By Rameesh Kailasam & Shivam Tandon
The world has witnessed India’s sterling innovations in Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). It is a testimony to India’s capability in setting global benchmarks. In the G20 summit, India’s DPI work was hailed as a guiding light for other nations. From ranking 81st in 2015 in the Global Innovation Index (GII) to 40th in 2023, India is on a rising trajectory. The country is beginning to let go of the belief that it is just a developing nation, which earlier restricted its mindset to look at the West for benchmarks and innovations to solve today’s complex problems.
The entrepreneurial spirit of Indians has the potential to take the country to a much better ranking, given we put our trust in them. One such innovation that can significantly increase the lifespan of electronic gadgets is knocking on the doors of the policymakers for recognition.
It is tough to imagine our lives without electronic devices. However, the life span of these gadgets on paper is much higher than what we usually experience in real life, primarily due to the heat generated by leakage currents during the operation of the CPU. A rise in heat leads to a rise in leakage current and more leakage current results in more heat. The CPU is programmed to throttle operations to control the rise of heat and this eventually slows down the computer’s ability to work. To mitigate this, airflow passage is provided to dissipate heat. Additionally, a thermal paste (thermal interface material) is used to maximise heat transfer and dissipation. Degradation of this thermal interface material leads to the failure of the entire thermal management system and we eventually experience our electronic gadgets slowing down and finally being discarded in 3-4 years.
This is where an indigenous solution has been built in the form of CV22 (ChakraVardhan22) by Meerkats Innovative Technotools, an emerging start-up. CV22 is a nanotechnology-based metallic thermal interface providing a metal channel with high electronic thermal conductivity for very fast heat transfer to the heat dissipation assembly. It holds its place and remains functional for thousands of thermal cycles, thus preventing the heat from accumulating on the processor. CV22 test results show an increase of more than 40% performance per watt. It is an invention in field of nanotechnology wherein millions of nano cylinders aligned vertically are deployed with insulator coating to bring back electronic devices to their designed performance.
Adoption of such innovations can result in significant environmental and economic benefits. Increasing the lifespan of electronic gadgets can reduce the e-waste that is generated annually. India currently ranks third amongst the largest generators of e-waste globally, behind only China and the US. The volume of e-waste in India has witnessed a significant surge—from 700,000 tonnes in 2017-18 to 1.6 million tonnes in 2021-22. During the manufacturing of electronics, a huge amount of waste is generated. A typical smartphone can comprise up to 62 different metals, the mining of which is not necessarily environmentally friendly. Manufacturing of a notebook computer and a smartphone is accompanied by the creation of 1200 kgs and 86 kgs of non-recyclable waste respectively. We can reduce the demand for manufacturing new products by increasing the longevity of our gadgets. Using CV22 also results in lower power consumption resulting in energy savings which further results in a reduction in carbon emissions.
India is home to 63 million MSMEs/SMEs as of May 2023. Nearly 76% of them choose refurbished or second-hand machines to run their businesses. The capital cost of purchasing new machinery is a significant burden for these small businesses. If the systems could be used for longer periods without their performance deteriorating, it would result in significant cost savings for the businesses and better productivity for the users.
To move towards a responsible digital future, we must encourage innovation in this space. These gadgets have become parts of our lives and the focus should be on increasing their lifespan. Steps need to be taken towards a sustainable future for our electronic devices. Therefore, it is imperative that the requisite talent is nurtured in our country. We have the potential to become innovation exporters and set global standards. In the past, we have seen many businesses moving outside India where they find viability. We must ensure that this practice comes to an end and local innovators get access to working with the government for creating standards that don’t even exist at the moment at the global level.
Encouraging such innovations from India will also contribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE) Movement that also envisions replacing the prevalent use-and-dispose economy—governed by mindless and destructive consumption—with a circular economy, which would be defined by mindful and deliberate utilisation.
Rameesh Kailasam & Shivam Tandon, Respectively, CEO and manager-public policy & research, Indiatech.org (TSIA)