Ashwini Vaishnaw meets Sundar Pichai at India AI Summit, discusses investments in data centres

New Delhi [India], February 20 (ANI): Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, met with the CEO of Google and Alphabet at the India AI Summit 2026. Both leaders discussed investments in AI, research and collaborations for framing AI standards.
"Met @sundarpichai, CEO, Google and Alphabet. Discussed investments in data centres, AI research in education, healthcare, & renewables and collaboration on framing AI standards," Vaishnaw said on X.
Earlier on Thursday, Pichai delivered a keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, where he reflected on his personal journey and unveiled a major infrastructure commitment to India's digital future.
Addressing a distinguished audience at Bharat Mandapam, the Google chief reminisced about his student days to highlight the rapid transformation of the Indian landscape.
"Prime Minister Modi and distinguished leaders, it's wonderful to be back in India. Every time I visit, I'm struck by the pace of change, and today is no different. Back when I was a student, I often took the Coromandel Express train from Chennai up to IIT Kharagpur. To get there, we passed through Visakhapatnam. I remember it being a quiet and modest coastal city brimming with potential," Pichai said.
The CEO used this personal anecdote to draw a parallel with Google's ambitious plans for the same city, which is now at the heart of the tech giant's global AI strategy.
"Now in that same city, Google is establishing a full-stack AI hub, part of our USD 15 billion infrastructure investment in India. When finished, this hub will house gigawatt-scale compute and a new international subsea cable gateway, bringing jobs and cutting-edge AI to people and businesses across India," he added.
This landmark announcement underscores a significant expansion of Google's footprint in India, transforming Visakhapatnam into a global node for artificial intelligence.
The hub is expected to provide the foundational "full-stack" infrastructure necessary to power next-generation AI services, reinforcing India's position as a pivotal player in the global technology ecosystem.
Such advancements align with the broader objectives of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, which brings together nations and international institutions to reflect India's focus on multilateral collaboration.
Pichai emphasised that AI represents a transformative shift in technology with the potential to accelerate progress across sectors and help emerging economies advance faster.
"The product shows what's possible when humanity dreams big, and no technology has me dreaming bigger than AI. It is the biggest platform shift of our lifetimes. We are on the cusp of hyper-progress and new discoveries that can help emerging economies leapfrog legacy gaps. But that outcome is neither guaranteed nor automatic," he said. (ANI)