New Delhi, October 18 (IANS). Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnav on Saturday described data as the new oil and data centers as the new refineries.
Emphasizing the government’s vision of self-reliance, Union Minister Vaishnav at the ‘NDTV World Summit’ said that India aims to become self-reliant in critical minerals and digital infrastructure in the coming years.
He said, “We should ensure that our country’s talent gets opportunities within the country instead of going outside the country.”
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said the government is taking a big step on digital credit as part of its effort to make financial services more accessible through technology.
Lauding the fast and efficient implementation of 5G network in the country, the Union Minister said that this achievement of India has attracted the attention of the world.
The Union Minister said, “India implemented 5G so fast that the world was amazed. We have the second largest 5G network in the world. This helped us reach remote areas. About 90 percent of the country is connected to the 5G network.”
Union Minister Vaishnav also highlighted India’s growing presence in the field of AI and announced that Bengaluru-based startup Sarvam will launch its indigenous AI model by December this year or January next year. He also said that he is excited to use Sarvam’s model once it is launched.
The Union Minister also praised Google’s proposal to set up an AI hub in Visakhapatnam with an investment of $15 billion and claimed that this will boost the development of AI research in India.
He said, “It is very important to have computer facilities in our country. Once these are available, the ability to do quality research and create AI applications will improve.”
According to Union Minister Vaishnav, in terms of telecommunication technology, 6G will completely replace the existing 4G and 5G networks.
“6G will be completely different. Whatever you have in your hands will be part of that network,” he said.
The Union Minister emphasized India’s leadership in digital infrastructure across the world and pointed out that currently more than 13 countries are using India’s UPI framework and more than 50 countries have shown interest in implementing the Aadhaar framework.
–IANS
SKT/
