Current Affairs - Technology

IIT Madras is hosting the 3rd Digital India RISC-V (DIR-V) Symposium in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and RISC-V International. The event is being held at the IIT Madras Research Park in Chennai under the theme “Empowering Bharat’s Semiconductor Future.” The symposium focuses on advancing processor design, semiconductor technologies, AI hardware, embedded systems, cybersecurity, and secure silicon design. It supports the Government of India’s Digital India RISC-V initiative, which aims to achieve silicon sovereignty by promoting indigenous microprocessor development based on the open-source RISC-V architecture for global applications.

GitHub was directed by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs, to remove repositories associated with the Bluetooth-based messaging app Bitchat. The action was taken under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology Rules, 2021, citing national security concerns. Bitchat is a decentralised, open-source messaging application that uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh networks instead of the internet or centralised servers. Authorities expressed concerns that its anonymous and offline communication capabilities could be misused by terrorists, cybercriminals, organised crime groups, and other anti-national elements, making monitoring and law enforcement more challenging.

IIT Tirupati is hosting the 5th BRICS Working Group meeting on geospatial technology in Andhra Pradesh from July 20 to July 23, 2026, in collaboration with the IIT Madras Technology Innovation Hub's Geospatial Living Lab. The meeting brings together BRICS members and newly inducted nations to discuss AI-based geospatial analytics, positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) technologies, and geospatial infrastructure for sustainable development. The event aims to establish common geospatial data standards, improve information sharing, and strengthen international cooperation in natural resource management, disaster risk reduction, and climate resilience.

IIT Kanpur is establishing the Centre of Excellence on Innovative and Integrated Ecosystem for Green Hydrogen (ECOGEN) under the Uttar Pradesh Green Hydrogen Policy 2024. Approved by the Uttar Pradesh Government and supported by UPNEDA, the centre will focus on green hydrogen production, storage, utilisation, and system integration. It aims to develop affordable hydrogen technologies, encourage industrial adoption, promote research and innovation, strengthen collaboration between academia and industry, and support India's transition to clean energy. The initiative also contributes to the country's sustainability objectives and long-term net-zero emissions goals.

India's first and deepest geothermal wells were commissioned at Puga Valley in Ladakh on July 17, 2026, by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. Developed by the ONGC Energy Centre at an altitude of over 14,000 feet, the project marks a significant milestone in India's renewable energy sector. Both wells were drilled to a depth of 1,000 meters, with temperatures reaching 135°C at around 400 meters below the surface. The geothermal resource will support India's first 1 MW demonstration-scale geothermal power project. Located in the Changthang region, Puga Valley is renowned for its high-temperature hot springs and is considered India's most promising geothermal field.