India is building a strong foundation to compete in the global AI landscape, and the key strengths are starting to come together: a vast pool of skilled workers, world-class compute infrastructure, sovereign AI models, and a governance framework that puts safety and privacy at the centre.
Mohammed Y Safirulla K, IAS, Director of IndiaAI at MeitY, highlighted how India’s advantage begins with its people. Skilled talent is no longer limited to major cities; Tier 2 and Tier 3 regions are also emerging as powerful contributors. The plan is to tap this nationwide talent base and bring more young professionals into the AI ecosystem, where they can build solutions not only for India but for global markets.
A second pillar is infrastructure. Under the IndiaAI Mission, the government has empaneled around 38,000 GPUs, all accessible through a unified compute platform. Startups, researchers, and academic institutions can tap into this resource pool directly through the IndiaAI website. Alongside this, the mission is building AI Kosh, a national-level data platform that hosts curated datasets and foundational models to support AI development. High-speed connectivity across the country ties everything together, creating an ecosystem that gives innovators the tools they need.
To complement this, India is investing in its own sovereign AI models. After a competitive evaluation, twelve large and small language models have been selected for government support, including compute and financial assistance. These models will be made available to startups and researchers, giving them a strong base for innovation without depending on foreign systems.
Safirulla also emphasized the importance of trust and safety. India is building frameworks to detect deepfakes, reduce algorithmic bias, and ensure that safety guardrails evolve alongside technological progress. The goal is clear: leap ahead in AI without compromising public trust.
Balancing innovation and privacy remains central. Safirulla explained that India’s AI governance framework is designed to encourage innovation while upholding the privacy protections guaranteed under the DPDP Act and Supreme Court rulings. AI Kosh will provide anonymized datasets, foundational models will follow open-weight principles, and new testing mechanisms will ensure compliance with Indian law before products reach the market.
Looking ahead to the Global AI Summit, he said the world’s attention is on India. The summit revolves around a single idea: impact. Built on three pillars, People, Planet, and Progress, and seven thematic working groups with participation from over 100 countries, the event aims to produce clear, actionable outcomes. Each working group is expected to deliver three to four tangible outputs, culminating in a Leaders’ Declaration when global leaders gather in New Delhi in February 2026.
The expectation is that the summit will spark next-generation initiatives that strengthen global AI governance, expand access to AI resources, and deliver real benefits across societies and economies.
