20 to G21, data for development, tourism, digital public infrastructure, sustainable development goals, trade, the Indian development model, women-led development, reforming multilateral development banks, and climate finance and green development. The first workshop in this series is on the overarching theme of how India and the AU can cooperate for a better, more inclusive world.

 

INDIA TODAY | OCTOBER 22, 2023

U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will be visiting Delhi tentatively on November 9–10 for the “2+2” meeting with their Indian counterparts, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. According to sources, the officials are expected to discuss the full spectrum of the India-U.S. strategic relationship and explore ways to strengthen these ties. They are also likely to discuss regional security and other strategic issues, in which regard the ongoing conflict with China along India’s northern borders may come up.

 

PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU | OCTOBER 18, 2023

The Sixth Assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), which was launched by India and France after COP21, will be held in New Delhi from October 30–November 2. The assembly will be presided over by Shri R.K. Singh, the president of the ISA assembly and the union minister for power and new and renewable energy. Participants will include ministers, missions, and delegates from 116 member and signatory countries. The assembly will also be attended by delegates from prospective countries, partner organizations, the private sector, and other stakeholders. At the sixth assembly, participants will discuss ISA initiatives that are relevant for energy access, energy security, and energy transitions. The focus of these discussions will be on universalizing energy access through solar mini grids, mobilizing the finance required to accelerate solar deployment, and diversifying solar supply chains and manufacturing.

 

GOV.UK | OCTOBER 16, 2023

The AI Safety Summit, scheduled for November 1 and 2, 2023, will host government officials from around the world, including those from the United States and China, along with prominent AI companies, civil society organizations, and research experts. Participants will deliberate on pressing issues related to the advancement and safety of AI. The program for the first day encompasses discussions on the risks stemming from frontier AI misuse, unpredictable AI capability leaps, potential loss of control over advanced AI, and the integration of AI into society, all culminating in comprehensive conclusions. A subsequent round of discussions on improving AI safety will tackle responsible scaling for AI developers, the role of policymakers in managing AI risks and opportunities, international collaboration requirements, and advancements in AI safety solutions. The day concludes with a panel discussion on AI's potential to revolutionize education and address future generations' needs. Day two will feature prime minister-led talks among governments, companies, and experts, exploring measures to address AI risks and promote its positive use, alongside discussions with international counterparts to establish next steps in AI technology.

 

TIMES OF INDIA | OCTOBER 6, 2023

In the first of its kind, a virtual summit will bring the G20 together for the second time in a year. Scheduled for November 22, the virtual summit will focus on the implementation of decisions taken at the New Delhi summit held earlier in September. As per government sources, some initial deliberations have already been held, and a detailed agenda is in the works.