Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar Launches Digital India FutureLABS, Unveils 22 MoUs at Summit

New Delhi: Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Jal Shakti, inaugurated the “Digital India FutureLABS” and delivered the keynote address at the ‘Digital India FutureLABS Summit 2024.’ The summit, themed ‘Catalyzing the Next-generation Electronics System Design through Digital India FutureLABS,’ witnessed the announcement of 22 MoUs between C-DAC and industry partners.

Notable companies, including NXP Semiconductors, Tenstorrent, and Qualcomm India, signed MoUs in areas like High-Performance Computing, Design & Innovation in the Compute space, and Indian Telecom Stack.

Addressing the summit, Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar engaged with senior leadership from major industry players, startups, young innovators, and academia within the electronics manufacturing sector.

Chandrasekhar highlighted India’s transformation over the past decade, evolving from a consumer and talent provider for global technology companies to a nation actively developing technologies, intellectual properties, and solutions for both domestic and international markets. He emphasized the role of Digital India FutureLABS in fostering the next wave of startups in AI, Semiconductors, Electronics System Design & Innovation.

The Minister stressed that Digital India FutureLABS completes the innovation architecture initiated by PM Narendra Modi in 2015 through the Digital India program. The initiative provides an opportunity for Indian startups to lead in developing NextGen Electronics in sectors such as Automotive, Compute, Telecom, Industrial, and Strategic Electronics.

Chandrasekhar drew parallels with renowned laboratories like AT&T’s Bell Labs, stating that the expected outcome from FutureLABS includes globally competitive, affordable, low-cost, and trusted high-performance systems. He emphasized principles like openness, safety, and trust in building a robust digital ecosystem.

Coordinated by C-DAC, the Digital India FutureLABS aims to capitalize on the trillion-dollar opportunity presented by the Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) sector. The initiative seeks to enhance domestic R&D capabilities, create a collaborative ecosystem, and develop IPs and standards for the next-generation Electronics System Design in India.

Focusing on key growth areas such as Compute, Communication, Automotive & Mobility, Strategic Electronics, and Industrial IoT, the FutureLABS initiative strategically leverages futuristic technologies like AI, Big Data, and Quantum Computing. This marks a transformative phase in Indian research, positioning the country at the forefront of global advancements in the electronics domain.