All the important news from the ongoing India AI Impact Summit

New Delhi | February 16, 2026

India is at the central position in the global AI-artificial intelligence race this week as it hosts the four-day India AI Impact Summit.

The event positions the country as a leading AI hub. With more than 250,000 visitors expected, the summit is drawing some of the biggest names in global technology, venture capital, and government.

Senior executives from companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia, Microsoft, Google, and Cloudflare are in attendance.

Among the high-profile leaders are Sundar Pichai, Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, Mukesh Ambani, and Demis Hassabis.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to share the stage with French President Emmanuel Macron later this week, underlining the geopolitical importance of AI collaboration.

$1.1 Billion Financing for AI Startups

Significantly, the Indian government financed $1.1 billion for a state-backed venture capital fund. The fund will invest in AI-artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing startups across the country.

Officials say, this is aimed at accelerating domestic innovation while attracting foreign capital. The funding will target early-stage and growth-stage companies.

It will build foundational AI technologies, chip design capabilities, and manufacturing solutions.

India Emerges as a Leading User of AI Tools

Speaking at the summit, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed that India now has more than 100 million weekly active ChatGPT users, second only to the United States.

He added that India also leads in the number of students using ChatGPT, highlighting how quickly AI tools have become integral to the country’s education system.

The numbers reflect India’s vast digital population and growing taste for AI-driven tools across education, business, and government services.

Critical Technology Deals

Private capital flowed alongside public announcements. Global investment firm Blackstone acquired a majority stake in Indian AI startup Neysa as part of a $600 million equity raise.

The round also saw participation from Teachers’ Venture Growth, TVS Capital, 360 ONE Asset, and Nexus Venture Partners.

Neysa now plans to raise an additional $600 million in debt and deploy more than 20,000 GPUs to expand its AI infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Bengaluru-based C2i, which develops power solutions for data centers, raised $15 million in a Series A funding round led by Peak XV, with participation from Yali Deeptech and TDK Ventures.

In another key partnership, chipmaker AMD announced it is teaming up with TCS-Tata Consultancy Services to develop rack-scale AI infrastructure built on AMD’s “Helios” platform.

A Changing Future for India’s IT Sector

HCL CEO Vineet Nayyar mentioned how Indian IT companies need to prioritize profitability over job creation. This is important as AI is reshaping the services sector.

His caution comes amid falling IT stocks and growing concerns about automation.

Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla went further, warning that industries like IT services and BPOs could “almost completely disappear” within five years due to AI disruption.

He urged India’s 250 million young people to build and sell AI-powered products to global markets.

In another sign of confidence in India’s AI market, Anthropic announced it will open its first Indian office in Bengaluru, citing strong demand.

The company said India is now the second-largest user base for its Claude AI assistant after the U.S.

As the summit continues, it is apparent that India is no longer just a consumer of AI technology. It also wants to shape its future.