India To Add 20,000 GPUs To Strengthen National AI Infrastructure At India AI Impact Summit 2026
Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that India will add 20,000 GPUs to its existing 38,000 GPUs to strengthen national AI infrastructure. He made the announcement on the second day of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi. With this expansion, the government aims to enter the next phase of its AI strategy while accelerating compute capacity and responsible deployment.
Moreover, the Minister said the government will scale access to AI across sectors such as healthcare and education. He stressed that the strategy ensures that AI benefits reach every section of society.
Expansion Of Compute And Investment Momentum
Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that the additional 20,000 GPUs will significantly boost India’s AI capabilities. He explained that unlike several countries where a handful of firms control AI infrastructure, India has widened access to compute resources. According to him, this approach reflects Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of democratising technology.
Furthermore, the Minister expressed confidence that more than 200 billion US dollars in investments will flow into AI over the next two years. He noted that venture capital firms are actively backing deep tech startups. Investments, he added, are emerging across all five layers of the AI stack. As a result, both large solutions and major applications are receiving financial commitments.
The Summit, held from 16 to 20 February, has brought together Heads of State, ministers, global technology leaders, researchers, startups and students. Shri Jitin Prasada, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology and Commerce and Industry, Shri S Krishnan, Secretary of the Ministry, and Shri Abhishek Singh, CEO of the IndiaAI Mission, attended the media interaction.
Sovereign AI Models And Global Recognition
Highlighting India’s innovation capacity, the Minister said that several sovereign AI models launched at the Summit have undergone benchmarking against global standards. He stated that multiple Indian models have outperformed many large international systems on various parameters. In addition, he noted that Stanford has ranked India among the top three AI nations globally.
At the same time, he underlined the need for responsible AI. He emphasised a techno legal approach that combines regulatory frameworks with technical safeguards. India’s AI Safety Institute, which operates virtually with academic institutions, is developing technical solutions to prevent misuse.
Skills, Sustainability And Sectoral Deployment
Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw described AI as a driver of the fifth industrial revolution. Therefore, he said industry, academia and government must jointly manage this technological transition. Work is currently progressing on three parallel tracks: reskilling the existing workforce, building a new talent pipeline and preparing future generations.
He added that the Future Skills programme, launched three years ago, now supports AI based reskilling. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education and AICTE are revising curricula to align with emerging technologies.
On sustainability, the Minister pointed out that about 51 percent of India’s power generation capacity comes from clean sources. He stated that this provides an advantage in powering AI data centres. Additionally, research efforts aim to reduce energy use in AI infrastructure by up to 35 percent.
On the first day of the Summit, over 2.5 lakh students pledged to use AI responsibly. The organisers have submitted the initiative for recognition by Guinness World Records. The Minister concluded that India will continue to advance AI responsibly while ensuring innovation benefits society at large.