PM Modi Dials Elon Musk, Discusses Advancing Technology and Innovation Partnerships

By siliconindia  |  Friday, 18 April 2025, 02:19:17 PM IST

PM Modi Dials Elon Musk, Discusses Advancing Technology and Innovation Partnerships
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday shared that he had a fruitful discussion with Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, about several points of their previous face-to-face meeting in Washington, D.C. earlier this year. The two leaders shared ideas on further enhancing cooperation between India and the United States, especially in technology and innovation areas.
PM Modi made the announcement of the call on his social media account X (née Twitter). "Spoke to Elon Musk and discussed multiple issues, including the issues that we discussed when we met at Washington DC last year", he posted. "We talked of the huge possibility of cooperation in the fields of technology and innovation. India continues to be working towards taking forward our engagements with the US in these fields", he further wrote.
The call follows increasing interest from Musk's businesses particularly Tesla and Starlink to increase their presence in India. Tesla has been in talks with Indian officials regarding opening a manufacturing plant there, indicating Musk's desire to gain access to India's growing electric vehicle market. Starlink, the satellite internet service offered by SpaceX, has also sparked interest, with the company looking to provide high-speed internet in remote and underdeveloped areas of India.
Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio and Sunil Bharti Mittal’s Bharti Airtel have already struck deals with SpaceX to bring Starlink to India. The collaboration aims to disrupt the satellite internet market in the country, which has been traditionally dominated by local players. Starlink's ability to change the broadband industry is regarded as its major competitive strength, especially because of its gigantic satellite constellation, boasting more than 6,750 satellites in orbit much larger than the few hundred satellites owned by rivals such as Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio's satellite partners.
PM Modi and Elon Musk's previous meeting in February this year during the Prime Minister's state visit to America had already laid the ground for cooperation in emerging areas like electric vehicles, renewable energy, and space exploration. Both leaders were keen on exploring the large opportunities for partnership, which are in line with India's own initiatives to ensure sustainable development and innovation.
At the meeting, PM Modi had also presented books to Musk's three children, namely The Crescent Moon by Rabindranath Tagore, The Great RK Narayan Collection, and Panchatantra by Pandit Vishnu Sharma. Pictures posted by PM Modi later depicted Musk's children reading the books, further cementing the diplomatic and personal understanding between the two leaders.
The call between Modi and Musk also comes during a make-or-break time for Starlink in India. The service continues to wait for security clearance from the Indian government, with approval mired in bureaucratic red tape. This is even as other satellite internet ventures, such as Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications, have been awarded licenses to start operations.
As India and the United States engage in continued talks for a proposed trade deal, which both nations aim to sign off by autumn this year, increased cooperation in areas such as technology, innovation, and space could be instrumental in enhancing bilateral relations.

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