NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang Praises India’s AI Rise, Credits PM Modi’s Early Vision

India’s emergence as a major player in Artificial Intelligence is attracting growing attention from global technology leaders. In the latest endorsement of the country’s technological journey, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang has praised India’s rapid progress in AI and highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s early recognition of the technology’s transformative potential.

Speaking during the G20 Innovation Ministerial in North Carolina on September 2, Huang described India as one of the leading AI industries and emphasised the opportunity before Indian companies and startups. He also recalled seeing Prime Minister Modi discuss artificial intelligence almost a decade ago, at a time when AI had not yet become the global economic and technological priority that it is today.

Huang’s comments carry particular significance because NVIDIA has become one of the central companies powering the global AI revolution. The company’s high-performance GPUs are widely used for AI training and computing, making its leadership closely connected with the infrastructure behind the current AI boom.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (via AFP) | OpIndia

Jensen Huang Highlights India’s Unique Advantage

According to Huang, India already possesses many of the ingredients required to build a powerful domestic AI economy. The country’s established information technology sector, large pool of technical talent, expanding digital infrastructure and growing startup ecosystem provide a strong foundation for the next stage of technological development.

The NVIDIA CEO has encouraged India to move faster because AI is developing at an extraordinary pace. His message is particularly relevant as countries around the world compete to establish leadership in AI infrastructure, applications, research and innovation.

For India, the opportunity extends beyond adopting AI tools developed elsewhere. The larger ambition is to build companies, models and applications within the country that can serve Indian requirements while eventually competing in international markets.

A Vision That Began Before the AI Boom

One of the most notable aspects of Huang’s comments was his recollection of Prime Minister Modi’s interest in AI nearly a decade ago. Huang has previously spoken about his interactions with Modiji and recalled being asked to speak to members of the Indian Cabinet about artificial intelligence at a time when AI was still far from becoming a mainstream subject of national economic policy. His recollection suggests that India’s current AI push is part of a longer-term technology vision rather than simply a response to the recent popularity of generative AI.

The significance of that early focus has become clearer as AI has moved rapidly from research laboratories into businesses, public services and everyday applications. Technologies based on machine learning and generative AI are now influencing sectors ranging from healthcare and education to manufacturing, agriculture and finance.

IndiaAI Mission Creates a National AI Foundation

India’s AI ambitions are also being backed by a dedicated national programme. The IndiaAI Mission was approved in March 2024 with an outlay of about ₹10,372 crore to develop a comprehensive AI ecosystem covering computing infrastructure, foundational models, datasets, skills, startups and responsible AI.

The scale of the initiative has expanded considerably. According to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, India’s shared AI computing capacity had crossed 45,000 GPUs by June 2026. By August, 237 projects had accessed subsidised AI computing, covering more than 93 lakh GPU hours.

This infrastructure is important because access to computing power remains one of the biggest barriers for AI researchers and startups. By making high-performance computing available at more affordable rates, India is attempting to give smaller companies and academic institutions an opportunity to develop and test AI systems.

Building India’s Own AI Models

India’s strategy is not limited to providing computing infrastructure. Another important component is the development of indigenous foundational AI models designed around Indian languages, data and requirements.

The IndiaAI Mission has supported teams working on sovereign foundational models and large language models. The government has identified 20 indigenous foundation-model proposals, comprising 12 large multimodal models and eight small language models.

Several models have already emerged from this initiative. According to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, models developed by organisations including Sarvam AI, BharatGen, Gnani and Socket were launched during the India AI Impact Summit 2026, with an emphasis on Indian languages and local use cases.

This could prove particularly important for India because of its enormous linguistic diversity. AI systems that understand Indian languages, dialects and cultural contexts can potentially make advanced technology accessible to a much wider population.

AIKosh and the Data Infrastructure Behind the Revolution

Computing power alone cannot build an AI ecosystem. High-quality datasets are equally important for training and improving AI systems. India has therefore been developing AIKosh, a national platform designed to provide access to datasets, AI models and development resources. According to government data, AIKosh had more than 14,000 datasets and 331 AI models as of July 2026.

The availability of such resources can help researchers, startups and developers create AI applications suited to sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, education and governance. This approach reflects a broader effort to create an ecosystem in which infrastructure, data, talent and entrepreneurship develop together.

