India set to lead in electronics manufacturing, AI race: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that India is destined to expand in electronic manufacturing while addressing the News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2025.

"Every country which got into electronics manufacturing, they all started with the same process, be it South Korea or Vietnam. Most countries had the similar phase of starting from scratch. We're following the same trajectory that these countries followed initially. We're now at the components stage," said Ashwini Vaishnaw, adding that electronics manufacturing has grown at 17 per cent CAGR and exports have grown at 20 per cent CAGR in the last five years despite Covid-19.

He mentioned that the electronics manufacturing sector currently employs 25 lakh individuals, with majority of women.

When questioned about whether the government would permit Chinese phone manufacturers like Vivo and Oppo to form a partnership for production in India under PLI schemes, Vaishnaw responded, "any country, or company who wants to work in India have full freedom to work here. Companies usually want to enter JVs when they aspire to grow at a faster pace.”

Discussing India's advancements in artificial intelligence, the minister stated that the country is set to develop its own AI model. "Compute power and talent has given an edge to developers and startups," said Vaishanw.