| | JUNE 20268A senior US delegation headed by Chief Negotiator Brendan Lynch is scheduled to reach India today for a four-day trip to advance talks on the proposed India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).The trip, planned for June 1 to 4, 2026, aims to concentrate on finalising the specifics of a tempo-rary trade agreement and further-ing discussions within the wider bilateral framework.The American team visiting will interact with the Indian dele-gation, which will be led by Darpan Jain, Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce and India's chief negotiator."To carry forward the discus-sions, the US team led by the Chief Negotiator will be visiting India from 1st to 4th June 2026. It is proposed to finalise the details of the Interim Agreement and take forward the negotiations under the broader BTA on multiple areas such as Market Access, Non-Tar-iff Measures, Customs and Trade Facilitation, Investment Promotion, Economic Security Alignment," the Ministry says. An increase in artificial intelli-gence (AI) use may lead to the installation of 650,000-700,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) in India's data centres in the coming five years, present-ing a $23 billion investment NITI Aayog stated that India aims to establish a semiconduc-tor value chain worth $120-150 INDIA AND CANADA LAUNCH TRADE AND INVESTMENT FORUMINDIA'S AI DATA CENTRES MAY DEPLOY UP TO 700,000 GPUS IN 5 YEARSINDIA MUST BUILD $120-150 BILLION CHIP VALUE CHAIN: NITI AAYOGINDIA-US CHIEF TRADE NEGOTIATORS TO HOLD TALKS IN DELHINEWSROOM BILATERAL TIESDATA CENTRE SEMICONDUCTORbillion by 2035, with the Centre pledging to invest at least one-third of the necessary funding to mitigate risks and foster long-term investor confidence.To significantly enhance In-dia's electronics manufacturing presence and ensure technologi-cal independence, NITI Aayog's Frontier Tech Hub unveiled the strategic plan called "Future of India's Semiconductor Indus-try" in May 2026. The report outlines a step-by-step plan to transition India from a down-stream user of semiconductors to an essential part of the global value chain.The roadmap follows closely after the Union Budget 2026 declaration of ISM 2.0 (In-dia Semiconductor Mission), indicating a strategic transition from building ecosystems to enhancing and expanding capa-bilities.Instead of directly compet-ing in the pursuit of advanced foundry nodes, the report rec-ommends a distinct "More-than-Moore" strategy that capitalizes on India's advantages in chip design and emphasizes high-growth niche markets. India and Canada have launched a new forum for trade and in-vestment designed to strengthen economic relations and enhance business collaboration between the nations, after Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal's three-day trip to Canada from May 25 to 27.The two parties announced the initiation of the Canada-India Trade and Investment Forum, which will function as a specialized platform for enterprises from both nations to establish commercial collaborations and enhance eco-nomic interaction. The Ministers established the Canada-India Trade and Invest-ment Forum as a significant plat-form that connects Canadian and Indian business leaders, promoting new commercial alliances and en-hanced business collaboration.India and Canada reiterated their dedication to progressing negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), aiming to finalize discus-sions by the close of 2026.The statement indicates that the suggested trade agreement is an-ticipated to enhance market access, reinforce resilient supply chains, and promote mutual economic growth.
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