India

India is home to the world’s fastest-growing digital economy. Having built a successful IT sector and lively start-up ecosystem, strong ties to many German companies, and leading digital public infrastructure, India is an important partner for Germany.

Germany and India set up the Indo-German Digital Dialogue in 2017 after signing a joint declaration of intent for cooperation on digital policy topics. Headed by the German Federal Ministry for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation (BMDS) and the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the bilateral partnership connects policymakers, industry associations, businesses, start-ups and researchers. The Indo-German Digital Dialogue currently focuses on four key areas: (1) Digital Governance, (2) Emerging Technologies and AI, (3) Microelectronics, and (4) Business Partnerships.

Focus on practical solutions

The January 2026 annual meeting allowed India and Germany to align on joint priorities in times of global reshuffling. Stakeholders from multinational companies, SMEs, and science-based think tanks exchanged views on the above-mentioned key areas of the Indo-German Digital Dialogue. A focus was also put on the technical understanding of digital sovereignty and the joint, purposeful use of AI in industrial applications.

Launching the Indo-German AI Pact

Based on the annual meeting and the joint work plan of the Indo-German Digital Dialogue, India and Germany signed an AI Pact in February 2026. This followed both economies’ strong motivation to become not only users but developers of value-creating, meaningful and trustworthy AI.

The AI Pact centers around six pillars of cooperation: AI for industry and “Mittelstand”, ethical and democratic AI, talent development, research and innovation, AI in public infrastructure and coordination in international fora. The launch of the AI Pact constitutes a significant step forward in Indo-German digital cooperation, boosting joint creation of AI solutions for the public and private sector.

The pact benefits both economies equally as it helps German companies with gaining efficiency and competitiveness – central to maintaining their status as a global manufacturing superpower – and Indian businesses with expanding and scaling their software solutions. To translate the political will behind the pact into tangible economic outcomes, the "AI for Mittelstand" working group was launched in April 2026, bringing together businesses from both countries.

Extending Telecommunications cooperation

During Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s visit to India in January 2026, India and Germany signed a Joint Declaration of Intent on Telecommunications Cooperation. This extended the scope of collaboration in this sector, as Germany's BMDS now formally works together with India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT), next to its long-standing exchanges with MeitY.

Priorities lie in the fields of 5G, 6G, quantum communication, standards development and the private sector. The joint workplan outlines how research, academia and the private sector will co-develop solutions in these areas. The cooperation on future networks comes at a crucial time, as it allows both countries to jointly set standards that define how technologies like 6G will be developed in the future.

Find out more about activities of the Indo-German Digital Dialogue here!