Emerging Technologies for UPSC Notes: Semiconductors, Quantum Computing, 5G and 6G, Blockchain, Drones, Green Hydrogen and India's Missions Explained with Mains Angle

Technology is changing how we work, travel, fight wars, produce energy and even how the governments rule. For UPSC, the Science and Technology section increasingly focuses on emerging technologies and the government's policy for them: semiconductors, quantum computing, 5G and 6G, blockchain, drones and green hydrogen. The Prelims asks "What is X technology? Which statement about it is correct?" and the Mains asks about the opportunities, the risks, the regulation and India's strategy. These notes explain each technology in simple words, the key terms to remember, India's missions and schemes, the challenges, and the way to write a balanced answer.

Why Emerging Technologies Are Important

Almost every year, UPSC has asked questions on the technology topics in the news. A student who understands the basic idea of each technology (what it is, how it works, where it is used, and the risks) can answer the questions, even if the exact words are new. This topic also connects to the economy (manufacturing and jobs), the security (cyber and defence), the ethics (privacy and bias) and the international relations (technology partnerships and supply chains). You can read the earlier technology topics in our notes on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies and ISRO and Space Technology.

Semiconductors

A semiconductor is a material, such as silicon, whose electrical conductivity lies between a conductor and an insulator. The chips made from it are the "brains" of the phones, cars, computers, medical devices and the military systems. The chip supply is concentrated in a few places (mainly Taiwan, South Korea and the US), and the shortage of 2021 to 2022 showed the risk of the dependence. The manufacturing has many steps: the design, the fabrication (fab) in the very clean factories, and the assembly, testing, marking and packaging (ATMP/OSAT).

• India Semiconductor Mission (ISM, 2021): A programme of about Rs. 76,000 crore to develop the semiconductor and the display ecosystem, with the fiscal support for the fabs, the display units, the packaging units and the design companies (the Design Linked Incentive scheme).
• India has approved projects such as the semiconductor fab and the packaging plants in Gujarat and Assam, along with the global partnerships.
• Challenges: The very high capital cost, the need for the skilled people, water and power, and the technology partners.

Quantum Technology

Quantum technology uses the strange rules of the very small particles. A normal computer uses bits (0 or 1). A quantum computer uses qubits, which can be in the state 0, 1 or both together (superposition), and the qubits can be linked in entanglement, so that the state of one depends on the other. This lets the quantum computers solve some problems, such as the simulation of the molecules and the optimisation, much faster than the classical computers. The areas are the quantum computing, the quantum communication (such as the Quantum Key Distribution, which makes the secure keys) and the quantum sensing. A risk is that a powerful quantum computer may break the present encryption, so the world is moving to the post-quantum cryptography.

India's National Quantum Mission (2023) has a budget of about Rs. 6,000 crore for the period of 2023 to 2031, to build the quantum computers with 50 to 1,000 qubits, the secure quantum communication over long distances, the sensors and the new materials, through the four thematic hubs at the leading institutions.

5G and 6G

The 5G services were launched in India on 1 October 2022, and India has been among the fastest in the roll-out. The government released the Bharat 6G Vision in 2023. The 5G needs the spectrum (the radio frequencies, which are auctioned by the government), the optical fibre and the small cell towers. The concerns are the cost of the devices and the infrastructure, the digital divide, the cyber security and the questions about the trusted equipment vendors.

Blockchain

A blockchain is a shared digital ledger in which the records (transactions) are collected in "blocks" and linked by the cryptographic codes, in a chain, across many computers, so that any change is seen and is difficult. It has no single owner. It is the technology behind the crypto-currencies such as Bitcoin, but it can also be used for the land records, the supply chains, the certificates and the digital identity. Terms: smart contracts (self-executing contracts), decentralisation and the consensus mechanism. India has the National Blockchain Strategy, and the Reserve Bank of India has begun the pilots of the Central Bank Digital Currency (the digital rupee). Crypto-assets are taxed in India, but a full law is still debated, because of the issues of the money laundering, the volatility and the consumer protection.

