Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue Strengthens Global Partnership on Trusted Technology with Strategic Visit to India

West Lafayette, Indiana & New Delhi, India – A delegation from the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue University, the world’s preeminent trusted technology accelerator, visited India September 7-12, 2024. Building on Purdue’s deep partnerships in India, the delegation engaged with government officials, academic institutions, industry organizations, business leaders, and stakeholders in the electronics, telecom, and technology sectors, broadening the Institute’s reach in the world’s largest democracy and advancing the widespread innovation, deployment, and adoption of trusted technologies.

The Krach Institute delegation, led by Senior Advisor to the Chairman Len Khodorkovsky, met with Dr. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Sunita Verma, head of the R&D group at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman of the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), Sarika Gulyani, head of ICT, Mobile Manufacturing, New Age Technologies at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), CEO Kiran Shesh and Professor-In-Charge Leena Vachhani of the Technology Innovation Hub Foundation for IoT & IoE at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, and numerous tech entrepreneurs, including Sanjay Behl, CEO and Co-Founder of Nextqore and Chairman of SmartWheels, and Avinash Gupta, Co-Founder and Director of Zealthix and ASAPPP. Finally, the delegation briefed India’s former Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to the U.S. Harsh Shringla, who currently serves as the Commissioner for India on the Krach Institute’s Global Tech Security Commission, about the forthcoming announcement of the international body’s recommendations to advance trusted technology and safeguard freedom from techno-authoritarian threats.

During the visit, the Krach Institute delegation joined Purdue University President Mung Chiang, Dean of the Mitch Daniels School of Business Jim Bullard, and other members of Purdue’s leadership at SEMICON India. At the premier conference focused on the semiconductor industry, the group heard Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of India as a trusted partner in the global semiconductor supply chain. The Purdue-India partnership was highlighted during the inaugural ceremony, underscoring Purdue’s role as an academic partner and collaborator with the government of India and the flagship international university partner of the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), partnering in workforce development and joint research and innovation in the fields of semiconductors and microelectronics.

This engagement follows a keynote address by the Chairman of the Institute Keith Krach at SEMICON Taiwan on September 5, 2024, where Krach’s remarks focused on the importance of the new category of Tech Diplomacy in shaping global affairs.

“In an increasingly interconnected world, trusted technology is the key to securing freedom for our children,” emphasized Keith Krach, Chairman of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue. “India’s leadership in technology makes it a vital partner in engineering our shared destiny.”

“Our mission is to ensure technology advances freedom,” added Len Khodorkovsky, Senior Advisor to the Chairman. “We cannot accomplish this mission without India. That is why both the Krach Institute and Purdue University are committed to long-term strategic engagement with India.”

India is a country of top strategic importance to Purdue University. The 125-year Purdue-India relationship is deep and broad. More than 3,000 Indian students call Purdue home and more than 250 faculty of Indian origin provide instruction and engage in world-changing research on campus and with partner institutions in India.

The Krach Institute is partnering with India’s leadership in deploying trusted tech training through its Tech Diplomacy Academy, and collaborating with Indian experts in developing the trusted tech standards.

About the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue

The Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue is the world’s preeminent trusted technology accelerator. As the leader in the new category of Tech Diplomacy, the Institute integrates technology expertise, Silicon Valley strategies and foreign policy tools to build the Global Trusted Tech Network of governments, companies, organizations and individuals to accelerate the innovation and adoption of trusted technology and ensure technology advances freedom.

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