India

India wants to build a mammoth airport for 120 million passengers a year. The problem is that it accumulates years of delays

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India is building one of the most ambitious airport infrastructures on the continent. The Noida International Airport, built in Jewar, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, has the potential to become one of the largest hubs in Asia with a planned maximum capacity of between 60 and 120 million passengers per year. We tell you all the details of this mammoth project. A project with decades of history behind it. The idea of ​​building a large airport in this area has been brewing for years. The original proposal dates back to 2001, when the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Rajnath Singh, proposed an aeronautical hub geared towards Taj Mahal tourism. After years of political changes, disputes over the location and administrative stoppages, the project was relaunched in 2014. The central government gave its final approval in 2015, and in November 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the first phase. Who builds it and how. The development is carried out by Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL) under a public-private partnership model. In 2019, Flughafen Zürich AG, the operating company of Zurich Airport, won the tender to build and manage it for 40 years. Civil construction was awarded in 2022 to Tata Projects Limited, with a stated target of net zero emissions. What will be there when it opens. The first phase includes a terminal (T1) with capacity for 12 million passengers per year and a 3,900-meter runway, already operational. The basic infrastructure is practically ready: control tower, baggage management systems, ten boarding bridges and security services. According to account The Sun, the interior design opts for an open-plan aesthetic with an undulating roof that imitates the flow of a river, large air-conditioned waiting areas, self-check-in kiosks, prayer rooms and children’s areas. There will also be a central area open to the outside with vegetation and shade. A phased deployment until 2050. The airport will grow in four phases. To the first terminal and initial runway, three more terminals and up to six runways in total will be added progressively, reaching a combined capacity of between 60 and 120 million passengers per year by 2050, according to the data collected by The Times India. That would put him in the same league as the Beijing Daxing International Airport either the one in dubai. Its great advantage: the Taj Mahal within reach. Agra, home to the Taj Mahal and which receives up to eight million visitors a year, is now almost four hours’ drive from New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. With the new airport, that trip would be reduced to just over two hours. The project is also designed as an alternative to the overcrowded Indira Gandhi, the main hub of the Delhi metropolitan area. Beyond the passengers. The airport also aspires to become an important cargo node for northern India, relying on its proximity to the Delhi-Mumbai Express Corridor and Dedicated Freight Corridors, as point the Time Out medium. The airlines that have already committed. IndiGo and Akasa Air have confirmed operations at the airport, mainly on domestic routes. Among the destinations mentioned are Bombay, Hyderabad and Calcutta. International routes, including possible connections to Zurich or Dubai, are still pending confirmation. Delays, the big problem. The opening was initially planned for 2022, then for September 2024, and later there was talk of October 30 of that year. The works continue and given the history of delays, there is no choice but to wait for a definitive opening date, which should be shortly. Images | Noida International Airport In Xataka | A megastructure was built 1,700 years ago for eternity: today it continues to dominate Sri Lanka

The EU and India finally seal their great trade agreement. Trump has accelerated what had been stuck for two decades

