EU, India to strengthen AI, semiconductor, 6G partnerships

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India and the European Union are collaborating to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to tackle natural disasters and climate change challenges while also enhancing joint efforts in semiconductor research and manufacturing, secured telecommunication networks, and cybersecurity.

In addition, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have committed to finalizing a trade agreement by the end of this year. This aims to solidify the relationship between the two regions further, especially as global trade and political dynamics continue to be disrupted under the current United States leadership.

“The planets are aligned, and so are Europe and India,” Von der Leyen said at a joint press conference with Modi.

“I’m here today with the whole College of Commissioners. It is our first visit outside Europe since we took office in December, and this shows how much we value our partnership. India is a like-minded friend. We are the two largest democracies in the world,” Von der Leyen said.

According to European Commission data, the EU is India’s largest trading partner, accounting for €124 billion ($133 billion) worth of trade in goods in 2023 or 12.2% of total Indian trade, topping the U.S. (10.8%) and China (10.5%). The EU is the second-largest destination for Indian exports (17.5% of the total) after the U.S. (17.6%).

“We (India and EU) are both powerhouses of innovation and entrepreneurship, the kind that only democracies can nurture. We share the belief that technology should serve the people and not the other way around, and here, artificial intelligence is a perfect example. It is advancing at a scale and speed never seen before. I’m convinced that Europe and India working together can shape a future in which AI is a driver of a positive change in our economies and our societies,” Von der Leyen added.

She said both countries will apply AI in natural hazards, climate change, and bioinformatics.

“AI should be at the heart of our strategic agenda,” she pointed out.

India and the EU engaged in discussions spanning various sectors such as trade, technology, innovation, skill development, and mobility, among others. The two nations are also focused on strengthening investment ties. At the same time, dedication to sustainability remains a top priority, as evidenced by talks on green hydrogen, renewable energy, and other related areas.

The EU and India also intend to work together on economic growth.

“One of the best examples of this partnership is the new Federation of European businesses in India. It brings together 6,000 EU companies, which have created eight million direct and indirect jobs in this economy,” Von der Leyen pointed out.

“Now we have tasked our teams to build on this momentum and finalize our free-trade agreement before the end of the year,” she informed.

Von der Leyen’s visit comes amid growing global uncertainty, as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes to impose new tariffs on both allies and adversaries. Meanwhile, Modi is actively pursuing new partnerships to secure access to investments and advanced technologies to drive job creation and economic growth.

“For Europe, India is a pillar of certainty in an increasingly uncertain world,” Von der Leyen said.

“We know that authoritarian states are getting bolder, ignoring borders, threatening peace at sea. Now is the time to step up our security and defense cooperation on land, at sea, and in space. For example, cyber security has never been as crucial as today. Our cyber dialogue offers a platform for effective cooperation and information exchanges because threats are evolving, becoming more sophisticated by the day,” she added.

Digital public infrastructure

Von der Leyen said that India’s Aadhar and the EU digital wallet aim to offer public and private services to nearly two billion citizens.

“Interoperability of our digital identities will strengthen ties even more between India and the European Union,” she said.

Semiconductors, high-performance computing, 6G

Both India and the EU reaffirmed the importance of deepening their digital cooperation on digital governance and connectivity. Both regions have committed to leveraging their respective strengths to accelerate a human-centric digital transformation and the development of advanced and trustworthy digital technologies such as AI, semiconductors, high-performance computing, and 6G, which will benefit both economies and societies. Furthermore, both agreed to jointly strengthen their research and innovation to enhance competitiveness while increasing their economic security.

“We’re committed to strengthen cooperation in semiconductor R&D and manufacturing, and we are cooperating in the future of secured telecommunication networks. In particular, our industrial associations have agreed to closely cooperate on 6G,” Von der Leyen pointed out.

Both regions have also agreed to explore joint research and development (R&D) in chip design, heterogeneous integration, sustainable semiconductor technologies, and technology development for advanced process design kit (PDK), among others. According to the joint statement, India and the EU will strengthen their semiconductor ecosystems to improve technological capabilities and ensure supply chain resilience by developing sustainable, secure, and diversified semiconductor production capacities. Moreover, both regions have committed to developing a dedicated program to facilitate talent exchanges and foster semiconductor skills among students and young professionals.

“People are essential for Europe’s competitiveness. Yet we face a gap, and India can help to close it. Let’s increase students and skilled workers’ exchanges. Let’s share expertise, talent, and experience,” Von der Leyen said.

Building ‘trustworthy’ AI

Both regions reiterated their commitment to safe, secure, trustworthy, human-centric, sustainable, and responsible AI and to promoting this vision on the international level. In addition, the European AI Office and India AI Mission agreed to deepen cooperation, encourage an ecosystem of innovation, and foster information exchange on common open research questions for developing trustworthy AI.

They also agreed to enhance cooperation on large language models (LLMs) and harness AI’s potential for human development and the common good, including through joint projects such as developing tools and frameworks for ethical and responsible AI. These will build on the progress made under R&D collaboration on high-performance computing applications in the areas of natural hazards, climate change, and bioinformatics.

The joint statement said both regions will also enhance cooperation on IT and telecom standardization, with a particular focus on promoting interoperable global standards.

In February, von der Leyen, who spoke at the AI Action Summit in Paris, announced the mobilization of 200 billion euros ($206.38 billion) for AI investment in Europe. Von der Leyen claimed this to be the largest public-private partnership in the world for the development of “trustworthy AI.”

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