PM Narendra Modi meets tech CEOs in New York, discusses AI, semiconductors, biotechnology

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a three-day visit to the US, met top American innovators and technology leaders from various sectors, including biotechnology, semiconductors and electronics, in New York for “fruitful” discussions on the potential of innovation that India has to offer to develop these sectors and make them accessible to a wider population.

“Had a fruitful roundtable with CEOs of technology companies in New York, discussing aspects related to technology, innovation and more. The progress made by India in this area was also highlighted. Happy to see tremendous optimism about India,” PM Modi wrote on X after the discussions.

The roundtable, held at the Lotte New York Palace in New York, brought together some big names. Google CEO Sundar Pichai was in attendance, as were IBM CEO Arvind Krishna and Noubar Afeyan, CEO of Moderna, among others.

“The Prime Minister highlighted India’s economic growth prospects and discussed initiatives to foster cooperation and innovation in various sectors,” external affairs ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said on the X programme.

The main objective of the meeting, organized by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was to engage in productive conversations and build relationships with industry leaders with the aim of exploring all opportunities for collaboration between the industries they lead and represent in the US and India. The main topics were artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum computers and biotechnology.

The meeting came just a day after Prime Minister Modi held bilateral talks with US President Joe Biden at his residence in Delaware. During the talks, both leaders appreciated and lauded the mutual efforts made by both the countries to facilitate the semiconductor supply chain. The recently established GlobalFoundries (GF) Energy Centre in Kolkata was also mentioned, which aims to benefit both the countries in the development and research of semiconductors.

The two leaders agreed to further cooperation between India and the United States to support and develop new technologies, from artificial intelligence to advanced semiconductor processors, according to a fact sheet released by the White House detailing the talks.

Before the CEO Roundtable, Prime Minister Modi also addressed a large gathering of representatives of the Indian-American community who had gathered on Long Island to listen to their country’s leader address.

On the third and final day of his visit, Prime Minister Modi will deliver a speech at the “Future Summit” at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.