NEW DELHI (Feb 17, 2026) — Union IT and Electronics Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced today that India is poised to attract over $200 billion in AI and data infrastructure investments over the next two years.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing four-day AI Impact Summit, Vaishnaw highlighted that India’s policy stability and massive talent pool have made it a premier destination for global tech capital.
Investment Breakdown
The Minister provided a clear roadmap of the capital flow currently targeting India’s AI sector:
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Committed Capital: $70 billion has already been officially committed.
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Announced Projects: Another $90 billion in projects has been announced.
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The Goal: Total investments are expected to surpass $200 billion, driven primarily by the “AI infra layer” (data centers and compute power) and supported by government tax incentives.
Strategic Priorities: The “Global AI Commons”
India is using the summit—now the world’s largest AI gathering—to advocate for a more inclusive technological landscape:
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Democratizing AI: India is pushing for a “Global AI Commons,” a shared repository of AI use cases to benefit the Global South.
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Workforce Readiness: The government is collaborating with the IT industry to reskill workers and update academic curricula to match rapid technological shifts.
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Managing Transition: Vaishnaw emphasized that the transition to an AI-driven economy must be a joint effort between the private sector and the state.
The Summit’s Scale
Opening on February 16, the event has seen unprecedented interest, with long queues of tech leaders and founders. For New Delhi, the summit serves as a platform to transition from being a “back-office” hub to a global leader in AI sovereign infrastructure.