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The European Union is beginning to make moves on a board that no longer looks like it did a few years ago. With Donald Trump straining international trade and European dependence on external partners increasingly at the center of the debate, Brussels seeks to gain room for maneuver. This idea of ​​strategic autonomy, repeated for years in speeches and documents, is beginning to be translated into concrete decisions. Some point to digital, others to securityand others to commerce. In this context, the announcement of a great agreement with India after almost two decades of negotiation is understood. The advertisement. The news comes from New Delhi, after a summit in which Narendra Modi and two of the main European figures, António Costa and Ursula von der Leyen, participated. The agreement, negotiated for almost twenty yearsseeks to open a new commercial stage between the European Union and India, with a scope that Brussels has wanted to highlight from the first minute. Von der Leyen lor defined on social networks as “the mother of all trade agreements.” Click to see the original publication in X What goes in and what stays out. The announcement speaks of a broad agreement, but its perimeter is defined quite carefully. According to Reutersthe pact focuses on trade in goods and services and standards, while especially sensitive issues, such as investment protection, are negotiated separately. In addition, there are explicit exclusions: agriculture and dairy are not part of the package, a decision that seeks to avoid resistance from some sectors. The key is in the cars. The EU statement itself recalls that tariffs on cars imported into India can reach 110%, a barrier that in practice blocks the entry of a good part of European models. For this reason, the pact includes cuts that could place these tariffs at a minimum of 10%. These discounts would apply to a volume of up to 250,000 cars coming from the European Union. For European manufacturers, the attraction is obvious: access to a huge market that until now has been almost closed. The exchange of concessions. The potential benefits are distributed, although not symmetrically. India would gain competitiveness in labor-intensive industries, such as textiles and garments, which in Europe still face tariffs close to 10%. It also seeks to improve the access of its professionals and technological services to the European market. The EU, on the other hand, aims at a different objective: to better enter an expanding market, where its exports face a weighted average tariff of 9.3% and especially high charges on cars, chemicals and plastics. A geopolitical acceleration. The timing of the announcement is not coincidental. In recent months, both India and the European Union have felt more closely the protectionist turn that accompanies the new era of Donald Trump. Reuters recalls that India has not managed to close an agreement with the Trump Administration since the White House announced in April the so-called “reciprocal tariffs“, and that in August imposed an additional punitive tariff of 25% for the purchase of Russian oil, raising the total tax on Indian goods to 50%. For Europe, the message has been similar: tariffs have once again been an instrument of political pressure. Nothing is in effect yet. The announcement is important, but the institutional path is just beginning. The final text must still pass legal scrutiny in Brussels and New Delhi. Then comes the most delicate stage: ratification. Reuters notes that the pact will have to be approved by the European Parliament, a process that could take at least a year. For example, the EU-Mercosur pact: it was signed on January 17, 2026 in Asunción, but days later the European Parliament decided to refer it to the Court of Justice of the EU for review, something that could delay its application for up to two years. The movement with India does not have to follow that path, but it invites us to be cautious. Images | Olga Nayda | Mitul Gajera | frank mckenna In Xataka | Something has broken between Europe and the US: France leaving Zoom behind and Teams in its administration points to something bigger

India. It will no longer be possible for another reason: Europe

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In recent years, cars are not the only thing that has risen in price disproportionately. The general escalation of prices has affected also to the world of motorcycles and, to try to contain even greater increases, in recent years the most common practice by large manufacturers has been to move part of their production to India to save costs. The EU has not been amused in the slightest. New tariffs. The month of January starts with new tariffs on motorcycles and scooters made in India. And not a single model manufactured outside European territory is spared. 8% tariff for models up to 250cc Tariff of 6% for larger cylinder capacities In a market with tight margins, a tariff of this amount will force large European manufacturers to completely rethink their strategy. Who is affected?. KTM, Triumph, BMW, Suzuki, Aprillia and mainly Royal Enfield will be the main affected after this measure by the European Union. KTM manufactures its small displacement motorcycles in India, such as the KTM 390 Duke and Adventure. BMW and its best-selling contender, the GS 450is manufactured together with TVS Motor, an Indian conglomerate. Aprillia manufactures together with Bajaj its 457. Triumph has been allied hand in hand with Bajaj for years to manufacture its stars of displacement 400. Why is it important. Given the increase in prices in recent years, manufacturers made a very clear bet: to commit to manufacturing medium-low displacement models in India. Seeing premium brands like Triumph or BMW launch 400 models that aspire to be bestsellers is a true reflection of the state of the sector. The key? Manage to sell competitive models between 5,000 and 6,000 euros, in a segment ideal for everyday use and occasional outings. The 6% tariff will shake this pricing strategy. Because now. Although the measure seems like an attack from Europe on external manufacturing, the context goes further. The EU has the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) to regulate the flow of exports from developing countries to Europe. But there is fine print: The EU requires certain minimum standards when manufacturing the product. It also requires that, if certain export volume thresholds are exceeded, preferential tariffs end. Although there is no official data on how many motorcycles manufacturers are exporting from India, the threshold has been exceeded, and with it tariffs are once again applied without any type of bonus. The great beneficiary. China is sweeping Spain with economical models and much more equipped than the rest of its competitors, and China will continue to sweep if tariffs negatively affect the main European manufacturers. With Zontes making its way as the third manufacturer in our country, the countdown to see a podium headed by motorcycles made in China. Image | bmw In Xataka | The 11 cheapest electric motorcycles with the most autonomy: the best quality-price options

