India to showcase AI Impact, Sovereign Models and Safety Frameworks
Published: Jan 22, 2026
By TIOLCorplaws News Service
NEW DELHI, JAN 22, 2026: UNION Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Railways and Information & Broadcasting, Ashwini Vaishnaw, highlighted India's comprehensive approach to artificial intelligence, semiconductors and deep tech innovation during various interactions on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 at Davos.
AI Impact Summit to Focus on Impact, Global South and Safety
Vaishnaw said that the upcoming AI Impact Summit has been designed with a clear focus on outcomes. He stated that the first objective of the Summit is impact -how AI models, applications and the overall AI ecosystem can be used to improve efficiency, increase productivity and create a multiplier effect for the economy.
The second objective, he said, is accessibility, particularly for India and the Global South. Drawing parallels with India's success in building the UPI and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) stack, Vaishnaw noted that the world is now looking to India to see whether a similar, scalable and affordable stack can be created for AI.
The third objective of the AI Impact Summit, the Minister said, is safety. He emphasised the need to address apprehensions around AI by building appropriate guardrails, guidelines and safety features, and stated that the regulatory and safety stack for AI should also be built in India.
He added that global leaders and technology leaders will participate in the Summit, alongside investment announcements and the rollout of India's AI models.
Startup Growth and Deep Tech Momentum
The Union Minister noted that India now has nearly 200,000 startups and is among the top three startup ecosystems globally. He said there has been a fundamental shift over the last decade, with a growing focus on deep tech.
He highlighted that 24 Indian startups are designing chips, one of the most challenging areas for startups, and that 18 of them have already received venture capital funding, indicating strong confidence in India's deep-tech capabilities.
Roadmap for Semiconductors
Vaishnaw outlined India's semiconductor strategy, noting that nearly 75 percent of global chip volume lies in the 28nm to 90nm range, covering applications such as electric vehicles, automobiles, railways, defence systems, telecom equipment and a large share of consumer electronics.
He said India is focusing on mastering manufacturing in this segment first, before progressing to advanced nodes. Working with industry partners, including IBM, India has a clearly mapped path from 28nm to 7nm by 2030, and 3nm by 2032.
He expressed confidence that India will be among the top four or five semiconductor nations globally, citing its large talent pool, complete design capabilities, expanding manufacturing base and rapidly growing electronics market.
Vaishnaw also met Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian in Davos. Google is strengthening its commitment to India's AI ecosystem, including a USD15 billion AI data centre in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh and partnerships with Indian startups. He also met Joel Kaplan, Chief Global Affairs Officer, Meta in Davos and discussed safety of social media users from deepfakes and AI generated content. Meta briefed the Minister on its efforts to protect users.
India Working Across the Entire AI Stack
Vaishnaw explained that the AI ecosystem consists of five layers-the application layer, the models layer, the semiconductor or chip layer, infrastructure such as data centres, and the energy layer. He said India is working across all five layers, given the size of its economy, its technology-savvy population, and the global presence of Indian IT services companies.
He underlined that the application and usage layer offers the highest return on investment, and stated that India must lead in AI applications by quickly understanding enterprise workflows and applying AI technologies effectively. He noted that Indian IT services firms have already pivoted in this direction, with AI hiring increasing by about 33 percent.
Small Models, Sovereign Capability and Efficiency
The Union Minister stated that nearly 95 percent of AI workloads today are handled by small models, and that a 50-billion-parameter model is sufficient for most enterprise requirements. He said India is developing a bouquet of around 12 focused AI models, which can run on small GPU clusters and deliver AI services at low cost to a very large population.
He emphasised the importance of sovereign AI models, noting that such models are essential to ensure resilience in case access to global AI resources is restricted. He said this approach, centred on efficiency, affordability and sovereignty, positions India to compete effectively in the global AI race.
Vaishnaw added that several of these models have been tested across multiple parameters and in real-life use cases, and that India will soon be in a position to launch the full series of models.
AI Infrastructure and Energy Readiness
On infrastructure, the Minister said that around USD 70 billion of AI infrastructure investment is already confirmed and being rolled out. He also highlighted the energy layer as critical to the AI ecosystem, and noted that India has opened nuclear energy to private sector participation through the Shakti Act, which will support the full AI stack.
Multi-Decade AI Journey and Innovation Potential
Vaishnaw said that the AI revolution will unfold over multiple decades and that the world is still at an early stage. He contrasted the human brain, which operates on just a few watts of power, with AI data centres consuming hundreds of megawatts, and said this gap highlights the vast scope for future innovation.
He added that many Indian startups are focusing on breakthroughs in engineering and efficiency to create the next generation of AI models, opening up significant opportunities for the country.
Government as Demand Generator and Focus Areas
Vaishnaw stated that the Government is already playing the role of a demand generator for AI, particularly in areas where clear commercial models may not exist. He said the Government is working on a series of AI use cases for sectors such as weather forecasting, agriculture and healthcare, with a strong emphasis on predictive and preventive healthcare, where India has an opportunity to lead globally.
He added that the Government will fund the development of applications using the sovereign AI models and support them through large-scale infrastructure, enabling widespread diffusion of AI technologies and strengthening the talent pipeline.
Industry Collaboration and Skilling
The Union Minister said that India's AI Mission, like the semiconductor programme, has been designed in close consultation with industry. He noted that his key request to industry leaders is support in developing AI-ready course curricula, so that students graduating from colleges are well prepared for the emerging AI-driven industrial transformation, similar to earlier efforts in semiconductors and 5G.