Drones (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles)

• Drones are used in the agriculture (spraying and crop monitoring), the surveys and the mapping (the SVAMITVA scheme for the village land mapping), the disaster relief, the delivery of the medicines and the defence.
• The Drone Rules, 2021 liberalised the regulation, with the digital sky platform, the zones (green, yellow and red) and the removal of many permissions. The government gave the Production Linked Incentive scheme for the drones and the components in 2021 and promoted the "Drone Shakti" and the Namo Drone Didi scheme of the women self-help groups for the farm drones.
• The risks are the privacy, the airspace safety and the misuse by the terrorists, which has led to the anti-drone systems.

Green Hydrogen

Hydrogen is a clean fuel, because it burns to give only water. But the way it is produced decides how clean it is.

The National Green Hydrogen Mission (2023), with an outlay of about Rs. 19,700 crore, aims to produce 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen a year by 2030, to make India a hub for the production and the export, and to reduce the imports of the fossil fuels. The uses are in the fertilisers, the refineries, the steel, the heavy transport and the shipping. The challenges are the high cost, the lack of the infrastructure for the storage and the transport, and the need for a large amount of the renewable power and the water.

Other Technologies to Watch

• Internet of Things (IoT): Everyday devices connected to the internet, collecting and sharing data.
• 3D printing (additive manufacturing): Making objects layer by layer from a digital design, used in the construction, the medicine and the defence.
• Robotics and automation: Raise the productivity but also raise the question of the jobs.
• Electric vehicles and batteries: The FAME scheme and the PLI scheme for the advanced chemistry cell batteries support them; the lithium and the critical minerals are important.
• Augmented and virtual reality, and the metaverse: Digital environments for the education, the entertainment and the training.

The Mains Angle: Opportunities, Risks and the Way Forward

Use a four-step frame in the Mains. (1) Opportunity: the economic growth, the jobs, the strategic autonomy, the better services. (2) Risk: the job loss, the privacy and the surveillance, the cyber threats, the digital divide and the environmental cost (the e-waste and the energy use). (3) Government steps: the missions (ISM, the NQM, the Green Hydrogen Mission), the PLI schemes, the Digital India and the start-up support. (4) Way forward: invest in the research and the skills, build the domestic ecosystem with the global partners, create the clear and flexible regulation (the data protection law, the AI governance), promote the ethical and the inclusive use, and make the technology work for the poor and the farmers. The idea of "tech sovereignty" and "responsible innovation" fits well in the conclusion.

Previous-Year Style Practice

• What is a qubit? Answer: The basic unit of the quantum information, which can be 0, 1 or a superposition of both.
• When were the 5G services launched in India? Answer: On 1 October 2022.
• Which type of the hydrogen is produced by the electrolysis of water using renewable energy? Answer: Green hydrogen.
• Which technology is the base of the crypto-currencies? Answer: Blockchain.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is a semiconductor?

A material such as silicon, whose electrical conductivity is between that of a conductor and an insulator, used to make chips.

What is the India Semiconductor Mission?

A programme started in 2021 with about Rs. 76,000 crore to build the semiconductor and the display ecosystem.

What is a qubit?

The unit of quantum information that can be 0, 1 or both at the same time.

What is quantum entanglement?

A phenomenon in which two particles are linked, so that the state of one depends on the other.

What is the National Quantum Mission?

A mission of 2023 with about Rs. 6,000 crore for the development of the quantum technology till 2031.

When did 5G start in India?

On 1 October 2022.

What is blockchain?

A shared digital ledger of the records linked in a chain of blocks across many computers.

What are the Drone Rules, 2021?

The liberalised rules for the drones, with the digital sky platform and the colour zones.

What is green hydrogen?

The hydrogen produced by the electrolysis of water with renewable electricity, with almost zero emissions.

What is the target of the National Green Hydrogen Mission?

5 million tonnes of green hydrogen a year by 2030.

What is a smart contract?

A self-executing contract whose terms are written in the code on a blockchain.

How is this topic asked in UPSC?

As the definitions, the government missions and the statement-based questions in the Prelims, and as the opportunities and the risks in the Mains.