India's AI Ambition: Talent & Data to Drive Global Leadership by 2030

Former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant asserts India's unique position to become a leading global AI power, citing its vast talent pool and data resources. He and Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasize that AI will transform India's IT sector, with projections showing it could reach $400 billion by 2030. The government's strategy includes a massive expansion of AI compute infrastructure, making high-end GPUs available at a fraction of the global cost. Significant investments, potentially exceeding $200 billion, are being mobilized to fuel this growth and develop solutions tailored to India's needs.

Key Points: India to Become Top AI Power, Says Amitabh Kant

  • India's talent and data are key AI strengths
  • AI to transform, not replace, the IT sector
  • IT sector projected to hit $400 billion by 2030
  • Major investments and compute infrastructure expansion underway
  • Focus on accessibility and equitable growth
3 min read

"India will be one of top-most AI powers because of talent and data": Amitabh Kant

Amitabh Kant and PM Modi outline India's AI strategy targeting a $400B IT sector by 2030, driven by talent, data, and major investments.

"India will be one of the top-most powers of AI, simply because of talent and data. - Amitabh Kant"

New Delhi, February 18

Former G20 Sherpa of India and Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has emphasised India's goal towards artificial intelligence, stating that the country wants to grow with equality.

Speaking to ANI on Tuesday, Kant asserted that India has the talent and data to become a top AI power while ensuring its availability to all.

"I agree with the vision the Prime Minister has set before the country, because India has the talent, the data... so that when we grow, we grow with equality. We agree that India will be one of the top-most powers of AI, simply because of talent and data. We will also ensure that there is accessibility for our citizens," Amitabh Kant said.

Backing PM Narendra Modi's remarks, Kant noted that India's expanding IT market will play a crucial role in this transformation. He highlighted the importance of IT companies in advancing AI adoption and pointed to India's success in developing open APIs and globally interoperable digital models as key strengths in this journey.

"Indian AI market is expanding rapidly and despite AI, we will require the IT companies to play a key role... We have demonstrated open APIs and globally interoperable models," he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, with the AI-India Impact Summit underway in the capital, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not replacing India's IT sector but transforming it, potentially enabling the industry to reach $400 billion by 2030. The summit marks the first global convening of this scale on AI hosted in the Global South.

In a special interview with ANI's text service, the Prime Minister spoke about the growing impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the IT industry and the government's strategy to strengthen the sector.

"India's IT sector has been the backbone of our services exports and a key driver of economic growth. AI presents both a tremendous opportunity and a challenge for this sector. AI market projections show India's IT sector could reach $400 billion by 2030, driven by new waves of AI-enabled outsourcing and domain-specific automation," he said.

India is expected to add another 20,000 GPUs, taking the total beyond 38,000 GPUs, to strengthen the country's AI compute infrastructure. Under the IndiaAI Mission, these high-end GPUs are available at about Rs 65 per hour, nearly one-third of the global average cost.

The next phase of India's AI strategy will focus on design, research, and development to build solutions tailored to India's needs. He also indicated that AI-related investments are likely to exceed USD 200 billion at the summit, including USD 90 billion already committed, with discussions ongoing with major companies regarding further investments.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
The emphasis on "growing with equality" and accessibility is crucial. AI shouldn't just be for metro cities. Hope the benefits reach tier-2/3 towns and rural areas for true digital empowerment.
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Priya S
While the ambition is good, we need to be careful. Do we have enough quality data that is clean and unbiased? And what about data privacy laws? Talent is there, but the ecosystem needs stronger foundations.
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Rohit P
$400 billion by 2030 for the IT sector? That's massive! The open API approach of India Stack (Aadhaar, UPI) has already shown we can build world-class, scalable digital public goods. AI should be the next chapter.
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Michael C
Hosting the AI summit in the Global South is a smart move. India can lead in developing AI solutions for unique challenges in agriculture, healthcare, and climate that affect billions here, not just replicate Western models.
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Kavya N
Exciting times! But we must invest heavily in AI education from school level. Every engineering college needs updated curriculum. The talent pipeline has to be future-ready. 🚀

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