G20 Summit: Industry Leaders Applaud India's Tech-Forward Presidency
India's G20 Presidency concluded on Sunday, marking a significant milestone in its history. With a strong emphasis on a digital-first approach, the summit underscored India's ambitious goals in addressing global technological and innovative disparities while championing a sense of global unity encapsulated in the slogan 'One Earth, One Family, One Future.'
Speaking on the G20 Summit, Sindhu Gangadharan, SVP & MD, SAP Labs India and Vice Chairperson, nasscom said, “India's technological growth is a narrative underscored by exceptional innovation, catalysed by India's vast pool of tech talent. Once seen as the global back-end support hub for IT, India has transformed into a strategic centre for R&D and innovation for companies worldwide.”
Gangadharan stressed that as a technologist, it was heartening for her witness this remarkable progress acknowledged and celebrated on a global stage “as exemplified by the recent G20 Summit”.
5G And 6G Boom
According to Ankit Agarwal, Managing Director at Sterlite Technologies (STL), the recent G20 summit led by India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi ignited the global stage by channeling the nation's technological vision towards fostering inclusive development and digital empowerment.
Agarwal emphasised that the summit marked a major step in Indo-Pacific 5G and 6G tech. With a focus on digital transformation and sustainability, it laid a strong foundation for collaboration, innovation, and investment in advanced telecom.
“Initiatives like the Indo-Pacific digital partnership will speed up network deployment. They'll enable new education, healthcare, transport, and manufacturing services, creating jobs and business opportunities and proving the fact that real progress comes from using technology for the greater good while addressing the challenges responsibly, inclusively, and with a focus on people's rights and safety.” - Ankit Agarwal, Managing Director at Sterlite Technologies (STL)
On similar lines, Sunil David, co-Chair, the Digital Communications working group, IET Future Tech Panel said, “Given the focus on digital infrastructure and AI, what clearly emerged is that mobile technologies like 5G and 6G in the future will continue to be at the core of innovation in the Asia Pacific region and will be a key enabler of a number of digital transformation initiatives that will have tremendous business and societal impact.”
Underlining a GSMA report, David highlighted that there will be around 1.4 billion 5G connections by 2030, representing around 41 per cent of the total mobile connections. This will have a huge impact on the economy of every sector from services to manufacturing.
The key trends that will shape the 5G and 6G mobile ecosystem will be the rise of Generative AI, the shift to a circular economy and the growth of the Fintech ecosystem, the Co-chairperson added.
Furthermore, Mahendra Nahata, Managing Director at HFCL, stated, “We welcome the recently signed bilateral MoU between India and the US Government. The signing of a MoU between the Bharat 6G Alliance and the Next G Alliance, operated by the Alliance of Telecommunications Industry Solutions, is certainly a first step toward deepening public-private cooperation between telecom vendors and telecom operators facilitating the 5G/6G technologies.”
“We believe that Open RAN will unlock a plethora of opportunities for both telecom equipment manufacturers and operators, ultimately benefiting end consumers and enhancing global connectivity,” Nahata added.
The AI Potential
Industry reports expect the artificial intelligence (AI) technology market to surge at a CAGR of 39 per cent reaching USD 11,781 million by 2025.
Underscoring the G20 Summit’s role in recognising the AI’s potential, Sanjay Gupta, Chairperson at IESA said, “AI is advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and addressing the global challenges.”
Gupta highlighted that the global leadership’s commitment to implementing the G20 AI Principles, which prioritises the development and use of human-centric, ethical and trustworthy AI, initiatives like the Artificial Intelligence for Good Global Summit and AI for Good - All Year Always Online, came to the fore. He felt this would facilitate collaboration between AI innovators and problem solvers.
“Today, India produces 16 per cent of the global AI talent. Therefore, it is no surprise that AI – one of the most transformational technologies of our time – featured among the most discussed topics at G20.” – Sindhu Gangadharan, SVP & MD, SAP Labs India and Vice Chairperson, nasscom
G20’s Semiconductor Commitment
Shedding light on the semiconductor plans, IESA Chairperson Sanjay Gupta acknowledged the importance of resilient and diversified technology supply chains, especially in the semiconductor sector. G20 leaders have committed to ongoing action in this area. Emphasising on this, Gupta said, “We are certain that this commitment will assist India in its mission to bolster chip manufacturing capabilities, reduce import dependency, and enhance domestic innovation.”
Weighing-in on chip-making vision and more, Shailender Kumar, Senior Vice President and Regional Managing Director, Oracle India said the G20 Summit positioned India at the forefront of global efforts to advance socio-economic development and sustainable goals. “Technology has played a pivotal role in bolstering this progress, and it's truly remarkable to witness the impact it has made on citizens, society and industry – overall benefitting countries at large.”
Kumar shared that as a nation, India has garnered recognition as a partner in key technological domains like semiconductors, supercomputing and high-performance computing and the G20 summit provided India an opportunity to make a resounding global impact by harnessing the technological prowess.
G20: A Tech Benchmark
Ashwin Yardi, CEO – India, Capgemini, felt the global unity underlined at the G20 Summit showed the immense potential of the technology landscape. “India found itself in a unique position to offer and enhance its expertise, innovation, and workforce, driving positive change and showcasing its technological value to world leaders (through its G20 presidency),” he said.
Underlining India’s tech benchmark at the summit, Yardi stated that recognised as a partner for artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, supercomputing, high-performance computing, and quantum technology globally, India presented itself for meaningful global collaboration by offering its technological prowess, robust talent pool, and a flourishing startup ecosystem.
Key Takeaways Of The Summit (as per Mahendra Nahata, Managing Director at HFCL):
