India and the United States convened a closed-door roundtable on June 25, 2026, bringing together senior government officials and industry leaders to strengthen cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductor supply chains, and critical minerals. The meeting, organized by the Indian Embassy in Washington DC along with the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) and Silverado Policy Accelerator, aimed to deepen the strategic technology partnership between the two countries.
Key Participants and Focus Areas
Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Secretary S. Krishnan, and US Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce Bill Guidera addressed the gathering. The roundtable included representatives from Indian and American companies working in semiconductors, critical minerals, and AI. Additional Secretary (Americas) Nagaraj Naidu from the Ministry of External Affairs, USISPF President Mukesh Aghi, and Deputy Assistant Secretary Christopher Saldana from the US Department of Energy also participated in the discussions.
The Indian Embassy highlighted the meeting on X, stating, "Securing the foundations of AI together!" The post emphasized the closed-door nature of the event and the focus on addressing shared barriers for investment, creating durable demand signals, and exploring opportunities for AI collaboration at various levels, including frontier and application.
Strengthening Investment and Collaboration
The roundtable discussions concentrated on improving the investment environment and expanding bilateral cooperation on AI. According to the embassy, the dialogue aimed to tackle obstacles to investment, establish long-term demand signals, and identify avenues for AI cooperation. This includes both cutting-edge AI research and practical applications.
Earlier, on June 8, Ambassador Kwatra held a series of high-level meetings with corporate and technology leaders to discuss investment expansion, supply chain resilience, and emerging technologies. He met with Chris Nicholas, President and CEO of Walmart, to deliberate on the company's deepening footprint in India. The ambassador described it as a "productive conversation" about Walmart's investments, long-term growth plans, and commitment to building resilient supply chains.
Focus on Futuristic Technologies
In another meeting, Ambassador Kwatra engaged with Ylli Bajraktari, President and CEO of the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), ahead of Bajraktari's visit to New Delhi for the India-US Forum. The discussion covered advanced technologies including quantum computing and the future of AI, particularly Physical AI. The ambassador noted the expanding India-USA cooperation in the tech space, emphasizing the importance of these dialogues for bilateral tech ties.
The roundtable and associated meetings underscore the growing strategic technology partnership between India and the US, with both nations seeking to secure the foundations of AI and critical technology supply chains.