NVIDIA and India’s Growing Technology Partnership

NVIDIA’s relationship with India also extends beyond Huang’s public remarks. The company has increasingly engaged with Indian businesses and institutions as demand for AI computing grows.

NVIDIA’s involvement is significant because GPUs have become essential infrastructure for modern AI systems. As India expands its AI computing capacity, partnerships with global technology companies can provide access to advanced hardware, software platforms and technical expertise.

At the same time, India’s large technology workforce and expanding startup ecosystem offer global companies a substantial market and a growing pool of developers capable of building AI applications.

India’s Opportunity to Move From IT Services to AI Innovation

For decades, India has been recognised globally for its IT services industry. Artificial intelligence presents an opportunity to build upon that foundation and move further towards the creation of proprietary technology.

The next generation of Indian technology companies could develop AI-powered products for both domestic and international markets. Indian developers already have extensive experience serving global businesses, while the country’s large domestic market provides an enormous testing ground for new technologies.

Huang’s call for Indian companies and startups to take advantage of AI therefore points towards a larger transformation: India can potentially evolve from being primarily a provider of technology services into a major producer of AI products, models and intellectual property.

India’s AI Infrastructure Continues to Expand

The government has also announced an expansion of national computing capacity. In February 2026, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology announced plans to add another 20,000 GPUs beyond the existing 38,000 GPUs available through the IndiaAI framework.

Such expansion is intended to ensure that AI development is not restricted to a handful of large technology companies. Affordable access to computing can allow startups, researchers and academic institutions to experiment with advanced AI systems and contribute to the country’s innovation ecosystem.

The government has simultaneously been working on semiconductor manufacturing and design capabilities, recognising that long-term AI competitiveness depends not only on software and models but also on the hardware infrastructure supporting them.

India’s Growing Role in Global AI

India’s AI ambitions have increasingly been presented on the global stage. The India AI Impact Summit 2026 brought together technology leaders, policymakers, researchers and representatives from countries around the world, placing India at the centre of discussions surrounding the future of artificial intelligence.

The country has sought to position itself around an approach that combines technological innovation with accessibility, responsible development and the needs of developing economies. This is particularly relevant as the global conversation around AI expands beyond technology companies to questions of economic development, employment, education and public infrastructure. India’s large population and digital economy also provide an unusually large environment for deploying AI solutions at scale.

The Road Ahead for India’s AI Ambitions

Jensen Huang’s remarks come at an important moment in India’s technological development. The country has the talent and IT experience needed to participate in the AI revolution, while new investments in computing, indigenous models, datasets and semiconductor capabilities are strengthening the foundations of the ecosystem.

However, global AI competition is moving rapidly. Continued investment in research, advanced computing, semiconductor capabilities, education and private-sector innovation will be essential if India is to convert its potential into globally competitive AI companies and technologies. The opportunity is therefore not simply to consume the latest AI tools but to build an ecosystem capable of producing them.

The MGMM Outlook 

India’s rapid rise in Artificial Intelligence is increasingly gaining global recognition, with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang highlighting the country’s strong potential and recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s early focus on AI. India’s established IT sector, vast technical talent, growing startup ecosystem and expanding digital infrastructure provide a strong foundation for becoming a major AI hub. Initiatives such as the IndiaAI Mission, increased access to GPU computing, development of indigenous foundation models and platforms such as AIKosh are helping build an ecosystem that goes beyond simply adopting foreign technologies. The focus on Indian languages and local requirements also creates an opportunity to make advanced AI more accessible across the country.

The developments point towards a larger transformation in India’s technology journey. With increasing computing capacity, indigenous AI models, growing datasets, semiconductor ambitions and strong participation from startups and technology companies, India is creating the infrastructure needed to move from being primarily an IT services powerhouse to becoming a producer of AI products, platforms and intellectual property. Jensen Huang’s remarks underline the scale of this opportunity, while India’s continued investment in talent, research and innovation could strengthen its position in the global AI race. The coming years will be crucial in turning this growing ecosystem into globally competitive technologies while ensuring that AI contributes meaningfully to India’s economy and society.

(Sources: OpIndia, India Today, Moneycontrol)