Digital India targets trillion-dollar growth with AI, semiconductors and quantum technologies

Digital India to power India's growth story with AI, chips and DPI: MeitY

India is poised for a digital leap, with AI, semiconductors, and indigenous manufacturing set to drive economic growth. Building on a decade of digital progress, the nation is investing heavily in advanced technologies. From affordable mobile data and a world-leading digital payments system to significant strides in financial inclusion and transparent governance, India is transforming into a global tech creator and exporter, aiming for developed economy status by 2047. India is preparing to enter the next phase of its digital transformation with artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, quantum technologies and indigenous electronics manufacturing expected to become key engines of economic growth over the coming decade. As the Digital India programme completes 11 years on July 1, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology Secretary S Krishnan (MeitY) said the digital ecosystem built over the past decade has laid a strong foundation for India's ambition of becoming a developed economy by 2047, with future investments increasingly directed towards advanced technologies, domestic manufacturing and globally scalable digital public infrastructure. According to MeitY, Digital India has evolved from a programme focused on connectivity into one that powers governance, financial inclusion, manufacturing and innovation at population scale. India today has over 102.86 crore internet connections, 99.56 crore broadband subscribers, and 5G services covering 99.9 per cent of districts, while the cost of one GB of mobile data has dropped from around Rs 270 in 2014 to Rs 8-10, making India one of the world's most affordable digital economies. The country's digital payments ecosystem has emerged as a global benchmark. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) now processes around 24,162 crore transactions annually, valued at nearly Rs 314 lakh crore, with about 75 crore transactions taking place every day. MeitY noted that India accounts for nearly half of all real-time digital payments globally, while the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recognised UPI as the world's largest real-time payments system. The platform has already been adopted or integrated by nine countries, with India's Digital Public Infrastructure now being shared with 24 countries. Financial inclusion has also deepened significantly. The government has transferred over Rs 51.5 lakh crore directly to beneficiaries under 323 Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes, virtually eliminating leakages in welfare delivery. Digital governance has expanded rapidly through platforms such as DigiLocker, which now hosts more than 900 crore documents for over 70 crore users, while the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has facilitated transparent public procurement worth Rs 19.51 lakh crore. The manufacturing ecosystem has witnessed a structural transformation as well. India has moved from importing more than 75% of its smartphones in 2014 to becoming one of the world's leading smartphone exporters, supported by the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme and a rapidly expanding electronics manufacturing base. The next phase of this transformation will be driven by semiconductors. MeitY said 12 semiconductor projects worth nearly Rs 1.65 lakh crore have already been approved under the Semicon India Programme, while India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 is expected to accelerate fresh investments. Marking a major milestone, CG Semi's semiconductor facility at Sanand, Gujarat, is set to be inaugurated this week. The plant, one of India's first commercial Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facilities, will undertake chip assembly, packaging, testing and post-test services, significantly strengthening the domestic semiconductor value chain, reducing import dependence and positioning India as a global hub for semiconductor packaging. Artificial intelligence is expected to become the next growth frontier. Under the IndiaAI Mission, with an outlay exceeding Rs 10,000 crore, the government is creating shared AI computing infrastructure, supporting 15 indigenous foundation models, and making high-performance computing available at just Rs 65 per hour to startups, researchers and enterprises. Parallel investments under the Rs 6,003.65 crore National Quantum Mission and the National Supercomputing Mission are expected to further strengthen India's deep-tech capabilities. MeitY said the next chapter of Digital India will focus on expanding indigenous capabilities in AI, semiconductors, quantum computing and cybersecurity while strengthening digital trust and data protection. With India climbing from 81st to 38th in the Global Innovation Index over the past decade and more than 2,100 Global Capability Centres employing 23.6 lakh professionals, the ministry said the country's digital transformation is increasingly positioning India not just as a technology adopter, but as a global technology creator and exporter, reinforcing its vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047.

Digital India set to power India's next trillion-dollar growth story as AI, semiconductors and digital public infrastructure take centre stage: MeitY