Big Tech is turning India into the new darling of its AI expansion

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Microsoft just announced an investment of $17.5 billion in India over the next four years, the technology giant’s largest in Asia. amazon has followed in his footsteps with 35,000 million dollars until 2030. Google already had announced 15,000 million for the same period. The big tech companies They are turning to the Asian subcontinent like never before, and it makes all the sense in the world. Why India has become irresistible. The Asian country brings together three characteristics that make it a strategic target for technology companies: a population of more than 1.4 billion inhabitants with growing access to the internet and smartphones, infrastructure costs significantly lower than in other Asian markets such as Japan or Singapore, and a government that actively promotes digital transformation. According to Ericsson dataan active smartphone in India consumes an average of 36 GB per month, 44% more than in North America and 71% more than the global average. Additionally, the country’s data center capacity has increased 2.5-fold since 2021, reaching 1.5 gigawatts. The perfect time for investments. The race for artificial intelligence has accelerated this trend. Microsoft plans to open its largest cloud region in India, located in Hyderabad, by mid-2026. The company will also expand its three existing data center regions in Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune. For its part, Google will build an AI hub in Visakhapatnam which will include data centres, power sources and fiber optic networks. These investments seek to stay ahead of the competition in a market where demand for cloud services and AI tools is growing rapidly among companies, startups, and government agencies. Beyond data centers. Investments are not limited to physical infrastructure. Microsoft has committed to train 20 million workers from this country in AI skills by 2030, doubling its initial goal. The company claims to have already trained 5.6 million people since January 2025. Amazon, for its part, claims to have digitized to more than 12 million small businesses and enabled $20 billion in cumulative e-commerce exports. Both companies are integrating their technologies into the Indian government’s digital public platforms, such as the e-Shram and National Career Service systems, which serve more than 310 million uncontracted workers. The battle for digital sovereignty. A key element of this strategy is the proposal of “sovereign” solutions. Microsoft has launched its Sovereign Public Cloud and Sovereign Private Cloud specifically for customers in India, allowing data and workloads to remain within the country’s borders. As the company announced, Microsoft 365 Copilot will process data within India by the end of 2025, making the country one of the first four global markets to receive this capability. “This investment signals India’s rise as a reliable technology partner for the world,” counted Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology. There are challenges. Despite investment enthusiasm, India presents significant obstacles. Irregular power supply, high energy costs and water shortages in several regions complicate the expansion of resource-intensive data centers. These factors could slow the deployment of AI infrastructure and raise operating expenses for cloud providers. However, New Delhi is deploying incentives for AI and semiconductor projects, it has relaxed some regulatory requirements and fosters alliances with telecommunications operators and local technology companies to continue adding value to the global AI race, from local territory. Capacity or mass consumerism. The interesting thing would be to know if India will obtain real technological capacity of its own in the face of so much investment or if it will simply consolidate itself as another consumer market for Big Tech. The government has approved semiconductor projects worth more than $18 billion under its India Semiconductor Mission, seeking to reduce dependence on imported chips. “India is becoming a hot spot for technology investments,” pointed out Dan Ives, analyst at Wedbush Securities. It remains to be seen what all this materializes into. Cover image | İsmail Enes Ayhan and Naveed Ahmed In Xataka | Steve Jobs hated obedient teams: he paid his managers to contradict him, not to obey him

India wanted to impose an indelible state app on all mobile phones. In a matter of days he had to take an unexpected turn

