Why Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has ditched the India AI Impact Summit?

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has ditched the India AI Impact Summit, which is set to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday and will be attended by global technology industry and political leaders, including several heads of state.

Huang was expected to be one of the most prominent attendees of the summit, the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South. He was due to address the media in New Delhi on Wednesday.

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However, the company’s media agency in India, MSL, said in a statement that he will not be travelling to India. Nvidia cited “unforeseen circumstances” as the reason behind Huang’s decision to skip the AI summit.

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, Jensen Huang is unable to travel to India at this time. NVIDIA remains deeply committed to the AI Impact Summit and to India’s rapidly advancing AI ecosystem,” Nvidia said in the statement.

The company said that it is sending a high-level delegation to attend the summit.

“A senior NVIDIA delegation, led by Executive Vice President Jay Puri, will be on the ground to celebrate India’s exceptional AI researchers, startups, developers, and the partners building the nation’s AI infrastructure,” the company added.

Macron, Lula da Silva among 20 world leaders to attend upcoming India-AI Impact Summit in Delhi

The India–AI Impact Summit 2026 will be held in New Delhi from February 16-20. The summit will be anchored on three foundational pillars, known as ‘Sutras’- People, Planet, and Progress.

The event is likely to be attended by over 20 heads of state and 50 international ministers and some of the world’s most prominent tech CEOs, including Sundar Pichai representing Google & Alphabet, Sam Altman (OpenAI), Demis Hassabis (Google DeepMind), Brad Smith (Microsoft), Cristiano Amon (Qualcomm), and Bill Gates (Gates Foundation).

French President Emmanuel Macron, Brazilian Prime Minister, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Senior Officials from several International Organizations like International Monetary Fund, World Economic Forum, International Labour Organization are set to join the event.