Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Tuesday urged governments and companies to pursue artificial intelligence “boldly and responsibly,” at the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, saying the technology could transform billions of lives—but only if access and infrastructure keep pace with innovation.
Pichai announced that Google is establishing a full-stack AI hub in Visakhapatnam as part of a $15 billion infrastructure investment. “When finished, this hub will house gigawatt-scale compute and a new international subsea cable gateway,” he said, adding that it would bring jobs and advanced AI capabilities to businesses across India.
Addressing the summit, Pichai said Google is also expanding digital connectivity through the America India Connect initiative. “We’re building a vast network of subsea fiber-optic cables, including four new systems between the US and India,” he said, calling connectivity essential to ensuring AI benefits reach everyone.
It was a delight to meet Mr. Sundar Pichai on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit in Delhi. Talked about the work India is doing in AI and how Google can work with our talented students and professionals in this field.@sundarpichai pic.twitter.com/lUCzOn0LSh
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 18, 2026
He highlighted real-world impact in agriculture, noting that last summer, for the first time, the Indian government sent AI-powered weather forecasts to millions of farmers. “That was possible in part because of our neural GCM model,” Pichai said, describing how improved forecasting can help farmers protect livelihoods amid changing monsoon patterns.
Calling AI “the biggest platform shift of our lifetimes,” Pichai pointed to scientific breakthroughs such as AlphaFold, developed by Google DeepMind under Demis Hassabis. “AI can compress decades of research and unlock discoveries we once thought impossible,” he said.
Still, Pichai stressed responsibility. “We cannot allow the digital divide to become an AI divide,” he said. “To build AI that is truly helpful for everyone, we must pursue it boldly—and work through this defining moment together.”
Reflecting on his student years spent in India, Pichai recalled traveling on the Coromandel Express from Chennai to IIT Kharagpur. “Vizag was a quiet coastal city brimming with potential,” he said. “Sitting on that train, I never imagined it would become a global AI hub.”
