The joint communication between India and European Union was released on September 17
Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the centre of the European Union's (EU) new strategic agenda with India. The joint communication released on September 17 calls for cooperation on large language models (LLMs), AI for public goods such as healthcare, agriculture, and climate action.
Crucially, the European AI Office, India's National AI Mission, and the India AI Safety Institute will work together to advance development of AI.
How will the EU and India cooperate on AI?
According to the strategy document, the European AI Office will link with the IndiaAI Mission and the India AI Safety Institute to build trustworthy, human-centric AI while guarding against its risks.
What about collaboration in the semiconductor ecosystem?
The paper recommends leveraging India's chip design expertise and EU's research infrastructure to advance semiconductor R&D.
"Opportunities for cooperation include joint research and development, reciprocal talent exchanges, and strategic joint ventures on advanced semiconductors, focusing on design and prototyping for artificial intelligence (AI) applications, leveraging Indian chip design expertise and European research infrastructures under the Chips Act," the paper says.
Are there plans to link Aadhaar with Europe's digital identity wallet?
Yes. Interoperability between India's Aadhaar system and the EU's planned Digital Identity Wallet is explicitly proposed.
The idea, according to the paper, is to allow seamless use of digital IDs for cross-border trade, travel, and data exchange.
Both sides also plan broader cooperation on digital public infrastructure (DPI), building on India's experience with scale and inclusion and the EU's leadership in global standards.
What about data protection and cross-border flows?
The strategy document describes trusted cross-border data flows as "vital" for innovation and reliable AI.
It highlights the potential to securely connect European and Indian data ecosystems and commits Brussels to working with New Delhi on a robust data-protection framework.
"Trusted cross-border data flows are vital for trade, innovation, reliable AI, and cooperation in law enforcement and digitisation of justice. There is potential to better connect EU and Indian data ecosystems in a secure and compatible manner. The EU will engage with India to promote a robust data protection framework and promote convergence in its implementation," the paper says.
Will supercomputers and quantum be part of the agenda?
They already are. Under the EU-India Administrative Arrangement on High-Performance Computing (HPC), collaboration has begun in biomedical research, weather modelling, and natural hazard prediction.
The document suggests expanding this to shared HPC capabilities and hybrid quantum-HPC systems.
What role does space technology play?
The EU and India will also deepen cooperation on earth observation, satellite navigation, space surveillance, and communications. A dedicated Space Dialogue has been proposed to strengthen collaboration and address space-security concerns, adding a new dimension to the tech partnership.