Author: AsiaOne

In a groundbreaking collaboration, the Indian Army has joined forces with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to spearhead a technological overhaul in defense systems. This strategic partnership aims to harness cutting-edge technologies to enhance India’s defense capabilities and ensure national security in an increasingly digital world.

The alliance underscores the Indian government’s commitment to modernizing its military through technological advancements. The collaboration focuses on developing state-of-the-art cybersecurity measures, sophisticated surveillance systems, and advanced communication networks. These initiatives are designed to provide the Indian Army with a technological edge in various aspects of warfare and defense.

A key aspect of this partnership is the emphasis on indigenously developed technology. By leveraging local expertise and resources, the collaboration aims to reduce dependence on foreign technology and boost India’s self-reliance in defense technology. This move is also expected to invigorate the domestic tech industry, creating new opportunities for innovation and employment.

The Indian Army’s collaboration with MeitY aligns with the broader ‘Digital India’ initiative, which aims to transform the country into a digitally empowered society. This venture into defense technology is a significant step towards achieving that goal, integrating digital advancements into national security strategies.

This joint venture also represents a significant shift in India’s defense strategy, recognizing the crucial role of technology in contemporary warfare. By combining the tactical prowess of the Indian Army with MeitY’s technological expertise, India is poised to elevate its defense systems to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

As this collaboration progresses, it is expected to yield significant advancements in defense technology, positioning India as a leader in digital defense innovation on the global stage.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently unveiled India’s 6G vision document, highlighting the country’s ambition to become a global leader in next-generation communication technology. This comes just six months after the initial rollout of 5G, showcasing the government’s commitment to rapid technological advancement.

The document outlines a vision for 6G technology that promises ultra-low latency and speeds up to 1 terabit per second, exceeding 5G’s capabilities by a factor of 1,000. This will pave the way for further advancements in areas like artificial intelligence, robotics, and the metaverse.

PM Modi emphasized India’s transition from a mere consumer of technology to a major exporter. He cited the development of indigenous telecom technology as a testament to this progress, highlighting the successful implementation of initiatives like Aadhaar and UPI.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Area Office and Innovation Centre, a landmark initiative that will further propel India’s technological growth. This center will be fully funded by India and will serve several South Asian nations, facilitating collaboration and innovation in the region.

India’s commitment to technological advancement is evident in its rapid rollout of 5G, with services reaching 125 cities within just 120 days. The government is further bolstering this effort by setting up 100 new 5G labs to develop applications tailored to India’s unique needs.

Looking ahead, PM Modi declared the present decade as the “tech-ade” and challenged intellectuals to develop technology that benefits the poorest of the poor. He expressed confidence in India’s ability to leverage its “smooth, secure, and transparent” telecom and digital model to become a global leader in the technology arena.

The launch of the 6G vision document marks a significant step forward for India’s technological ambitions. With its continued commitment to innovation and collaboration, India is poised to play a leading role in shaping the future of global communication.

The world’s largest operational experimental nuclear fusion reactor has been inaugurated in Naka, Japan.

Unlike traditional nuclear fission used in power plants, fusion mimics the sun’s energy production by merging two nuclei, potentially offering a safer and more abundant energy source.

This colossal machine, dubbed JT-60SA, is housed in a hangar north of Tokyo in Naka. This six-story-high machine comprises a doughnut-shaped ‘tokamak’ vessel to contain swirling plasma heated to 200 million degrees Celsius. The objective is to explore the viability of fusion as a secure, expansive, and carbon-neutral net energy source, where the energy produced surpasses the input required for its production.

This joint venture between the European Union and Japan serves as a forerunner for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) currently under construction in France. Both projects share the ambitious goal of achieving net energy gain from fusion, a milestone that could revolutionize our energy systems.

Sam Davis, the deputy project leader for the JT-60SA, said the device will “bring us closer to fusion energy”.

“It’s the result of a collaboration between more than 500 scientists and engineers and more than 70 companies throughout Europe and Japan,” Davis said at the inauguration.

The EU energy commissioner, Kadri Simson, said the JT-60SA was “the most advanced tokamak in the world” and called the start of operations “a milestone for fusion history.”

A ChatGPT-like tool in Bahasa Indonesia is in the works, following a new agreement between Singapore and Indonesia to collaborate in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).

Signed in Jakarta on Nov 30, four Indonesian entities signed a letter of intent with AI Singapore, the Republic’s national AI programme, to co-develop a new large language model (LLM) tool using similar technology that powers ChatGPT and Google’s Bard.

The four agencies involved include Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency, the Collaboration for Research and Innovation in Artificial Intelligence (Korika), as well as AI tool development firms Glair.ai and Datasaur.ai, backed by venture capital firm GDP Venture.

LLMs process vast amounts of information, learning how language is used to analyze text, comprehend query contexts, generate human-like responses, and perform various language-related tasks. The goal of this initiative is to provide an accessible LLM tool for Bahasa Indonesia, catering to a wide range of stakeholders.

The joint release emphasized the under-representation of South-east Asia in commonly used LLMs, which are predominantly from the US and China. AI Singapore’s head of strategy, partnerships, and growth, Darius Liu, highlighted the importance of such collaborations to address this gap and acknowledged the potential impact of LLM tools on various sectors in the economy.

According to global research firm Statista, Bahasa Indonesia constitutes only 0.6% of online content, underscoring the need for research and development efforts tailored to the language’s unique nuances and demands.

The collaboration comes in the wake of Bahasa Indonesia being designated as the 10th official language of the Unesco General Conference during the 42nd session in Paris on Nov 20. The event, held at Plaza Senayan mall in central Jakarta, signifies a step towards leveraging AI to enhance efficiency in Indonesia and boost the nation’s growth in the future.

Indonesia’s Deputy Minister of Communication and Informatics, Nezar Patria, expressed how AI could contribute significantly to Indonesia’s GDP, potentially adding $366 billion by 2030 and nearly $1 trillion across South-east Asia.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully brought back Chandrayaan-3 Propulsion Module to Earth orbit, after exceeding its lunar mission objectives. It also demonstrated India’s ability to not only launch objects to the Moon but also bring them back.

Following the lunar hop by Vikram (lander), this was another accomplishment that shows that ISRO can restart engines on the moon and operate equipment, both of which were not foreseen, the national space agency stated in a release.

Bringing the propulsion module back to Earth avoids it not only from crashing into the moon at the end of its life, but also from entering geostationary orbit and colliding with other satellites. “Considering the estimated fuel availability and the safety to GEO spacecrafts, the optimal Earth return trajectory was designed for October 2023,” the space agency said.

“The first manoeuvre was performed on October 9, 2023, to raise the apolune altitude to 5112 km from 150 km, thus increasing the period of orbit from 2.1 hrs to 7.2 hrs. Later, considering the estimate of available propellant, the second manoeuvre plan was revised to target an Earth orbit of 1.8 lakh x 3.8 lakh km,” the agency added.

Currently, the Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module orbits the Earth at an altitude of about 1.54 lakh km, reaching a minimum altitude of 1.15 lakh km. The orbital period spans around 13 days, and as per current predictions, there is no threat of close approach with operational Earth-orbiting satellites.

The payload onboard the propulsion module, named SHAPE, will continue its spectroscopic study of Earth’s atmosphere from its new orbit.