Scaling up the Indo-German Digital Dialogue: A record of the 2026 annual meeting

The Indo-German Digital Dialogue was established with a Joint Declaration of Intent (JDoI) signed in 2017. Nine years on, the Digital Dialogue has matured into one of the most substantive bilateral digital policy platforms between Asia and Europe.
The annual meeting, held across Berlin and Dresden, marked the launch of the work plan 2026-2027: an implementation-focused framework that translates shared political vision into structured cooperation across key topics.

Three days, three formats

The January 2026 meeting spanned three formats: a technical field visit to Dresden on 15 January, two industry and expert roundtables in Berlin on 16 January, and the government-to-government annual meeting – summarised below.

Exploring Silicon Saxony: A blueprint for semiconductor ecosystems

On 15 January, the Indian delegation's visit to Dresden – home to Silicon Saxony, one of Europe's largest microelectronics clusters – offered a first-hand look at what a thriving semiconductor ecosystem looks like. With nine universities and more than 80,000 professionals from around the globe, Silicon Saxony exemplifies the cluster model that India is now seeking to replicate.
TU Dresden presented its strengths in specialised microelectronics research and in translating academic output into commercial application. Existing partnerships with IIT Madras were highlighted, and TU Dresden expressed openness to expand joint research initiatives and skills programmes tailored to India's semiconductor mission.
GlobalFoundries – which already operates facilities in Bangalore and remotely manages some Dresden operations from India – acknowledged India's centrality to semiconductor value chains. However, it noted that India's regulatory environment and the absence of a finalised free trade agreement remain barriers to deeper manufacturing investment. A visit at Infineon's Dresden fab illustrated the strong presence of Indian skilled workers in Silicon Saxony – and the potential for further migration pathways.
Key cooperation areas identified in Dresden: joint study programmes and student exchanges, skills development for semiconductor fabrication in India, structured skilled labour migration, and strengthening supply-chain resilience under India's semiconductor mission.

The work plan 2026-2027: From dialogue to delivery

On 16 January, the government-to-government annual meeting brought together MeitY and BMDS delegations to confirm shared priorities for 2026-2027. Regarding data governance, both sides want to enable greater data accessibility for industry while protecting privacy and security. Trusted cross-border data flows and consent-based frameworks were highlighted as foundations for deeper collaboration. They agreed to implement joint workshops and trainings on data protection and cybersecurity.
Regarding private sector engagement, BMDS underscored the importance of SME and start-up participation, highlighting the cooperation between the associations NASSCOM and BVMW, and the development of joint training and certification modules for deepening industry ties. Regarding semiconductors and industry 4.0, both sides agreed to pursue cooperation with Fraunhofer's Microelectronics Group (FMD). As a next step, Fraunhofer will develop and submit a concept for a potential joint project.

AI, manufacturing, and sovereignty: Industry and policy align

The day continued with a business roundtable on AI-enabled manufacturing with Siemens, SAP, TCS, NASSCOM, Deutsche Telekom and others. It identified industrial AI scalability, regulatory harmonisation and talent development as critical enablers for Indo-German manufacturing competitiveness.
Participants stressed the need for governance frameworks that enable trusted cross-border data flows without stifling innovation. They also emphasised the importance of resilient semiconductor ecosystems, alongside stronger collaboration between startup ecosystems.

Another roundtable focused on digital sovereignty. It brought together policymakers, researchers and industry to explore how India and Germany can strengthen digital resilience as complementary partners – with Germany’s research depth and India’s scale and talent.
Participants highlighted open source as a shared foundation for reducing dependencies, alongside approaches to sovereign cloud infrastructure. Discussions also showed the importance of applied research collaboration and talent development through fellowships and academic partnerships to enable end-to-end digital sovereignty.
In their closing remarks, State Secretary Dr Luise Hölscher (BMDS) and Secretary Shri S. Krishnan (MeitY) reflected on the increasing urgency to translate shared ambitions into tangible outcomes. The work plan 2026-2027 is an opportunity to demonstrate how trusted partners can collaborate effectively on critical and complex technology challenges.