New Delhi: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said India would showcase the impact of artificial intelligence, sovereign AI models and safety frameworks at the upcoming AI Impact Summit, as he outlined the country’s technology and semiconductor strategy on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 at Davos.
The Minister said the AI Impact Summit had been designed with a sharp focus on outcomes. He said the first objective was to demonstrate measurable impact by using AI models and applications to improve efficiency, raise productivity and create multiplier effects across the economy.
The second objective, he said, was accessibility for India and the Global South. Drawing parallels with India’s experience in building UPI and digital public infrastructure, Vaishnaw said global stakeholders were looking to India to develop a scalable and affordable AI stack.
The third pillar of the Summit, he added, was safety. Vaishnaw said apprehensions around AI must be addressed through guardrails, guidelines and safety features, and stressed that India should build its own regulatory and safety stack for artificial intelligence. He said global leaders and technology firms would participate in the Summit, alongside investment announcements and the rollout of India’s AI models.
He also said India was gradually emerging as a trusted global partner, backed by a strengthening semiconductor ecosystem and deep-tech capabilities.
AI Impact Summit discussions linked to chips and deep tech push
Highlighting the startup ecosystem, Vaishnaw said India now had nearly 2 lakh startups and ranked among the world’s top three startup ecosystems. He said there had been a clear shift towards deep tech, noting that 24 Indian startups were designing chips and 18 of them had already secured venture capital funding.
Outlining the semiconductor roadmap, the Minister said about 75% of global chip volumes lay in the 28 nm to 90 nm range, which catered to sectors such as electric vehicles, automobiles, railways, defence, telecom and consumer electronics. He said India was focusing on mastering manufacturing in this segment before moving to advanced nodes.
Working with industry partners, including IBM, India had a clear path from 28 nm to 7 nm technology by 2030 and to 3 nm by 2032, he said. Vaishnaw added that four indigenous semiconductor units would begin high-tech chip production within the year.
During his Davos engagements, the Minister met Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, and discussed the company’s growing commitment to India’s AI ecosystem, including a $15 billion AI data centre in Visakhapatnam. He also met Joel Kaplan, Chief Global Affairs Officer of Meta, with discussions focusing on protecting users from deepfakes and AI-generated content.
