During a White House discussion between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, both countries pledged to enhance cooperation in areas of critical and emerging technologies. The leaders announced the US-India Transforming the Relationship Utilising Strategic Technology (TRUST) initiative. Areas of focus included artificial intelligence, semiconductors, data centres, and quantum computing.

The TRUST initiative aims to catalyse collaboration between governments, academia, and the private sector to promote the application of critical and emerging technologies in areas like defence, AI, semiconductors, quantum computing, biotechnology, energy, and space. The initiative encourages the use of verified technology vendors and ensures sensitive technologies are protected. As part of the TRUST initiative, India and the US committed to building trusted and resilient supply chains, including those for semiconductors, critical minerals, advanced materials, and pharmaceuticals.

The leaders committed to work with US and Indian private industry to put forward a US-India roadmap on accelerating AI infrastructure by the end of the year. This roadmap will identify constraints to financing, building, powering, and connecting large-scale American-origin AI infrastructure in India with milestones and future actions.

The leaders also announced the launch of INDUS Innovation, a new innovation bridge modelled after the successful INDUS-X platform. This initiative will advance US-India industry and academic partnerships and foster investments in space, energy, and other emerging technologies to maintain leadership for both sides in innovation and to meet the needs of the 21st century.

The leaders hailed 2025 as a pioneering year for US-India civil space cooperation, with plans for a NASA-ISRO effort through AXIOM to bring the first Indian astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS), and early launch of the joint 'NISAR' mission.

The two sides announced a new partnership between the US National Science Foundation and the Indian Anusandhan National Research Foundation in researching critical and emerging technologies. The partnership builds on ongoing collaboration in areas such as semiconductors, connected vehicles, machine learning, next-generation telecommunications, intelligent transportation systems, and future biomanufacturing.

They also resolved to work together to counter the common challenge of unfair practices in export controls by third parties seeking to exploit the overconcentration of critical supply chains.

The leaders determined that their governments would redouble efforts to address export controls, enhance high-technology commerce, and reduce barriers to technology transfer while addressing technology security. They also resolved to work together to counter unfair practices in export controls by third parties seeking to exploit the overconcentration of critical supply chains.

PTI