AI is scripting Paradigm shift in Indian ICT landscape-Union Commerce secretary

Indiasoft-2019 Opens, 400 foreign delegates, 250 exhibitors participate

Hyderabad, February 4, 2019: The sweeping digital revolution taking place in India would create a lot of capacities in the frontier technologies like artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IOTs), robotics, genome etc that would help India to maintain its global ICT leadership, according to Dr.Anup Wadhawan, Secretary, Commerce, Government of India.

While giving the key-note address at the two day Indiasoft 2019 inaugurated at the High Tech City in Hyderabad, organized by Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC) today, Dr Wadhawan said, “ cutting edge technologies coupled with accelerated penetration of mobile telephony is scripting paradigm shift in how Indians do business, toning up our governance structure, delivery of justice and importantly the ICT export composition from the country.” Developing world, particularly can take advantage of these radical changes to leapfrog their IT penetration from low-end scale to the cutting edge level, taking advantage of India’s capabilities and intellectual capital, he added.

More than 400 delegates from 60 countries along with 250 Indian exhibitors including startups are participating in the Indiasoft 2019, which is being held for the sixth time in Hyderabad at various points of time. The show is fast emerging as “GlobalSoft” with the participation of close to 22 companies from abroad showcasing their products and solutions-two from the US and 20 from ASEAN countries.

Lauding Hyderabad’s contribution to IT and technology, the commerce secretary said that it could share the ubiquitous title of Silicon Valley of India along with Bengalauru, in view of the great strides being made by the State of Telengana in attracting global companies for setting up their R&D divisions and in proliferating incubators, which are evolving cutting edge products and solutions

Dr Wadhawan said that very soon 60% of India’s GDP would have to do something with artificial intelligence, robotics and IOTs and India, which is already third in the pecking order of intellectual capital in AI, would considerably expand the profile by 2021. The positive spin-offs of the IT revolution would peak by 2030. At that time India would have multitudes of entrepreneurs, startups and a huge capacity built up in the emerging landscape of embedded technology, blending hardware and software. Importantly, all types of products –from low end to high end-will be made available by Indian entrepreneurs at affordable cost, which cannot be sourced from anywhere in the world.

Importantly, Dr Wadhawan released the Statistical Yearbook of ESC, which, among other things, contains the estimates of IT exports for various destinations.

Sketching the great strides being made by the State of Telengana, especially Hyderabad in the ICT sector, Mr. Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, Information Technology, Electronics, and Communications, Government of Telengana said that five largest IT corporations in the US have their largest operations in Hyderabad next to their home operations in the US. These include Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon and all their complex solutions like mapping, technology innovation, robotics, Alexa, Windows 8 etc are done from Hyderabad. Even the works related to Google robotics –Alexa- are done from the city, he remarked.

Mr. Nalin Kohli, Chairman, Indiasoft/ Globalsoft, organizing committee explained the strides being made by the Indiasoft since its inception in 2001. From an India show, it is gradually becoming a global event with the participation of more and more global companies in displaying their products and solutions. He also explained about the expertise developed by the ESC in holding the show, which is now entirely managed in-house and expressed the confidence that it would very soon emerge as one of world’s largest show, particularly for the small and medium enterprises and startups.

Despite Global Challenges, during the last few years, IT Exports worth around US $ 120 billion in 2017 and 18, indicate the healthy status of the Indian IT industry, particularly the computer software industries and services. It also goes on to show India’s inherent strength in the knowledge industry, informed Mr. Nalin Kohli

Mr. Mandeep Singh Puri, Chairman ESC explained various services extended by the ESC to IT exporters in expanding their businesses. The ESC seal, which is introduced now would give value added services to member exporters connecting their website with that of ESC’s, thereby enhancing their visibility.

ESC—Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council is India’s premier export promotion organization with over 2300 members exporters across Pan India. ESC’s history, spanning over two and half decades, is closely inter woven with the ICT landscape of India. India’s transformation to a major IT hub has been gradual arduous. As an Industry body, the council successfully steered India’s ICT exports from a meager US $ 50 million in 1989 to US $ 126 billion in 2018, he informed.

Mr DK Sareen, Executive Director, ESC in his Vote of Thanks exhorted IT exporters to avail the value added services rendered by ESC to expand their global footprint. Further, he stated that India has already established it’s hallmark for deliverance of quality IT products, solutions globally. It is time now to explore and uncover new frontiers of technology and markets.

The two day International IT Exhibition and Conference will conclude on Tuesday evening.