New Delhi, Feb 18 : Betting big on India’s AI potential, Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Wednesday announced new subsea cable routes to boost AI connectivity between India and the US, alongside major skilling initiatives, including training 20 million public servants and supporting 11 million students.
Pichai, who is here to attend the AI Impact Summit 2026, said the recently announced USD 15 billion AI hub at Vizag in Andhra Pradesh will house a gigawatt-scale compute facility and an international subsea cable gateway.
“I believe India is going to have an extraordinary trajectory with AI, and we want to be a partner,” he said at a media event held on the sidelines of the Summit.
Pichai highlighted India’s extraordinary potential in AI. “AI is the biggest platform shift of our lifetime … for countries like India, AI presents a chance to leapfrog age-old gaps and create new opportunities.”
He emphasised applications spanning healthcare, education, climate resilience, and more, and noted India’s high adoption of AI-enabled voice and visual search.
He announced the India-America Connect Initiative – a new series of subsea cable routes to enhance AI connectivity between the US, India, and multiple locations across the Southern Hemisphere.
Google also unveiled major skilling programs in India, including the Google AI Professional Certificate for students and early-career professionals, partnerships with Karma Yogi Bharat to train 20 million public servants, and generative AI support for over 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs reaching 11 million students.
“Google has full-stack connectivity in India, and I have never been more excited about the future we are building together,” he said.
Pichai earlier in the day met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“We discussed how Google is helping with its mission to infuse AI at all levels in India to improve health, expand access to information in all languages, support startups, agriculture and so much more,” Pichai said in a post on X.
Modi shared pictures of the meeting, saying, “It was a delight to meet Mr. Sundar Pichai on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit in Delhi. Talked about the work India is doing in AI and how Google can work with our talented students and professionals in this field.”
At the media event, Pichai stressed India’s potential as a global AI leader, noting the technology’s transformative applications – from improving healthcare and education to supporting resilient communities.
“AI is the biggest platform shift of our lifetime, and one of the most powerful tools to solve problems and improve lives at a planetary scale,” he said.
To support adoption, Google announced the Google AI Professional Certificate Program in India, targeting students and early-career professionals.
Skilling initiatives will also include a landmark collaboration with Karma Yogi Bharat to empower 20 million public servants across 800 districts in 18 languages, and support for Atal Tinkering Labs to bring generative AI assistance to over 10,000 schools and 11 million students.
On research and scientific innovation, Google launched a USD 30 million AI for Science Impact Challenge to support global researchers using AI to accelerate breakthroughs in quantum computing, climate modeling, and other scientific fields.
Partnerships with local institutions, including IIT Madras and the Indian government through Google DeepMind, aim to broaden access to frontier AI capabilities nationwide.
“AI is the biggest platform shift of our lifetime, and one of the most thoughtful tools to solve problems and improve lives at planetary scale. Whether it’s making diseases more detectable and treatable, communities more resilient, or learning more accessible,” he said.
“For countries like India, AI presents a chance to leapfrog age-old gaps and create new opportunities.”
India happens to be among the places with the greatest adoption and optimism for AI technologies.
“Google has been investing in AI for more than a decade because we see it as the most important way to advance our mission that starts with reimagining the products people use every day. For example, AI is changing the way people use Google search. Google AI Overviews – AI-generated summaries at the top of search results – is one of the most successful launches in search in the past decade, he said.
“And AI mode is now available across 35 new languages and 200 countries and territories. Indian users are among the highest global adopters of voice and visual search,” he said.
“In the coming weeks, you’ll see an enhanced model that powers search live in real time, voice and camera too, so more people can search what they see in their own language.”
AI is also helping to create net new experiences that are truly helpful.
The Gemini app is growing rapidly across the world, and India is among its largest markets. It’s available in 10 languages in India.
“Underlying this progress is our world class infrastructure. Last year, we announced a USD 15 billion AI hub in VIzag. This hub will house gigawatt scale computers and a new international subsea cable gateway. When finished, it will bring jobs and the benefits of cutting edge AI people and businesses across India,” he said.
Building on this, Google is announcing the India-America connect initiative, which will deliver new subsea cable routes to increase AI connectivity between the US, India and multiple locations across the southern hemisphere.
To take advantage of the opportunities this infrastructure creates, the firm must also invest in people and skilling.
Pichai cited a 2025 government AI Readiness Index to state that India is in the top tier of nations for public sector adoption, driven by its world-leading digital public infrastructure.
“AI is fundamentally shifting the pace of discovery, and I’m excited to see how we can continue accelerating science for real-world impact. From advancing quantum computing to predicting extreme weather, AI is giving us the tools to understand the universe in deeper ways and solve hard problems in science,” he said. “Google has a full-stack commitment to India, and has never been more excited about the future we are building together.” (PTI)
