Seoul – With the intention to broaden the horizon of the semiconductor supply chain, the United States, India and South Korea conducted the first trilateral technology dialogue. According to the readout released by the US Consulate in the Republic of Korea (ROK), the inaugural session was held in Seoul. The trilateral meeting came after the three countries inaugurated the US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) in January 2023. India has been working aggressively to get its hands on the chip production market. In light of this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday laid the foundation for three semiconductor projects which are worth Rs 1.25 trillion. The project aims to commence chip production in the country by 2026. 

“Following the inauguration of the US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) in January 2023 and the US-ROK Next Generational Critical and Emerging Technology Dialogue in December 2023, the United States, India, and the ROK convened an inaugural trilateral technology dialogue in Seoul,” the consulate stated in a statement on Wednesday. As per the readout, the three sides were led by Senior Director Tarun Chhabra of the U.S. National Security Council, Deputy National Security Advisor Wang Yunjong of the ROK National Security Office, and Joint Secretary Lekhan Thakkar of the Indian National Security Council Secretariat. The delegations pledged to work together to actively deliver technology solutions for the broader Indo-Pacific region.

What happened during the meeting?

During the meeting, the three nations discussed opportunities to "cooperate on semiconductor supply chains; telecommunications and digital public infrastructure; artificial intelligence; quantum; space; advanced materials; clean energy and critical minerals; defence industrial development and production; and biotechnology, including active pharmaceutical supply chains.” The three nations are also committed to collaborating and building a trusted technology ecosystem in the region and around the world. 

India's ambition to be a semiconductor hub

While addressing a gathering at “India’s Techade: Chips for Viksit Bharat” in Dholera, the Prime Minister said that India will become a semiconductor hub in the near future. “India has left behind old thoughts and old approaches and has moved much ahead. India is taking speedy decisions and making policies. We have lost decades in semiconductor manufacturing. But we should not lose a single moment now,” PM Modi said in his 25-minute address. 

“In the 60s, India had dreamed of semiconductor manufacturing and thought in this direction. But the governments then could not take advantage of the opportunities that were before us. The biggest reason for this was a lack of will, a lack of efforts to convert thoughts into action and a lack of making bold decisions for the country. Due to this, for many years, India’s dream of making semiconductors remained a dream,” he added. The recent dialogue in Seoul and the developmental projects in India are in line with the government's recent push to make India a manufacturing hub for semiconductor chips. The production and flow of these chips have been impacted significantly amid the brewing tensions between the US and China.