India is poised for a digital leap, with AI, semiconductors, and indigenous manufacturing set to drive economic growth. Building on a decade of digital progress, the nation is investing heavily in advanced technologies. From affordable mobile data and a world-leading digital payments system to significant strides in financial inclusion and transparent governance, India is transforming into a global tech creator and exporter, aiming for developed economy status by 2047. India is preparing to enter the next phase of its digital transformation with artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, quantum technologies and indigenous electronics manufacturing expected to become key engines of economic growth over the coming decade. As the Digital India programme completes 11 years on July 1, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology Secretary S Krishnan (MeitY) said the digital ecosystem built over the past decade has laid a strong foundation for India's ambition of becoming a developed economy by 2047, with future investments increasingly directed towards advanced technologies, domestic manufacturing and globally scalable digital public infrastructure. According to MeitY, Digital India has evolved from a programme focused on connectivity into one that powers governance, financial inclusion, manufacturing and innovation at population scale. India today has over 102.86 crore internet connections, 99.56 crore broadband subscribers, and 5G services covering 99.9 per cent of districts, while the cost of one GB of mobile data has dropped from around Rs 270 in 2014 to Rs 8-10, making India one of the world's most affordable digital economies. The country's digital payments ecosystem has emerged as a global benchmark. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) now processes around 24,162 crore transactions annually, valued at nearly Rs 314 lakh crore, with about 75 crore transactions taking place every day. MeitY noted that India accounts for nearly half of all real-time digital payments globally, while the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recognised UPI as the world's largest real-time payments system. The platform has already been adopted or integrated by nine countries, with India's Digital Public Infrastructure now being shared with 24 countries. Financial inclusion has also deepened significantly. The government has transferred over Rs 51.5 lakh crore directly to beneficiaries under 323 Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes, virtually eliminating leakages in welfare delivery. Digital governance has expanded rapidly through platforms such as DigiLocker, which now hosts more than 900 crore documents for over 70 crore users, while the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has facilitated transparent public procurement worth Rs 19.51 lakh crore. The manufacturing ecosystem has witnessed a structural transformation as well. India has moved from importing more than 75% of its smartphones in 2014 to becoming one of the world's leading smartphone exporters, supported by the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme and a rapidly expanding electronics manufacturing base. The next phase of this transformation will be driven by semiconductors. MeitY said 12 semiconductor projects worth nearly Rs 1.65 lakh crore have already been approved under the Semicon India Programme, while India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 is expected to accelerate fresh investments. Marking a major milestone, CG Semi's semiconductor facility at Sanand, Gujarat, is set to be inaugurated this week. The plant, one of India's first commercial Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facilities, will undertake chip assembly, packaging, testing and post-test services, significantly strengthening the domestic semiconductor value chain, reducing import dependence and positioning India as a global hub for semiconductor packaging. Artificial intelligence is expected to become the next growth frontier. Under the IndiaAI Mission, with an outlay exceeding Rs 10,000 crore, the government is creating shared AI computing infrastructure, supporting 15 indigenous foundation models, and making high-performance computing available at just Rs 65 per hour to startups, researchers and enterprises. Parallel investments under the Rs 6,003.65 crore National Quantum Mission and the National Supercomputing Mission are expected to further strengthen India's deep-tech capabilities. MeitY said the next chapter of Digital India will focus on expanding indigenous capabilities in AI, semiconductors, quantum computing and cybersecurity while strengthening digital trust and data protection. With India climbing from 81st to 38th in the Global Innovation Index over the past decade and more than 2,100 Global Capability Centres employing 23.6 lakh professionals, the ministry said the country's digital transformation is increasingly positioning India not just as a technology adopter, but as a global technology creator and exporter, reinforcing its vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047.

Next Phase of Digital India Growth to be Powered by AI, Chips and Quantum Tech

India plans to power its next phase of digital transformation with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI), microchip manufacturing and quantum technologies with a focus on indigenous development as a means of driving economic growth over the next ten years. This was indicated by the MeitY secretary S Krishnan as the country celebrates eleven years of its Digital India Program on July 1. The country would focus on building a digital ecosystem that carries forward the foundations laid over the past decade. It also ties in with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's declaration of the Viksit Bharat goals to be achieved by 2047 when India celebrates a century since Independence. Towards this end, investments would be directed towards creating advanced technologies with a clear focus on domestic manufacturing and global-scale digital public infrastructure, Krishnan has said. Last week, the official had met US Under Secretary of State Jacob Helberg at the Pax Silica Summit seeking clarifications over continuity in sharing latest AI technology. "We sought an understanding of how exactly the US is looking at this particular aspect and what their concerns are and how, in the future, this could be a reliable source of technology, because if it is something which is to be used and made available, we can't have abrupt cutoffs. We were given an understanding of how the US looks at this particular issue and how, going forward, they will ensure that for trusted partners, access will not be an issue," he had said. Per a statement from the MeitY, Digital India has evolved now from a program of bringing connectivity into one that powers governance, financial inclusion, manufacturing and innovation at population scale. India today has over 102.86 crore internet connections, 99.56 crore broadband subscribers, and 5G services covering 99.9 per cent of districts, while the cost of one GB of mobile data has dropped from around Rs 270 in 2014 to Rs 8-10, making India one of the world's most affordable digital economies, the ministry said. Highlighting the import of India's digital payments ecosystem developing into a global benchmark, the note said UPI processes 24,162 transactions annually, valued at over Rs.314 lakh crore with about 75 crore daily transactions, MeitY said noting that India now accounts for nearly half of all real-time digital payments globally. Meanwhile, the NPCI CEO Dilip Asbe highlighted the next growth phase of India's payment gateway whereby the effort would be to raise daily transactions to a billion. On the financial inclusion front, the government had transferred over Rs.51.5 lakh crore directly to beneficiaries of 323 direct benefit transfer schemes that virtually eliminated the chances of welfare leakages. Similarly, DigiLocker now hosts over 900 crore documents for its over 70 crore users. The document referred to India's shift in developing a manufacturing ecosystem whereby it has become a leading smartphone exporter within 12 years. In 2014, the country imported more than 75% of all smartphones sold in India, the note said while highlighting that the next phase of digital transformation will be driven by microchips. The government has already approved 12 chip projects worth over Rs.1.66 lakh crore under the Semicon India Program while the Indian Semiconductor Mission 2.0 is slated to bring in fresh investments soon. In this connection, the CG Semi's chipmaking facility at Sanang in Gujarat is being inaugurated during the week to undertake chip assembly, packing, testing and post-test services. The government's India AI Mission set up with a budgetary outlay of more than Rs.10,000 crore to create computing infrastructure. Once in place, this would support 15 indigenous domestic models and high-performance computing would be made available at Rs.65 per hour for startups, researchers and enterprises. In parallel, the National Quantum Mission and the National Supercomputing Mission with an outlay of over Rs.6,000 crore is expected to strengthen India's deep-tech capabilities. This comes at a time when China recently stole a march over the United States by building a supercomputer that is more powerful than any built till date. The MeitY note further stated that the next chapter of Digital India would focus on expanding the country's indigenous capabilities around AI, semiconductors, quantum computing, and cybersecurity with due focus on digital trust and data protection.