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The Government of India movement to force a security app to be installed On all mobile phones sold in the country it has lasted less than a week. On November 28, the Ministry of Telecommunications sent a private communication to the manufacturers in which it gave them 90 days to comply with the measure. However, the general rejection of public opinion, doubts about its impact on cybersecurity and the apparent opposition of some manufacturers have forced a change in plans. The order began to gain public relevance when its internal details became known. Reuters noted that The Government not only requested the mandatory presence of Sanchar Saathi in new mobile phones, but also its incorporation in those already in the supply chain through software updates. The agency also reported that the initial instruction specified that the application could not be disabled. What is Sanchar Saathi. The program’s own website define the tool as a public service aimed at empowering users against fraud and device theft. It is available as a mobile application and also as a web portal, from where it is possible to temporarily lock a lost phone, track subsequent use attempts and, if recovered, reactivate it. The Government frames these functions within a broader digital education effort, with end-user security materials and advisories. From security discourse to doubts about surveillance. The debate intensified when opposition figures and privacy specialists They questioned the initiative. In his opinion, an application managed by the State, coupled with such a broad mandate, required additional guarantees to rule out intrusive uses. Organizations such as the Internet Freedom Foundation They asked for transparency and access to the full legal text. Under pressure, Scindia publicly defended that “spying is not possible” with Sanchar Saathi and denied that the app can be used for surveillance. Opposition from manufacturers added pressure to the process. Reuters indicated that Apple had no intention to comply with the order as it was proposed and that it would convey its objections to the Government, while Samsung and other actors expressed similar reservations. According to sources cited by international media, the companies questioned whether the instruction had been issued without prior consultation and warned of its impact on the privacy policies of their ecosystems. The context was not minor: India has become one of the fastest growing markets for smartphones, especially for companies like Apple and other large manufacturers. An express reverse gear with success figures in hand. The rectification came on December 3, when the Ministry of Communications published a note announcing that mandatory pre-installation was no longer necessary. The decision was justified by the “growing acceptance” by Sanchar Saathi, which according to the Government now has 14 million users and allows around 2,000 frauds to be reported daily. Only the previous day, 600,000 new registrations had driven tenfold growth. Scindia then insisted that “spying is not possible”, despite the skepticism of specialized groups. In recent years, as reported by BloombergIndia has driven decisions that have forced big tech companies to readjust, such as demands for access to encrypted information or recent attempts to have manufacturers distribute the GOV.in public app suite. All of this occurs in a market that is strategic for Apple and Google, both in sales and production. The withdrawal of the mandate makes it clear that these dynamics continue to evolve and that balances will likely continue to be redefined. Images | Ministry of Communications of India | Piyanshu Sharma In Xataka | There are 500 million users who could perfectly upgrade to Windows 11. The problem is that they don’t want to

India will require pre-installing an indelible app on all mobile phones. And that poses a serious challenge for Apple

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In today’s technological debate, few issues generate as much attention as privacy. India has implemented a significant change: incorporate a state applicationthat will remain on iOS and Android phones without the possibility of deleting it. The measure coincides with a stage in which Apple emphasizes its security model more than ever. That crossroads, between the Indian regulatory commitment and the Cupertino company’s approach, may have a key point in this story. The movement began to take shape with an instruction from the Indian Department of Telecommunications sent privately to the main manufacturers. The document, dated November 28, establishes a period of 90 days for the application Sanchar Saathi appears on all new mobile phones and comes accompanied by another obligation: distribute it through updates to devices that are already in circulation. Telecommunications Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia He announced in an interview with CNBC-TV18 that the public order will be issued “in the coming days.” A tool against theft and fraud. According to information from the Indian Governmentthe application allows you to block and track lost or stolen mobile phones on all networks in the country, generate traceability if someone tries to activate them and verify the authenticity of the terminal using the IMEI number. It also offers a channel to report international calls that present themselves as national, a practice linked to fraud, among other functions. The Executive defends that these functions facilitate the response to theft and fraud in telecommunications. From utility to potential control. The rollout of Sanchar Saathi does not come alone. India is also pushing other guidelines that expand the ability to identify users, such as requiring that encrypted services like WhatsApp be associated with the SIM card’s IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity). Combined with a pre-installed and non-uninstallable application, this environment transforms the mobile phone into a device with much greater traceability and represents a significant change in the relationship between citizens and telecommunications networks. For its part, the iPhone incorporates its own mechanisms designed to make access to data difficult and limit the value of a stolen device. The default encryption, together with the isolation of the Secure Enclavekeeps critical information safe, and the combination of Find My with v aims to prevent the reactivation of the terminal without the owner’s account. Apple complements this model with measures such as Advanced Data Protection, Face IDamong others. Between the Indian regulatory framework and its global strategy: India’s growing importance to Apple, both as a manufacturing hub and an expanding market, comes with a more interventionist regulatory environment. The China precedent shows that the company has had to adapt services and functions when local regulations required it, including the iCloud data transfer to infrastructures controlled by a state partner and the removal of VPN apps. The scenario presented by India confronts two different models of understanding digital security: one based on a mandatory integrated state application and another based on internal functions of the device that depend on the user’s control. Apple has not yet expressed how it will respond to this demand, but its growing industrial presence in India, a country where it manufactures more and more iPhones, it will possibly make any decision not go unnoticed. Images | Apple In Xataka | Apple had its ecosystem under lock and key. Chinese brands are blowing it up

