India to Host Global AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi

Key Points

• India will host the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi on Feb 19-20 with global leaders, researchers, and startups.

• The event aligns with India’s ₹10,300 crore AI Mission, including 500+ labs, sovereign LLMs, and new skilling programs.

• India adds a Global South perspective, focusing on accessibility, equity, and inclusive AI growth.

Every year, the global AI community gathers to exchange ideas, showcase breakthroughs, and debate the future of artificial intelligence. 

In 2026, all eyes will turn to India, as the country prepares to host the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on February 19–20, 2026.

The announcement was made by Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, who unveiled the summit’s logo and key themes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the event, which will also see participation from heads of government, global researchers, startups, and industry leaders.

What’s on the Agenda?

The AI Impact Summit is set up as a two-day event packed with everything from policy talks to hands-on innovation.

One of the most exciting parts will be UDAAN, a pitch fest where startups- including those from India’s Tier 2 and 3 cities- get a stage to showcase their AI ideas to a global audience.

There will also be innovation challenges aimed at young entrepreneurs and women founders, encouraging them to design AI solutions for real-world public problems.

On the research side, a symposium will bring together scholars and practitioners from India and abroad to swap ideas, share findings, and explore collaborations.

And then there’s the AI Expo, a massive showcase featuring more than 300 companies from India and 30 other countries, grouped into themed pavilions.

Put together, it’s a lineup that blends research, entrepreneurship, and global collaboration, with inclusivity and sustainability running through it all.

India’s AI Mission

Here’s where it gets interesting.

The AI Summit isn’t happening in isolation, it’s part of India’s much bigger AI Mission, a government push backed by a massive budget of ₹10,300 crore.

So, what’s on the table?

For starters, over 500 new AI and data labs are being set up across the country. Think of them as hubs where students, researchers, and startups can experiment, build, and test ideas.

Then there’s the hardware muscle. India already has 38,000 GPUs, and more are on the way. That means faster training, larger experiments, and homegrown capacity to build AI at scale.

And yes, India is also working on its own sovereign Large Language Model. It’s designed to run on a trillion parameters (yes, trillion). Led by IIT Bombay, with support from Tech Mahindra, Fractal Analytics, and others, this one project alone has been allocated nearly ₹1,000 crore.

But the mission isn’t just about labs and models. It’s about people. New skilling programs are being rolled out to make sure AI tools don’t stay locked with big corporations. The idea is to bring students, small businesses, and researchers into the fold.

Put all of this together and the message is clear: India doesn’t just want to use AI.It wants to shape it, and make sure the growth it drives is inclusive.

The Global Context

India isn’t the first to host an AI summit.

Back in 2023, the UK held the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park, all about ethics and responsible use.

In 2024, South Korea took the stage, focusing on how to scale AI systems safely.

And in 2025, France hosted the AI Action Summit, putting the spotlight on climate solutions and industry.

Now, it’s India’s turn.

By hosting in 2026, India isn’t just continuing the global sequence- it’s adding something new: a Global South perspective.

That means shifting the focus toward accessibility, equity, and technology for development.

Why It Matters

For India, the AI Impact Summit is more than just a high-profile tech event- it’s a signal to the world.

With the rollout of the Digital Personal Data Protection rules, massive investments in AI infrastructure, and plans for sovereign LLMs, the country is showing that it wants a real seat at the global AI table.

But the summit isn’t only about big policy moves or billion-rupee projects. Its true value lies in how it brings everyone together- governments, startups, researchers, students, and even first-time innovators from Tier 2 and 3 cities. 

And as the countdown to February 2026 begins, excitement is building. With global leaders flying in, local innovators stepping up, and India’s AI mission gaining momentum, the stage is set for something big.

If it lives up to its promise, the AI Impact Summit could mark a turning point- not just for India’s role in AI, but for how the world collectively steers this technology toward growth that’s both ambitious and accessible.

Source- PIB

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