Tech Giants Open Investment Floodgates for AI Development in India
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is emerging as a milestone event in India’s ambition to become a global leader in artificial intelligence infrastructure and innovation. By the third day of the summit, major global technology companies announced significant investments in India’s AI ecosystem.
Google Announces Major AI Push
Google CEO Sundar Pichai reaffirmed India’s AI potential and announced a new subsea cable route to enhance AI connectivity between India and the United States. He also pledged training support for 20 million government employees and assistance for 11 million students.
Pichai revealed that the recently announced $15 billion AI hub in Visakhapatnam (Vizag), Andhra Pradesh, will include a gigawatt-scale compute facility and an international subsea cable gateway.
Microsoft’s $50 Billion Global South Commitment
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith announced that the company will invest $50 billion by the end of this decade to expand AI access across Global South countries.
The initiative includes training 5.6 million people in India by 2025 and 20 million Indians by 2030. Through Microsoft Elevate for Educators, the company aims to support 2 million teachers across more than 200,000 schools.
Microsoft also disclosed that it invested over $8 billion last fiscal year in data center infrastructure serving Global South regions, including India, Mexico, Africa, South America, Southeast Asia, and West Asia.
Qualcomm to Invest $150 Million
Global chipmaker Qualcomm Incorporated announced plans to invest $150 million (approximately ₹1,360 crore) in India’s rapidly growing technology and AI startup ecosystem through Qualcomm Ventures.
The investment will focus on AI innovations across automotive, IoT, robotics, and mobile sectors.
Yotta and Nvidia Strengthen AI Infrastructure
Yotta Data Services announced it will spend over $2 billion on Nvidia’s latest AI chips for its upcoming AI computing hub near New Delhi.
The company plans to deploy 20,736 liquid-cooled Nvidia Blackwell Ultra GPUs by August, positioning India among a select group of countries capable of hosting cutting-edge AI infrastructure.
Yotta currently operates three data centers in India.
PM Modi Inaugurates AI Impact Summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the AI Impact Summit on February 19 at 10 AM. French President Emmanuel Macron also addressed the gathering.
Leaders and heads of state from more than a dozen countries attended the event. The Prime Minister also participated in a roundtable discussion with global CEOs.
Electronics and IT Secretary S. Krishnan stated that the summit remained closed to the public on February 19 and was accessible only to invitees. The government extended the AI Expo to February 21, allowing public access from 8 AM to 8 PM.
India-Bhutan Cooperation on AI
Prime Minister Modi emphasized that India-Bhutan friendship is rooted in mutual trust and goodwill, guiding partnerships into new and transformative areas.
After meeting Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Modi highlighted discussions on leveraging AI responsibly for global welfare and sustainability.
Tobgay congratulated India for hosting the Global South’s first AI summit and referred to Modi as his “elder brother.”