India is currently one of the world's most dynamic countries in terms of the development and implementation of artificial intelligence. Beyond its enormous domestic market and rapid digital growth, its significance lies in the integration of this technology into the country's economy and society.
AI Impact Summit 2026
From February 16 to 20, the fourth edition of the AI Impact Summit was held in New Delhi, the first time it has taken place in a country in the Global South. The event served as a meeting point for global technology leaders, heads of state, and startups, and emphasized the country's role in the field of artificial intelligence.
The main themes were People, Planet, and Progress, focusing on the development of AI that serves the population, uses resources responsibly, and is not concentrated in the hands of a few. In the words of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, "The theme of the summit is well-being and happiness for all, a testament to our shared commitment to harnessing artificial intelligence for human-centered progress." Within the framework of the Spain-India Dual Year, one of whose central themes is AI, President Sánchez attended the summit.
Featured initiatives
One of the event's most significant milestones was the signing of the New Delhi Declaration by 86 countries, a non-binding document that emphasizes the need to bring the benefits of AI to developing economies, increase public use cases in healthcare and education, and promote trust in this technology. It is expected to guide and harmonize national policies, foster international cooperation in research and development, and enable the establishment of shared quality and safety standards.
On the other hand, Google has unveiled the America-India Connect project, an initiative that aims to build new submarine fiber optic routes linking India and the United States with Singapore, South Africa, and Australia. According to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, the goal of this initiative is to “prevent the digital divide from becoming an AI divide.” It is expected that faster and more secure connectivity will facilitate the development of AI services for individuals, businesses, and governments, especially in emerging economies.
The summit also saw the announcement of ambitious expansions to AI infrastructure: the government aims to more than double GPU (graphics processing unit) capacity in the next six months, a key component for powering advanced artificial intelligence models. Meanwhile, Indian company Yotta Data Services announced a $2.000 billion investment to create one of Asia's largest AI computing hubs, while the Adani Group unveiled a $100.000 billion plan by 2035 to develop AI data centers powered by renewable energy.
India as a benchmark
While the first chapter of the AI boom was characterized by a race of technological innovations, the next stage will see the massive development of ecosystems that enable its integration into society. In this context, India's role is key. Besides being a huge market for AI tools, the country has demonstrated that a robust public digital infrastructure can outperform traditional models.
A prime example is India Stack, a digital government infrastructure that enables businesses, individuals, and the government itself to interact and transact, accelerating the country's digital transformation and improving financial inclusion. The foundation of this system is the Aadhaar digital card, a government-issued identification number that collects personal and biometric data from the country's residents. This facilitates access to government services, such as healthcare and education, and is essential for financial transactions, such as opening a bank account and making payments. Currently, nearly 100% of India's adult population has an Aadhaar, making it the world's largest biometric identification system.
India AI Mission
India AI Mission is a government program that aims to promote the development of artificial intelligence made entirely by and for India, and to make the country a global leader in this technology. The initiative is based on seven pillars:
1. Offering GPUs – Graphics Processing Units, chips that improve the processing capacity and speed of computers – at a reduced price so that AI is accessible to everyone.
2. The development of AI applications for specific Indian challenges in sectors such as health, agriculture, and governance. To this end, institutions and ministries across various sectors organize annual hackathons to encourage young talent to participate in finding solutions.
3. The massive development of datasets for training AI models. This is possible thanks to AIKosh, a platform that currently has more than 3.000 datasets and 243 AI models in 20 different sectors.
4. The development of foundational models based on national data to ensure India's sovereignty in AI and thus not have to depend on other countries.
5. Training professionals in the use and development of artificial intelligence with scholarships for doctoral studies, master's degrees and university degrees.
6. Promoting innovation through financial aid to the most promising startups in the sector.
7. The adoption of responsible and safe AI, with subsidies for initiatives that seek to improve privacy and reduce its negative impact.
During the summit, the launch of India AI Mission 2.0 was announced. The most significant new feature of this second phase is the creation of a digital ecosystem where small and medium-sized enterprises can easily access ready-to-use artificial intelligence tools, promoting the democratization of this technology.
The commitment to the people
The Indian government has launched a comprehensive public strategy to make artificial intelligence accessible to everyone. The first step is ensuring that students, workers, and entrepreneurs—even those in rural areas—can understand and use AI. To this end, free training programs are offered—such as Yuva AI for All, which teaches the basics of AI—and subsidized higher education is provided to 550.000 rural entrepreneurs annually. Furthermore, AI education is being promoted from an early age, introducing it as a learning tool in classrooms.
In a country with a great diversity of languages, efforts are underway to prevent linguistic and cultural barriers from excluding minorities from using this technology. The Bhashini project, for example, is a machine translation and natural language processing program for multiple Indian languages that allows citizens to interact in their native tongues. Furthermore, collaborations are underway with initiatives such as AI4Bharat to develop open-source models and tools in 22 official languages.
Another objective is to enable researchers, startups, businesses, and citizens to access advanced computing power without cost barriers or the need for their own infrastructure. The IndiaAI Compute Portal is a platform that offers access to thousands of GPUs at a very low price to government agencies, academia, startups, and SMEs. Previously, however, it was necessary to develop a massive infrastructure, which currently has the capacity to host more than 18.000 GPUs, 10.000 of which are already available. To put this number into perspective, DeepSeek was trained with 2.000 GPUs, and ChatGPT with 25.000.
sectoral applications
In agriculture, the most representative example of the impact of artificial intelligence is the use of predictive models—which combine satellite imagery and meteorological data—to anticipate crop yields and detect risks such as pests or droughts. Through collaborations between public administrations and technology companies like Microsoft, systems have been developed that can analyze crop health in near real-time. This allows farmers to better plan their harvests, reduce losses, and improve the management of public agricultural insurance through more objective and rapid damage assessments.
In public healthcare, artificial intelligence algorithms are used to automatically analyze chest X-rays and detect tuberculosis early. In a country with a high incidence of this disease, these systems can identify compatible patterns in a matter of seconds, even in rural centers where there are no specialists. Integrating this technology into mass screening campaigns has reduced diagnosis time and improved early detection, contributing to a more efficient healthcare response.
In education, the most significant impact is seen in the implementation of adaptive learning platforms in public schools. These systems use AI to assess each student's level and automatically adjust the difficulty and type of content offered. This personalization helps identify learning gaps, which is especially important in a large-scale education system with marked regional inequalities.
Conclusion
India's commitment to artificial intelligence is not limited to participating in global technological competition; it reflects a vision of national transformation. AI is being integrated as a driver of economic development, institutional modernization, and social cohesion. Through a combination of digital public infrastructure, mass talent development, and democratized access to computing, the country is building a comprehensive and interconnected ecosystem capable of sustaining its long-term growth.
