New Delhi: India will significantly expand its national AI infrastructure by adding 20,000 GPUs to its existing 38,000-strong compute base, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on the second day of the India AI Impact Summit 2026.
The move marks the next phase of India’s AI strategy, combining large-scale compute expansion with responsible and inclusive deployment across sectors such as healthcare, education and manufacturing.
Addressing the media at the Summit, Vaishnaw said the expansion of GPU capacity will strengthen India’s AI backbone and ensure broader access to compute resources. He emphasised that India’s AI strategy reflects the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to democratize technology. Unlike several countries where AI infrastructure is concentrated in the hands of a few corporations, India has sought to make AI compute accessible to a wider ecosystem of startups, researchers, academia and industry players.
The announcement comes amid growing global competition for AI compute resources, which are critical for training and deploying advanced models. The Minister underlined that the focus remains on responsible AI development, ensuring that AI solutions deliver tangible benefits in areas such as affordable healthcare and personalised education.
The interaction was attended by Minister of State Jitin Prasada, MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan, and Abhishek Singh, CEO of the IndiaAI Mission. The Summit, being held from February 16 to 20 in New Delhi, has brought together heads of state, ministers, global technology leaders, multilateral institutions, startups, industry stakeholders and students, positioning it as one of the largest AI gatherings globally.
Vaishnaw expressed strong optimism regarding AI-driven investments, stating that over the next two years, more than $200 billion worth of investment is expected in the AI ecosystem. He noted that venture capital firms are committing funds across all five layers of the AI stack, from hardware and infrastructure to applications and large-scale solutions, with deep-tech startups emerging as major beneficiaries.
Highlighting India’s IT sector as a core strength, the Minister stressed the importance of coordinated action between government, industry and academia during every major technology transition. He outlined three parallel focus areas: reskilling and upskilling the existing workforce, creating a robust new talent pipeline and preparing future generations for emerging technologies. The Future Skills programme, launched three years ago, is now being aligned with AI-based reskilling initiatives, while the Ministry of Education and AICTE are updating curricula to keep pace with technological change.
On sustainability, the Minister pointed out that India holds a comparative advantage in clean energy, with around 51 per cent of its power generation capacity coming from non-fossil fuel sources. He said clean energy investments are being directed toward powering AI data centres, while research is underway to reduce AI infrastructure’s power and water consumption, with emerging innovations indicating potential energy savings of up to 35 per cent.
Discussing India’s sovereign AI models, Vaishnaw said several models launched at the Summit have been benchmarked against global standards and have performed strongly across parameters. He noted that international assessments, including those by Stanford University, have ranked India among the top three AI nations globally, underscoring the country’s rapid progress in innovation and capability building.
Addressing concerns around misuse, the Minister emphasised the need for a techno-legal approach combining regulatory frameworks with technological safeguards. He stated that India’s AI Safety Institute, operating as a virtual institution in collaboration with academic partners, is developing technical solutions to prevent AI misuse while encouraging innovation.
On semiconductor development, Vaishnaw reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the Semiconductor Mission, stating that design will be the central focus in Semiconductor 2.0. He projected the emergence of at least 50 deep-tech startups in the coming years, driven by current investments and innovation momentum.
The Minister also noted that more than 2.5 lakh students took a pledge on the first day of the Summit to use AI for responsible innovation, an initiative being submitted for recognition by Guinness World Records. Concluding his address, he reiterated that India is committed to advancing AI responsibly, expanding infrastructure, fostering innovation and ensuring that the benefits of AI reach every sector of society