India has bombed clouds to improve its terrible air quality. They have wasted 400,000 dollars

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The sky of New Delhi is a painting. While half the world is focused on reduce your emissions and improve air quality (something that ultra-polluted giants like China are successfully implementing), the other half continues with inefficient decarbonization policies. India is one of themand the arrival of winter does not help. To combat its poor air quality, the country has “sown its clouds” about New Delhi. And there are voices that suggest that they have spent a fortune and it has not been worth anything. Crisis. The situation of the large cities of India, with the focus on a capital that has more than 28 million inhabitants in its metropolitan area and a density of almost 6,000 inhabitants per km², is really complicated. Vehicle emissions account for 40% of emissions in the city, but there are other sources such as construction dust, inorganic aerosols or industrial activities themselves that contribute a lot. ‘dirt’ in the city air. The quality is not good at any time of the year, but in the post-monsoon season, between October and November, the situation becomes critical. It is when a large amount of rice stubble and other waste is burned, which, together with the rest of the sources of particles since the arrival of cold air traps the pollutants near the ground, causes the amount of particles to skyrocket. And it’s not a joke: esteem that between 2009 and 2019 there were nearly four million deaths in India linked to poor air quality. Figures. To measure this “dirt” in the air, we turn to PM2.5. It is a measure of the amount of fine particles that are suspended in the air, specifically those that have a diameter equal to or less than 2.5 micrometers. They are so small that they can penetrate deep into the lungs, reaching the blood system and posing a serious health risk. That said, PM2.5 levels in Delhi are between 140 and 170 µg/m³, almost 12 times higher than the safe levels set by the WHO, of 15 µg/m³. Petter Ljungman, a researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, analyzed the role of these particles and determined that “each increase of 10 micrograms per cubic meter in the concentration of PM2.5 leads to an 8.6% increase in mortality.” Bombing the clouds. In the face of a crisis like this, two things can be done: become aware and rethink the country’s strategy or resort to desperate measures. As we read in Reutersit seems that the Government has opted for the latter. On October 28, the Delhi government in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur carried out the first tests of cloud seeding. This is India’s first attempt at this technique and it is not about “creating clouds”, but rather making the existing ones release water. Using a series of catalysts launched from aircraft, water droplets contained in a cloud can be made to coalesce into larger, heavier droplets. In this way, and due to their own weight, they fall to the ground in the form of rain. It is not something new because, although it may seem like something out of science fiction, we have been “sowing” clouds for half a century. Negative… results. The problem is that each time we have had more and more evidence that it is something that is of little use. If clouds are good candidates, yes, showers are generated, but the big problem is that it is a very expensive practice for the results obtained and that is the reason why more and more countries have abandoned his projects related to this “creation” of rain. In the case of the Indian experiment, the cost was about $400,000 to put into operation the planes that dispersed sodium chloride and silver iodide over several districts north of the capital. Each of the flights cost about $70,000 and the person who said that it was not of much use was not an external entity or someone critical of the Government: it was the director of IIT Kanpur himself. Manindra Agarwal admitted that the results were “not as desired” because the humidity levels in the clouds were extremely low. It was a crucial error because it is estimated that the minimum for condensing these cloud droplets is 50% and the chosen ones had levels between 15 and 20%. Despite this, Agarwal commented that a reduction of between 6% and 18% was observed in certain particle measurement parameters, but they were at very localized and short-lived moments. deaf ears. And of course, faced with the investment of such a fortune without results, it did not take long for the voices to say “I told you so” to rain down. Climate activists said it, but also two other official bodies: the Indian Meteorological Department and the Air Quality Management Commission. The two organizations indicated That the technique requires specific clouds that are absent during Delhi’s cold, dry winter. Recommendations. In the end, what this action demonstrates is that, in desperate situations, desperate measures only work as a source of funds. The solutions must be considered more in the medium and short term and this is something in which China has served as an example. In the case of India, what is being proposed is control over stubble burning during this autumn season, better waste management and stricter industrial regulations. On the other hand, the country has taken giant steps in recent years in terms of transport electrification is concerned, but progress must also be made in improving urban forestry that “traps” pollution and in the use of large-scale renewable energy. Until they do that, the almost 30 million inhabitants of New Delhi will breathe air equivalent what they would inhale if they smoked seven cigarettes a day. Images | Naomi E Tesla, Submitmpsd In Xataka | The Atacama salt flat is the key on which the electric car industry pivots. And it’s starting to dry

