Two successive high level political engagements in the last few months have given the desired impetus to further strengthen India-Russia 'Special & Privileged Strategic Partnership’. Foreign Minister S Jaishankar visited Moscow in December 2023, and his meeting with President Putin set the telephonic conversation between the political leaders in January 2024.

Among many regional and global issues including Ukraine war, Prime Minster Modi and President Putin took stock of the progress of multiple issues that span the bilateral cooperation. The Russian readout noted that both leaders were satisfied with “practical cooperation in such areas as trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation, energy, transport and logistics, and cooperation in the Russian Far East”.

So far India has diplomatically maneuvered the sanction against Russia and has imported oil. Major Indian refiners are now in talks with Russian Rosneft for an annual deal to secure a combined volume of up to 400,000 bpd of Russian oil for the next fiscal year that starts in a few days on 01 April 2024. On its part, India is desirous of diversifying exports to Russia and explore supplying high-end-crosscutting technologies as it emerges as a major manufacturing hub of semiconductor.

Russia and India have embarked on the mission to create self-sufficiency in microchips and other electronics. Last year in May, the Russian government announced the Concept of Technological Development until 2030. Under this proclamation, by 2030, the Russian economy must ensure the production of high-tech products - chips and other microelectronics, high-precision machine tools and robotics, aerospace equipment, drones, medicines and medical equipment, telecommunications equipment and software. Furthermore, the share of such domestic goods in total consumption should be no less than 75%.

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has emphasised that the main task is to ensure “technological sovereignty” through domestic research and development which should stimulate Russian economy and open new industries and create jobs. Although “technological sovereignty” is not new in Russian thinking and replaces the earlier term “import substitution”, it is triggered by the understanding that the country must build, preserve and act strategically and autonomously in an era of intensifying and increasingly complicated geopolitical tensions as well as open disagreements about core values including issues such as democracy, human rights, etc.

Following launch of the special military operation against Ukraine, Western countries have imposed sanctions on Russia making it difficult for the country to obtain technology, equipment, and services needed by key industries. This has resulted in the disruption of Russia’s supply and production chains, causing severe disruptions in industrial development. Hence there is urgency in Russia to invest in “technological sovereignty”.

At home, in India, Prime Minister Modi has the vision for an “Atmanirbhar Bharat” or “self-reliant India,” and “Viksit Bharat”. These are strategic imperative for the country’s future prosperity and national security. PM Modi sees these as the cornerstone for India's development into a future as well as socio economic development of the people. Central to this vision is the conviction that a nation's comprehensive power is deeply rooted in its manufacturing process which necessitates bolstering India's industrial capabilities.

The Indian government has announced plans to incentivizing domestic manufacturing and allocated US$ 1.3 billion to private companies boosting local manufacturing over the next year. IT giants such as Apple, Motorola, Lenovo, have begun production in India and this has boosted exports from US$ 10.6 billion in 2021 to US$ 22.7 billion in 2023.

In this context, the critical necessity and demand for microchips by India and Russia merits attention. Both countries realize the economic, technological and geopolitical significance of the semiconductor industry. The Russian Quantum Centre (RQC), a Russian non-government entity, is looking to partner with Indian academic and research institutes as part of its plan to build quantum applications and hardware for public services. “With India, we have been in discussions for technical expertise on creating common standards in various areas of quantum computing,” Aleksey Akimov, principal investigator at RQC said.

India has recently laid the foundation stone of three semiconductor projects to enhance the semiconductor ecosystem and reduce imports. Prime Minister Modi stated that “India is already a tech-space, a nuclear power and a digital power. We will soon start commercial production of semiconductors and related products,”

In essence, the Russian and Indian understanding of “Technological sovereignty” and “Atmanirbhar Bharat” is quite similar although these are triggered by different circumstance and reasons. There are several convergences between the Russian Concept of Technological Development and Self-reliant India Campaign “‘Made in India Chip’ and ‘Designed in India Chip’”, which need to be examined and partnerships that are created will lead to technological sovereignty in both countries.

Dr. Vijay Sakhuja is associated with Kalinga International Foundation, New Delhi, and is Emeritus Professor of Research, SoA Center for Integrated Maritime Studies and Research (SOACIMSR), Siksha 'O' Anusandhan University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.