"India will be one of top-most AI powers because of talent and data": Amitabh Kant

New Delhi [India], February 18 (ANI): Former G20 Sherpa of India and Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has emphasised India's goal towards artificial intelligence, stating that the country wants to grow with equality.
Speaking to ANI on Tuesday, Kant asserted that India has the talent and data to become a top AI power while ensuring its availability to all.
"I agree with the vision the Prime Minister has set before the country, because India has the talent, the data... so that when we grow, we grow with equality. We agree that India will be one of the top-most powers of AI, simply because of talent and data. We will also ensure that there is accessibility for our citizens," Amitabh Kant said.
Backing PM Narendra Modi's remarks, Kant noted that India's expanding IT market will play a crucial role in this transformation. He highlighted the importance of IT companies in advancing AI adoption and pointed to India's success in developing open APIs and globally interoperable digital models as key strengths in this journey.
"Indian AI market is expanding rapidly and despite AI, we will require the IT companies to play a key role... We have demonstrated open APIs and globally interoperable models," he added.
Earlier on Wednesday, with the AI-India Impact Summit underway in the capital, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not replacing India's IT sector but transforming it, potentially enabling the industry to reach $400 billion by 2030. The summit marks the first global convening of this scale on AI hosted in the Global South.
In a special interview with ANI's text service, the Prime Minister spoke about the growing impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the IT industry and the government's strategy to strengthen the sector.
"India's IT sector has been the backbone of our services exports and a key driver of economic growth. AI presents both a tremendous opportunity and a challenge for this sector. AI market projections show India's IT sector could reach $400 billion by 2030, driven by new waves of AI-enabled outsourcing and domain-specific automation," he said.
India is expected to add another 20,000 GPUs, taking the total beyond 38,000 GPUs, to strengthen the country's AI compute infrastructure. Under the IndiaAI Mission, these high-end GPUs are available at about Rs 65 per hour, nearly one-third of the global average cost.
The next phase of India's AI strategy will focus on design, research, and development to build solutions tailored to India's needs. He also indicated that AI-related investments are likely to exceed USD 200 billion at the summit, including USD 90 billion already committed, with discussions ongoing with major companies regarding further investments. (ANI)