India is set to become a major player in the global AI landscape, with plans to build 12 sovereign AI models to address critical national challenges. Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw revealed that these models are being developed under the IndiaAI mission, with the aim of making India a sovereign power in compute and digital infrastructure. Vaishnaw emphasized that India is no longer just reacting to global technology trends, but actively shaping them.
These AI models will range from 50 billion to 120 billion parameters and are designed to run on smaller GPU clusters, enabling cost-effective AI deployment at scale. Vaishnaw noted that a 50 billion parameter model is capable of handling the AI needs of almost every enterprise in the world. He also mentioned that initial testing of these models in real-world scenarios has yielded encouraging results. At least four of the 12 AI models are expected to be launched very soon.
Vaishnaw highlighted the importance of democratizing access to technology by building a shared national backbone. He stated that India would introduce a comprehensive suite of AI applications for its citizens, supported by a common computing facility that already houses 38,000 GPUs, with plans for significant expansion.
The development of these sovereign AI models is part of a broader strategy to position India as a leader in the AI domain. India is projected to attract up to $150 billion in AI infrastructure investments by the end of 2026. Already, significant investments have been committed by major global technology companies. Google has pledged $15 billion to establish an AI hub in Visakhapatnam, Microsoft has increased its investment plans to over $20 billion through 2030, and Amazon has announced a $35 billion investment over the same period. According to the minister, India is witnessing a massive $70 billion investment into AI-enabling infrastructure, including data centers.
The Indian IT sector has already begun to pivot towards AI, accelerating hiring in the sector. Vaishnaw emphasized that India's strategy relies on focused, sector-specific small models that can deliver productivity gains across various industries. He also highlighted the rapid advancement of India's semiconductor program, with 10 fabrication plants under construction, three pilot projects underway, and four units expected to commence commercial operations in 2026.
IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna has called for stronger AI sovereignty in India, advocating for the development of local capabilities and increased investments across both the public and private sectors. He emphasized that the next breakthrough in AI for India will come from strengthening the underlying ecosystem, including semiconductors, model building, and real-world applications.
Vaishnaw believes that India's unique size, diversity, and industrial complexity position it as the "use case capital of the world". While large language models (LLMs) will become increasingly commoditized, the real value will be in large-scale deployment across sectors like governance, healthcare, education, agriculture, and manufacturing. Vaishnaw also urged technology companies to collaborate more on skilling initiatives and curriculum development. He noted AI could help India emerge as a global leader in preventive and predictive healthcare by improving early diagnosis and decision-making at scale.
