Top tech firms in US vow to step up presence in India

Technology firms will step up their engagements with India, with some such as Google and Nvidia aiming to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) in the country, top officials of the companies said following their meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week.

AI gear maker Nvidia’s chief executive, Jensen Huang, noted India’s importance in the world of technology, as it is the home of some of the top computer scientists.

He saw this as a major strength in India’s potential to become a global leader in AI innovation. “India is also home of some of the world’s greatest computer scientists. So, this is great opportunity,” Huang said.

The top executive at the leading producer of AI hardware and software urged India to act swiftly to capitalize on its growing capabilities in AI. “This is India’s moment, you have to seize the opportunity,” he said.

Huang’s comments came after a roundtable hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in New York, where tech leaders met Modi to discuss tie-ups with India.

Senior executives from top tech firms, including Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, AMD CEO Lisa Su, and Moderna chairman Noubar Afeyan took part in the roundtable on topics such as AI, semiconductors, and quantum computing.

Google chief executive Sundar Pichai said Modi, during the meeting, pushed his company to continue making in India, and designing in India.

“We are proud to now make our Pixel phones manufactured in India,” Pichai said, while adding that Modi sought to know how AI can transform the country in a way that benefits the people.

“We are proud to be partnering with India. We are robustly investing in AI in India and we look forward to doing more,” he added.

During the meeting with the tech CEOs, Modi noted that technology collaboration and efforts such as the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (ICET) lie at the core of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.

He stressed that in his third term, India would make every effort to become the third largest economy in the world. He encouraged the companies to take advantage of India’s growth story for collaboration and innovation.

Modi also invited the tech leaders to co-develop, co-design, and co-produce in India for the world, harnessing the opportunities from India’s economic and technological growth.