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Nilekani lists three key domains for semicon

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CIOL Bureau
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BANGALORE, KARNATAKA: The Indian Semiconductor Association (ISA), the trade body representing the Indian semiconductor driven industry, today kicked off the ISA Vision Summit 2009 at The Leela Palace, Bangalore. Vision Summit 2009 will take place on February 16 and 17, 2009.

The inauguration ceremony of the ISA Vision Summit 2009 in Bangalore.The ISA Vision Summit 2009 was inaugurated by the Guests of Honor, Dr. Debesh Das, Honorable Minister-in-Charge, Department of Information Technology, Government of West Bengal and Dr. Arunachalam, Chairman & Founder, Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), Bangalore.

Delivering his keynote address, Nandan M. Nilekani, Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors, Infosys Technologies Ltd, said, "Communication, healthcare and energy are the key domains that the semiconductor industry should leverage for potential business." The focus of his speech was on three vectors:

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Communication: Every citizen can be given an electronic Nandan M. Nilekani, Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors, Infosys Technologies Ltddevice to connect to a grid ubiquitously. This will create a huge opportunity for electronic devices and it is here that semiconductor technology needs to be deployed.

Healthcare: The healthcare system will change to a hub and spoke approach. India needs to redesign the way we deliver healthcare on a large scale at affordable price and the semiconductor industry has a vital role to play.

Energy: Post carbon economy we need to stabilize the greenhouse gas effects. We need to concentrate on smart grids which need to be bi-directional to integrate energy creation from multiple smaller source points. Therefore, semiconductors at every node will make the grid more intelligent. 

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"We need solutions, which are scalable and low cost to reach the billions in this country and presently, the demographic dividend is at its best where the next 30 years we stand to gain from this young country," he added. Our demographic dividend gives us the rare advantage over the rest of the global and to this end, let us work toward this.

Dr. V.S. Arunachalam, Chairman & Founder, Centre for Study of Science,  Technology and Policy (CSTEP), Bangalore, said that the two primary concerns today in India are: terrorism and energy, and of the two energy is most acute in this country.

He said, "The evolution in energy will be in generation and distribution.” He also touched upon the concept: Next Generation Infrastructure.

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The sessions highlighted India as an emerging market driven by innovation and addressing the unique needs of a billion people. It was also observed that while products are manufactured and assembled in India, local sourcing is key to growth rather than imports. SMEs could drive growth in the coming period and influence both technology and its usage. There is a need for better hardware and software to be developed together to be more effective.

Summing up the proceedings of the day, Ms. Poornima Shenoy, President, India Semiconductor Association said: "The discussion at these sessions and the conclusions drawn thereof are clear indicators that the India has the potential to be a global leader in the areas of semiconductors and solar photovoltaic. Government policy and market forces will determine this growth."

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