The forthcoming decade is a promising one. It is expected to create a robust ecosystem, complete with smart objects and all things connected.

Speaking at the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA)’s Vision Summit 2019, S Shri Gopalakrishnan, joint secretary in the national government’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), said: “We are at the cusp of interesting times. 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) will result in disruptive growth. However the fact that billions of devices will be connected will bring its share of challenges. What makes this different from the previous disruptions is that almost all devices will be connected.”

When devices connect, their data, which is in raw form, needs to be gleaned to be made usable. Devices need to be designed and deployed to take advantage of usable data. For instance, when data becomes usable, they send out updates and monitor the device functioning through alerts. Device management is an area that calls for specialisation.

A second aspect is that many types of devices will connect and their data will be stored on cloud. We need an architectural framework for protecting and securing the data. More so, as we are in a data-driven computing era, fuelled by technologies like IoT, 5G and machine learning.

Increasing device connectivity and demand for data security will expand the frontier of start-ups and entrepreneurs. This will give rise to a new breed of professionals who will need to tailor innovative solutions for device connectivity and security.

In its thrust for digitisation, the Government of India and its connected bodies are taking strides to encourage talent. A case in point is that MeitY has planned a start-up hub. This will be a common hub for start-ups to share resources, and will link academia with industry.

IESA and the Government of Karnataka (GoK) plan to create a 5G village in Karnataka for the benefit of rural-urban citizens of the state.

“The domestic sector should take advantage of the upcoming opportunities in 5G. This computing wave will unfold economic opportunity to the tune of one trillion dollars between 2020 and 2030,” noted Anil Kumar Muniswamy, chairman of IESA and managing director of SLN Technologies.

Such initiatives point to the fact that the future is far more tech-enabled than before. And it’s not just start-ups but even the electronics sector which requires a cutting-edge boost. Already electronics has gathered momentum in the country. The next frontier in electronics would be to reduce imports and nurture the domestic market. A combination of design, R&D and IT should result in competitively designed electronics products and mobile phones. These need to be retailed in the global marketplace.

Besides electronics, Internet of Things (IoT) is another technology being tapped for large-scale purposes. IoT applications are vast and diverse. They encompass almost everything including smart cities, utilities, agriculture, healthcare, energy, retail and automobile. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a growth driver in the tech-enabled world. “The future lies in AI and Indian companies are its early adopters. The ground is being prepared as technical educational institutes are training AI-ready students,” reasoned Dr Walden Rhines, CEO Emeritus at Mentor Graphics. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Hyderabad has announced the launch of a Bachelor of Technology programme in AI for 2019-2020. On its part, IIT Kharagpur will launch a six-month course in AI.

The Government, academia and industry have a vision to drive tech-based innovation and drive it with scale. This is the only way for the country to move forward in the global economy. Of course, this vision can be realised if we build a community of skilled workers. No short-term initiative will be able to provide income relief for people at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Technology should be made available to everyone.

The forthcoming decade is a promising one. It is expected to create a robust ecosystem, complete with smart objects and all things connected.

Speaking at the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA)’s Vision Summit 2019, S Shri Gopalakrishnan, joint secretary in the national government’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), said: “We are at the cusp of interesting times. 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) will result in disruptive growth. However the fact that billions of devices will be connected will bring its share of challenges. What makes this different from the previous disruptions is that almost all devices will be connected.”

When devices connect, their data, which is in raw form, needs to be gleaned to be made usable. Devices need to be designed and deployed to take advantage of usable data. For instance, when data becomes usable, they send out updates and monitor the device functioning through alerts. Device management is an area that calls for specialisation.

A second aspect is that many types of devices will connect and their data will be stored on cloud. We need an architectural framework for protecting and securing the data. More so, as we are in a data-driven computing era, fuelled by technologies like IoT, 5G and machine learning.

Increasing device connectivity and demand for data security will expand the frontier of start-ups and entrepreneurs. This will give rise to a new breed of professionals who will need to tailor innovative solutions for device connectivity and security.

In its thrust for digitisation, the Government of India and its connected bodies are taking strides to encourage talent. A case in point is that MeitY has planned a start-up hub. This will be a common hub for start-ups to share resources, and will link academia with industry.

IESA and the Government of Karnataka (GoK) plan to create a 5G village in Karnataka for the benefit of rural-urban citizens of the state.

“The domestic sector should take advantage of the upcoming opportunities in 5G. This computing wave will unfold economic opportunity to the tune of one trillion dollars between 2020 and 2030,” noted Anil Kumar Muniswamy, chairman of IESA and managing director of SLN Technologies.

Such initiatives point to the fact that the future is far more tech-enabled than before. And it’s not just start-ups but even the electronics sector which requires a cutting-edge boost. Already electronics has gathered momentum in the country. The next frontier in electronics would be to reduce imports and nurture the domestic market. A combination of design, R&D and IT should result in competitively designed electronics products and mobile phones. These need to be retailed in the global marketplace.

Besides electronics, Internet of Things (IoT) is another technology being tapped for large-scale purposes. IoT applications are vast and diverse. They encompass almost everything including smart cities, utilities, agriculture, healthcare, energy, retail and automobile. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a growth driver in the tech-enabled world. “The future lies in AI and Indian companies are its early adopters. The ground is being prepared as technical educational institutes are training AI-ready students,” reasoned Dr Walden Rhines, CEO Emeritus at Mentor Graphics. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Hyderabad has announced the launch of a Bachelor of Technology programme in AI for 2019-2020. On its part, IIT Kharagpur will launch a six-month course in AI.

The Government, academia and industry have a vision to drive tech-based innovation and drive it with scale. This is the only way for the country to move forward in the global economy. Of course, this vision can be realised if we build a community of skilled workers. No short-term initiative will be able to provide income relief for people at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Technology should be made available to everyone.