All commercial relations between the European Union and India depend on one thing: Basmati rice

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For years, Brussels and New Delhi negotiate a free trade agreement. It is a historical, tremendously ambitious and, above all, necessary for all parties: for India because the union is its third commercial partner (and represents 10% of its total trade); for union because it desperately seeks to diversify partners in an increasingly aggressive and polarized context. Well, negotiations They are about to derail and all by grain of rice. Basmati rice, to be concrete. Basmati is a highly appreciated rice. Of long and delicate fragrance, this variety of rice has been growing at the foot of the Himalayas, between India and Pakistan. Even today. In fact, According to 2019 dataIndia produced 65% of the world’s basati. Pakistan, the other 35%. Something perfectly normal in two countries that have 3,323 kilometers of border. The problem is that, in short, They are India and Pakistan. Why not be friends? In 2018, India requested the label of exclusive protected geographical indication for the Basmati in the EU. There the problems began. Pakistan, as was predictable for anyone who knew the rivalry between the two countries, fell flatly and claimed it for himself. Although it seems a minor issue, a decision in favor of one country or another could seriously affect exports of the victim. And India wants to take advantage. No one can recriminate it to New Delhi: the current geopolitical situation has cornered a European Union. And it is not that the previous situation was great strength. It is only enough to remember that before the pandemic (and probably after) it was not manufactured Not a gram of paracetamol throughout the continent. Therefore, what was some common sense, in the middle of the commercial war, has become pressing: Brussels needs to expand the pitch and India is its great trick to do so. We live rare times (or not so much). For years, the international commercial consensus that gave the World Trade Organization and its standards the pivotal nature of world economic dynamics. Today, between Bravuonadas and Wars, we have discovered that this consensus was nothing more than a fiction. The economic fragmentation, the collapse of multilateralism and the growing uncertainty have led to such crisis of the system that even a grain of rice can put it in check. Image | Kanesue | Joshua Olsen In Xataka | India to Pakistan: “I’m not going to give you more water from my rivers.” An unprecedented climbing of the conflict

India will spend a fortune on having its own chips industry. The problem is not just money

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India has approved An investment of 18.2 billion dollars To develop ten semiconductor projects and thus create an entire chip industry from scratch. The country wants to reduce its dependence on imports and compete with powers such as Taiwan and United Statesbut the country will be necessary for more than money to execute its strategy. Ambition is disproportionate. India is one of the largest consumers of electronic devices in the world, but it does not practically No local chips industry. Its implementation in the semiconductors aims to create the entire supply chain, from the design to the manufacture, tests and packaging, in the region. The approved projects include two manufacturing plants of semiconductors and multiple test and packaging factories. The opportunity of India. The race began in 2022, when the United States restricted chips exports of advanced to China. This triggered a global competition for self -sufficiency in semiconductors, and for India was a golden opportunity to reduce imports and capture a greater share of the global market of electronic devices that moves away from China. Beyond money. Stephen Ezell, Vice President of Global Innovation Policy in Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, Explain which India needs “more than a few semiconductor factories.” The Executive explains that leading manufacturers “consider up to 500 different factors before investing billions in a plant”, including talent, fiscal policies, labor regulations, technological infrastructure and customs policies, areas in which India still has pending work. The Government changes strategy. New Delhi has modified its approach initial. In 2022 he focused only on advanced chips of 28 nanometers or less, but this did not help develop the nascent Indian industry. Now the government finances 50% of the costs of all manufacturing projects, regardless of the size of the chip, and also supports the test and packaging units. Star projects are already underway. The largest current project is the semiconductor manufacturing plant of 11,000 million dollars That Tata Electronics builds in Gujarat, in association with the Taiwanese Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. The installation will produce chips for energy management, screen controllers and microcontrollers that can be used in AI, automotive and data storage. Talent exists, but it is limited. India has a reserve of engineers who already work for global chips design companies since the 90s. However, Jayanth BR, recruiter with more than 15 years of experience in the sector, Explain that international companies only subcontract design validation work “at the block level” to India. The central design remains in the United States or Singapore. Intellectual property is the great challenge. Sajai Singh, partner of the Jsa Jsa Advocates & Requests, Point out that India must update its intellectual property laws and improve application mechanisms. “Our competition is with countries like the United States, Europe and Taiwan, which not only have solid Pi laws, but also a more consolidated ecosystem for chips design,” he explains. And now what. The next three or four years will be decisive for the objectives of semiconductors of India, according to Sujay Shetty, general director of semiconductors at PWC India. There are still factors that India must stop, since manufacturing plants require specific locations without flooding or vibrations, with reliable road connections and suppliers of specialized chemicals that meet standards of ultraralta purity. India is still far from producing 2 nanometers avant -garde chips, but could find its niche in assembly and semiconductor tests, a sector with lower capital requirements and better margins. Cover image | Brian Kostiuk and Naveed Ahmed In Xataka | The undisputed winner of the aggressive competition of TSMC, Intel and Samsung is a European company: ASML

