India showcases 3 key objectives of upcoming ‘AI Impact Summit’ at Davos

Davos: The upcoming AI Impact Summit in New Delhi next month has been designed with a clear focus on three outcomes, as India gradually emerges as trusted partner in the world, thanks to sovereign Models, safety frameworks and a strong semiconductor ecosystem, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has stressed.

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, Vaishnaw 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 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.

The AI Impact Summit next month will see global leaders and technology leaders participate in the event, alongside investment announcements and the rollout of India’s AI models.

India now has nearly 200,000 startups and is among the top three startup ecosystems globally. The minister highlighted that 24 Indian startups are designing chips, one of the most challenging areas for startups, and 18 of them have already received venture capital funding, indicating strong confidence in India’s deep-tech capabilities.

Vaishnaw also outlined India’s semiconductor strategy, noting that nearly 75 per cent 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.

Vaishnaw also met Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian in Davos. Google is strengthening its commitment to India’s AI ecosystem, including a $15 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.

IANS