India to play 'major role' in 6G development: Ashwini Vaishaw
Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, highlighted India's impressive progress in 6G technology at the Google for India event held today. Vaishnaw shared that India already holds 200 patents related to 6G and is set to play a "major role" when the technology launches in 2029. At the event, Google unveiled new services and initiatives, including made-in-India Pixel phones and artificial intelligence (AI) advancements.
Exporting telecom components to global markets
Vaishnaw was questioned about India's ranking as one of the top two 5G ecosystems globally, despite having launched just a year ago. He confirmed that India now exports complex telecom components to 14 countries, including the US. This accomplishment showcases India's growing influence in the global telecommunications industry and its potential to become a key player in developing future technologies.
Pixel smartphones and India's manufacturing growth
The minister also touched on Google's strong partnership with India and the production of Pixel smartphones in the country. He commended the initiative, noting that India's component ecosystem is evolving rapidly. "Mobile manufacturing was negligible nine years ago but the Prime Minister's vision has led to close to 44 billion dollars worth of manufacturing, while the export of mobile phones is at $11 billion," he said.
Semiconductor ecosystem and AI revolution
Vaishnaw revealed nearly 50,000 engineers are currently working on semiconductor chip design in India. Rick Osterloh, Google's Senior VP of Devices and Services, said, "The heart of the Pixel smartphone is the Tensor chip. I believe computing is going to be transformed with AI and Tensor helps us bring it to Pixel phones." "We have a significant engineering presence in Bengaluru to work on the Tensor chipset. Another way of helping Indian consumers and the economy with engineering and training."
