Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the flagship India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on Thursday. The event represents the “fourth annual” international gathering on AI, following summits in the UK, South Korea, and France.
The theme of the 2026 summit is “Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya“ (Welfare for all, Happiness of all). The day began with high-level addresses from UN Secretary-General António Guterres and French President Emmanuel Macron, emphasizing that the future of AI cannot be left to a “handful of billionaires.”
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PM Modi’s Vision: Democratizing the AI Stack
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw outlined the Prime Minister’s vision to “democratize” technology through a five-layer AI stack: Energy, Infra, Compute, Model, and Application. PM Modi stated that the true value of AI lies in its reach to the masses.
“AI is a foundational technology already transforming how we work,” Vaishnaw said during his welcome address to representatives from 118 countries. Therefore, the government is prioritizing the deployment of these five layers at scale to ensure accessible innovation for every Indian citizen.
Google’s Visakhapatnam Gamble: A $15 Billion Hub
In a major development, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced the establishment of a full-stack AI hub in Visakhapatnam. This project is part of Google’s broader $15 billion infrastructure investment in India. Pichai noted that his “quiet” childhood home is now becoming a global tech powerhouse.
The Visakhapatnam hub will feature gigawatt-scale compute capacity and a new international subsea cable gateway. “No matter how bold we are, we won’t realize AI’s full benefits unless we work together,” Pichai said. In fact, this hub is designed to bring cutting-edge AI directly to Indian businesses and farmers.
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Tata & OpenAI: Building the 100 MW Compute Engine
N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, delivered a keynote address revealing the group’s massive AI roadmap. Tata Group is establishing India’s first large-scale AI-optimized data center in partnership with OpenAI.
Next, the partnership will initially build a 100 MW capacity, with plans to scale to one gigawatt. Furthermore, Tata plans to manufacture domain-centric AI chips, starting with the automotive sector. “Let us set a simple standard: capability with dignity and high impact for every watt of energy,” Chandrasekaran added.
Bill Gates Skips Keynote Amid Epstein Row
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates officially withdrew from his scheduled keynote address Thursday morning. The Gates Foundation cited the need to “ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit’s key priorities.” The move comes amid a resurfaced controversy regarding Gates’s name in the Epstein files.
The foundation was instead represented by Ankur Vora, president of the Africa and India offices. Despite the high-profile skip, the organization reiterated its commitment to advancing India’s health and development goals through AI-led innovation.
Reality Check
Google calls its Visakhapatnam hub a “full-stack” investment. Still, a “gigawatt-scale” data center requires an astronomical amount of reliable electricity. Therefore, the success of this $15 billion gamble depends heavily on Andhra Pradesh’s ability to provide uninterrupted green energy. In fact, while the summit theme is “welfare for all,” the compute power remains concentrated in the hands of global giants like Google and Tata.
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The Loopholes
The “subsea cable gateway” in Visakhapatnam is a major connectivity win. In fact, subsea cables are often subject to national security scrutiny and environmental regulations that can delay projects by years. Therefore, the “when finished” timeline mentioned by Pichai remains a flexible promise. Still, the government’s decision to extend the expo until February 21 serves as a clever loophole to allow the public to attend after Thursday’s high-security VIP session.
What This Means for You
If you are a student or professional in Andhra Pradesh, Visakhapatnam is now the “AI Capital” of the South. First, start looking for specialized roles in data center management and subsea cable maintenance. Then, evaluate the “AI-powered forecasts” mentioned by Pichai if you are in the agricultural sector; these tools are now free for millions of farmers.
Finally, realize that the Tata-OpenAI partnership means localized versions of ChatGPT will soon be integrated into Indian automotive and industrial systems. You should watch for the “New Delhi Frontier AI Impact Commitments” being signed by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. Before the summit ends, check the updated schedule for the public expo on February 21 to see the latest country pavilions at Bharat Mandapam.
What’s Next
PM Modi will host a CEO Roundtable at 5:30 PM today to discuss global supply chains and research collaboration. Then, the public expo will reopen for all citizens on Friday, February 20. Finally, the “New Delhi Declaration” on AI safety is expected to be formally adopted by all 118 participating countries on Saturday.
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