India needs more crops and solar energy than any other country. So you are installing solar panels in height

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When a solar energy company offered Harpal Dagar a fixed pay for 25 years in exchange for installing solar panels on their cultivation fields, he thought it could be a scam. Today he says that his income has tripled and sleeps quieter. “Too good to be true.” That was what this Indian farmer thought when the company Sun Master proposed to install elevated solar panels on its land on the outskirts of Delhi. I could continue working the land and, in return, would receive an annual payment for 25 years. According to a report of BBC NewsDagar had lost entire crops because of the Monzones, so he accepted the installation of the panels to have fixed income. “Today I think it was the best decision I have made,” he told the British environment. Harvest food and energy at the same time. The systems that combine agriculture with solar energy generation in the same land have a name: agrovoltaic. And in the most populous country in the world they are emerging as the most promising solution to produce clean energy without sacrificing the land necessary to feed the population. The agrovoltaic part of a simple idea: take advantage of the vertical space. Instead of choosing between a crop field or a solar park, They both haveonly that photovoltaic panels are mounted on high structures, at a height of at least three and a half meters so that tractors and other agricultural machinery can pass below. India cannot do without cultivation soil. In India more than 55% of the population It depends on agriculture. As the country approaches the 1.7 billion people in 2050, it will have to produce about 350 million tons of grain At the same time, India has pledged to meet ambitious climatic objectives that will require dedicating solar and wind energy between 55,000 and 77,000 square kilometers of land. According to a report from Mongabay Indiaagrovoltaic would resolve this paradox of “food security vs. access to energy”. Not everything that shines is gold. Sun Master pays Harpal Dagar about $ 500 per hectare per year, plus a monthly salary of 170 dollars for the maintenance of the panels. Dagar cultiva turmeric, which benefits from the microclimate created by the solar panels. Its shadow protects the cultivation of extreme heat and decreases water evaporation, reducing irrigation needs. It is not always beneficial. Depending on their disposition, solar panels reduce between 15 and 30% the light that reaches plants. This makes basic cultures that need a lot of sun, such as wheat, rice or soybeans, are not viable. Anand Jain, another farmer who has experienced with the system, says he succeeded with strawberries and tomatoes, but “the cauliflower did not work so well.” The green leafy vegetablesginger and some flowers have also benefited. The slow takeoff from agrovoltaic. The adoption of agrovoltaic in India is being slow, especially compared to China, which has 12 times more projects in operation. Incompatibility with some crops is one of the problems, but there is an even greater financial problem: raising panels more than three meters from the ground has a price. The installation of an agrovoltaic system is between 20 and 30% more expensive than that of a conventional solar park. Small farmers cannot afford these systems, so they depend on companies with capital that want to rent their land with a 25 -year contract. Technology will solve some challenges. For companies to be willing to assume that risk, more efficient and profitable systems are already being developed. “Farm-Forward” solar panels with More space between panel ranks to maximize the entry of light and further facilitate the step of machinery. And new software to simulate how much light and heat receives each sheet, how it affects photosynthesis and, ultimately, what performance of the harvest. The potential is simply gigantic. A GIZ technical report He estimates that agrovoltaic in India can point to a capacity of between 3,156 and 13,803 gigawatts. To put it in perspective, the total installed capacity of photovoltaic energy worldwide is 2 GW. In Xataka | One of the most arid areas in China is reverde. The reason: a plant with seven million solar panels

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