Sundar Pichai Visits India to Lead AI Summit Discussions on Tech Policy and Upcoming Initiatives
Google CEO Sundar Pichai has landed in New Delhi for the India AI Impact Summit 2026, marking a major step in the tech giant’s massive push into the Global South. The CEO arrived on Wednesday, 18 February, and shared his excitement on X, stating it was "nice to be back" for the high-profile event at Bharat Mandapam.
The visit centers on a keynote speech scheduled for 20 February, where he is expected to explain how Google will spend a landmark $15 billion to turn India into a global hub for artificial intelligence.
Nice to be back in India for the AI Impact Summit - a very warm welcome as always and the papers looked great too:) pic.twitter.com/szM9g2wB4d
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) February 18, 2026
Leaders Meet to Talk About the Future of AI
The five-day summit started on 16 February. It is quite an important meeting as it is the first large-scale AI summit held in the Global South. It is said that more than 20 world leaders will be attending it, including Sam Altman and Bill Gates. These leaders will discuss ‘Sovereign AI,’ encouraging countries to build their own AI tools.
“We are coming with a very clear message: we want to be a partner to India. I believe India is going to have an extraordinary trajectory and opportunity with AI,” Sundar Pichai told The Economic Times ahead of his arrival.
Google wants to build everything needed for AI in India, including large data centers and clean energy to run them. The company also wants to provide free tools to the local developers so that they can build their own apps. This visit helps Google work closely with the Indian government and ensure that Google's technology stays at the heart of India's digital world.
How Google’s $15 Billion Investment Will Help Workers and Small Businesses
Google plans to spend over $15 billion (Rs. 1.12 lakh crore) in India over the next five years. A major portion of this amount will be spent on building a huge AI hub in Visakhapatnam, which will connect India’s coast to global internet cables. As a result, local businesses will get faster and cheaper access to powerful computers.
As reported by Google Blog: "This capital will establish our first Artificial Intelligence (AI) hub in the country... It’s an investment that will create high-value jobs in India, while also stimulating economic activity back in the US through related research and development."
Overall, Sundar Pichai’s visit has encouraged AI development and deployment in the country. During the next six months, the construction of the first phase of the new center in Visakhapatnam is expected.
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