India AI Summit secures over $250 billion infra investment commitments: Ashwini Vaishnaw

The India AI Impact Summit 2026 has attracted investment commitments of over $250 billion related to infrastructure, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Day 5 of the event, underscoring the scale of global and domestic confidence in India’s artificial intelligence push.

Addressing reporters, Vaishnaw described the summit as a “grand success”, noting that it saw participation of over five lakh visitors and drew significant interest from global technology players, investors and startups.

The minister said the investment commitments are largely linked to infrastructure required to power India’s AI ecosystem -- including data centres, semiconductor facilities, high-performance computing capacity and digital connectivity.


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He added that the government would soon begin work on AI Mission 2.0, which will focus on developing “a totally new level of models, common compute, safety” and expanding foundational capabilities across the AI stack.

“Our journey so far has been very meaningful and methodical, working through all layers of AI stack and creating that foundational level of work,” Vaishnaw said. “Now, getting entire world to come, deliberate and interact with our industry, we will take next step of our AI mission.”

The minister also reiterated that India is building a strong institutional base for AI safety, with 12 institutes working in a network mode on safety frameworks and standards.

He said there was “huge consensus” around the summit declaration, adding that the government aims to expand the number of endorsing stakeholders in the coming weeks.

On the infrastructure front, Vaishnaw announced that the foundation for the next semiconductor plant in Uttar Pradesh will be laid soon, and commercial production from the Micron facility is set to begin on February 28.

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He further said the government would ensure that the benefits of AI reach the last person in society, drawing a parallel with the 5G rollout. “We will put the same effort in making AI benefit reach the last person in society like we did with 5G rollout,” he said, adding that inclusive growth remains a core political philosophy guiding the AI mission.

Vaishnaw also hit out at the Congress, claiming that any attempt to disrupt the summit was rejected by India’s youth and that immediate action was taken against anyone who tried to “demean” the event.

“The world has confidence on India’s role in new AI age,” he said, positioning the summit and the investment commitments as a signal of India’s emergence as a key player in the global AI landscape.