The year 2024 saw several key initiatives of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to advance India’s digital growth, focusing on AI, cyber security, and skill development with the aim to make technology more accessible, boost innovation, and strengthen India’s position in technology on the global stage.

As many as nine projects under the scheme for the promotion of manufacturing electronic components and semiconductors (SPECS) were approved by the government to generate 15,710 jobs. Also, 6.39 crore individuals were trained under Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Sakshatra Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) exceeding the target of six crore.

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The Central government approved four semiconductor manufacturing units in India under the Semicon India programme. The country has taken lead in global partnership of Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) by hosting the 6th meeting of the GPAI ministerial council here and is set to be the outgoing chair in 2025.

The skill development training was undertaken for 18,209 SC/ST and EWS (women) youth across 81 aspirational districts to make them reliable for employment and entrepreneurship. With 50 plus stakeholders on board, BHASHINI bridged language barriers for accessible digital services with 100 million plus inferences per month; translation services are available in 22 scheduled Indian languages.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched three PARAM Rudra supercomputers to strengthen research and innovation in the country with Physics, earth sciences and cosmological studies to get a boost.

These supercomputers are built using indigenously designed and manufactured High Performance Computing servers, known as “Rudra,” along with a locally developed software stack. The PARAM Rudra Supercomputers will significantly enhance research capabilities for young scientists in India, facilitating advanced studies in physics, earth sciences, and cosmology.

With the commissioning of the above three PARAM Rudra supercomputers, as of now, a total of 33 supercomputers with a combined compute capacity of 32 Petaflops, have been deployed across various academic institutions, research organizations, and R&D labs, including prominent institutions like IISc, IITs, C-DAC, and other institutions from Tier-II and Tier- III cities of the country under NSM.

These supercomputers facilitate over 10,000 researchers, including more than 1,700 PhD scholars from over 200 academic institutions and R&D labs across the country. NSM has created opportunities for researchers from Tier-II and Tier-III cities to conduct research by providing access to state-of-the-art supercomputing facilities.