Central government on Friday said investments worth nearly USD 70 billion are already flowing into India's artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, with the potential to double it in February, as it prepares to host a global AI summit next month.
The announcement was made on Friday at a press conference held by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) ahead of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, scheduled for February 16-20 in New Delhi.
Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the scale of capital being committed showed growing global confidence in India’s AI ecosystem, which spans models, applications and computing infrastructure. “Investments worth nearly USD 70 billion are already flowing into the AI infrastructure layer, with the potential to double by the conclusion of the Summit,” he said.
Vaishnaw added that Indian IT firms have developed more than 200 sector-specific AI models, many of which are expected to be launched during the summit. He said India was pursuing a deployment-led approach to AI, with a focus on real-world use cases rather than research alone.
The government also plans to scale up AI talent development by extending shared AI infrastructure and industry-aligned curricula to 500 universities, aiming to build a steady pipeline of skilled professionals.
Centre is positioning the summit as a major convening for governments, industry, academia and civil society, with confirmed participation from 15 heads of state or government, more than 40 ministers, over 100 global CEOs, and leading academics. Companies including Jio, Qualcomm, OpenAI, Nvidia, Google, Microsoft, Adobe and the Gates Foundation are expected to participate, officials said.
According to MeitY, the summit will host more than 500 curated events across multiple venues in New Delhi. An accompanying AI Impact Expo will feature over 840 exhibitors, including national pavilions, startups, research institutions and government bodies, showcasing AI solutions with demonstrated real-world impact. IndiaAI, the government’s AI mission, will also present progress on India’s foundational AI models.
The upcoming summit will host top global technology leaders including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Google chief Sundar Pichai and Microsoft’s vice chair and president Brad Smith.
MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan said the central goal of the summit was to advance the “democratisation of technology,” ensuring AI benefits reach a broad cross-section of society. As the first such global summit hosted in the Global South, he said, India aims to shape discussions on AI governance, standards and the responsible deployment of the technology. |
