India-US Tech Trade: A New Era in ICT Collaboration

India's demand for American information and communication technology (ICT) products is set to soar as the country focuses on developing data centres and artificial intelligence initiatives. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal emphasized this requirement on Saturday, highlighting ongoing discussions with the US under the interim trade agreement. This agreement aims to dismantle barriers for US medical devices and remove restrictive import licensing procedures for ICT goods.

Significantly, India and the United States will boost trade in technology products, including graphics processing units (GPUs) and other data centre resources, expanding joint technology cooperation. Goyal expressed that importing such ICT products, particularly Nvidia chips and AI equipment, is crucial for India's national security and technological advancement.

The shift to importing ICT goods from the US reflects an effort to diversify away from Chinese imports, which had previously dominated the market. In light of the strategic partnership, India plans to subsidize GPU availability under the India AI Mission to encourage the development of AI technology domestically.