India hosts major global AI summit and announces new partnerships and investments

India hosted a major international AI summit called the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the event, which included an expo with over 600 startups. During the summit, Modi unveiled a vision for AI governance called 'MANAV,' which emphasizes ethical and inclusive development.

Several major announcements and partnerships were made at the summit. Google announced a new subsea cable to boost AI connectivity between India and the US. The Tata Group and OpenAI formed a partnership to develop AI data centers in India. Companies including Reliance and Adani announced plans for massive investments, totaling over $200 billion, in AI and data centers. French President Macron attended and praised India's digital transformation.

The summit concluded with 86 countries signing a New Delhi Declaration on AI. The event faced some organizational issues, including a controversy where Galgotias University was asked to leave after presenting a Chinese-made robot dog as its own. Bill Gates, who was scheduled to speak, pulled out of the event, with his foundation citing scheduling issues.