US Tech Firms Make India Deals, CEOs Push Autonomy, Infrastructure At AI Summit

India -West News Desk

NEW DELHI -Major U.S. technology companies announced new investments and partnerships in India at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, as industry leaders underscored the need for stronger infrastructure, autonomy and wider access in the artificial intelligence ecosystem.

At the summit, which has drawn world leaders and ministerial delegations to address AI’s economic and social impact, Google and Nvidia unveiled India-focused initiatives, while executives from OpenAI, Microsoft, FedEx and Khosla Ventures outlined broader strategies for AI deployment and governance.

Google said it will build new subsea cable links connecting India directly to Singapore, South Africa and Australia to strengthen digital connectivity as demand for computing capacity rises.

The expansion builds on Google’s previously announced $15 billion investment to develop its largest AI data center hub outside the United States, in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

California-based Nvidia said it is partnering with three Indian cloud computing providers to supply advanced processors for AI data centers. The company is also working with infrastructure firm Yotta, which announced a $2 billion agreement with Nvidia to acquire 20,000 high-end AI processors.

Mumbai-based L&T separately announced plans with Nvidia to build what it described as India’s largest gigawatt-scale AI facility.

Among other U.S. industry participants, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Meta’s chief AI officer Alexandr Wang and Microsoft founder Bill Gates are attending the summit. Microsoft said it plans to invest $50 billion over the next decade to accelerate AI adoption in developing countries. U.S.-based AI startup Anthropic and Indian IT firm Infosys also announced a partnership to develop AI agents for the telecommunications sector.

Speaking on the sidelines, Vinod Khosla, founder of California-based Khosla Ventures, said AI’s impact will depend on how widely it is deployed.

“Unless AI benefits the bottom half of India’s population, we will not see its true impact,” Khosla said, adding that large-scale delivery of AI-powered education, healthcare and expertise is now economically feasible.

FedEx CEO Rajesh Subramaniam described AI as foundational to the next phase of global commerce.

India recently ranked third in Stanford University’s global AI competitiveness index, behind the United States and China. (With IANS inputs)