India’s AI superpower dream lands US$200 billion – now comes the hard part
India’s AI ambitions could add half a trillion dollars to its economy or deepen inequality if cannot train up its workforce fast enough
“My vision is that India should be among the top three AI superpowers globally, not just in the consumption of AI but in creation,” Modi told Asian News International in an interview about the summit.
Delhi is seeking to leverage its experience in building large-scale digital public infrastructure and its vast pool of tech talent as the foundation for this transformation.
That sales pitch certainly appears to be drawing attention. The five-day AI summit, which ran to February 20, produced a wave of investment pledges. India’s minister for electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, announced more than US$200 billion in AI and deep-tech commitments over the next two years.
Reliance Group, the Indian conglomerate, pledged US$110 billion into data centres and related infrastructure, while domestic rival Adani Group said it would invest US$100 billion in renewable energy-powered AI data centres by 2035.