India leapfrogged in mobile internet, same is going to be true for AI: Qualcomm CEO

India leapfrogged in mobile internet, pivoted smartphone revolution, and the same is going to be the case with artificial intelligence in the country, Qualcomm CEO and President Cristiano Amon said on Wednesday.

In an interview with PTI at India AI Impact Summit 2026, Amon said that the opportunity for India to be in the leadership position is real, and the time for India is now to bring disruption in AI technology.

"India was very good at leapfrogging to the mobile internet. I think as the smartphone revolution happened in India, as mobile broadband happened in India, India leapfrogged into the future of the internet. I think the same is going to be true for AI, especially as AI is now going to be everywhere," Amon said.


He said that India's ambition to build an ecosystem with investment in semiconductor manufacturing and electronics manufacturing creates opportunity not only for India but for other countries with more affordable devices at scale.

"We are going to chip in by helping enable that ecosystem to be vibrant in India and help them actually have a global footprint. I'm excited about that. I believe the time for India is now, and AI creates a disruption in the technology landscape that creates opportunities for new players, and we'll be happy to support that," Amon said.

According to market research firm CyberMedia Research, Qualcomm lead premium smartphone segment with 34 per cent share.

Amon said that the present phase is exciting for India, AI and Qualcomm. He said that the next chapter of AI is going to bring AI computing to every device.

"I look at a market like India and the opportunity, the scale. We are incredibly excited about how this is going to play out in AI smartphones, new personal AI devices, what's going to happen to cars, to PCs, to industrial, and then moving to physical AI. I think there are so many opportunities here, and this AI impact event is actually going to make a difference," Amon said.

Qualcomm chipsets are part of many high end electronics devices and a few years back the company also expanded its presence in personal computers and automobile ecosystem.