India kicked off one of the world’s largest artificial intelligence summits on February 16, 2026, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking to clear a path for India in the heated race to develop frontier AI models. The five-day India AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi brings together global tech leaders, policymakers, and researchers for what could be the largest gathering of AI luminaries to date. ## Tech Titans Descend on Delhi The guest list reads like a who’s who of the AI world. Sam Altman of OpenAI, Sundar Pichai of Alphabet, Dario Amodei of Anthropic, and Demis Hassabis of Google DeepMind are all in attendance. Meta’s Alexandr Wang and researchers including Yann LeCun and Arthur Mensch are also present. Notably, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang withdrew at the last minute due to “unforeseen circumstances.” “This summit is a huge validation of the potential of the market. Everyone’s coming in because they realize that this is the place to be in and India just cannot be ignored,” said Lalit Ahuja, CEO of ANSR, a company that helps businesses run offshore teams in India. ## India’s AI Ambitions Modi’s government has made its intentions clear—India should be one of the world’s tech superpowers. The government has approved $18 billion worth of semiconductor projects as it builds a domestic supply chain and pushes major companies like Apple to manufacture more goods in India. The summit comes amid a reset in U.S.-India relations, with both nations pushing toward a trade deal. This creates a favorable environment for major AI investments. ## Three Pillars of Focus The summit centers on three key areas: - Infrastructure: Major AI data center investment deals are expected to be announced - Users: India is one of OpenAI’s top ChatGPT markets, with companies racing to gain users - Talent: India is described as an “AI talent factory” with over 60% of recent Global Capability Centers focused on AI More than 80% of GCCs expected to be set up in the next six-to-eight months are projected to be AI-led, making India an essential hub for the global AI ecosystem. This summit marks the first major international AI gathering in the Global South, signaling India’s determination to play a central role in shaping AI’s future. — Source: [Bloomberghttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-16/india-seeks-role-in-shaping-ai-future-with-summit-of-tech-chiefs){rel=“nofollow”}, [CNBChttps://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/16/india-ai-impact-summit-tech-ceos-new-delhi.html){rel=“nofollow”}