Lauding India’s potential to have an extraordinary trajectory with AI, Google CEO Sundar Pichai today asserted that Google wants to be a partner with India in its AI journey. Acknowledging AI as the biggest platform shift in one’s lifetime, Pichai said that AI today stands as one of the most powerful tools to solve problems and improve lives at planetary scale.
He was speaking at a special event hosted by Google on the sidelines of the AI-India Impact Summit 2026.
The Google CEO suggested that AI presents a chance to leapfrog age-old gaps and create new opportunities for countries like India. He highlighted that in places like India, the greatest adoption and optimism for AI technologies is apparent.
Expecting India to emerge as a full-stack player in the AI sphere in the near future, Pichai said, “India is uniquely positioned in this moment. I think of Google as a full-stack company, and I think India obviously is going to be a full-stack player in AI. I think what’s important is to be in a position to do that, and I think that’s what this AI summit is about: you have to make sure you’re investing in all the foundational things you need.”
Google announces India America Connect initiative
During his address, he also announced the India America Connect initiative, which will deliver new subsea cable routes to surge AI connectivity, along with several other initiatives of Google. The initiative is expected to deliver new subsea cable routes to increase AI connectivity between the US, India, and multiple locations across the Southern Hemisphere.
Pichai mentioned that Indian users are among the highest global adopters of voice and visual search. He said, “AI is also helping to create net new experiences that are truly helpful. The Gemini app, our personal AI assistant, is growing rapidly across the world, and India is among our largest markets. It’s available in 10 languages spoken in India.”
#WATCH | Delhi | At a Google event, CEO Sundar Pichai says, “Today, we are announcing the India-America Connect Initiative, which will deliver new sub-sea cable routes to increase AI connectivity between India and the US and multiple locations across the southern hemisphere. For… pic.twitter.com/JhAdnsh58r
— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2026
Notably, Google announced a $15 billion AI hub in Vizag last year, which will host gigawatt-scale compute and a new international subsea cable gateway. When finished, it will bring jobs and the benefits of cutting-edge AI to people and businesses across India.
Pichai also announced a key partnership between Google DeepMind and the Indian government as part of the Global National Partnerships program. This will broaden access to frontier AI capabilities for national priorities.
#WATCH | Delhi | Google CEO Sundar Pichai says, “Google has full-stack connectivity in India, and I have never been more excited aboutthe future we are building together…”
“Today, we are excited to announce a partnership between Google DeepMind and the Government of India as… pic.twitter.com/aOzD23M4NY
— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2026
Here’s what the Google CEO had to say about the India AI Impact Summit 2026:
“The Summit is delivering focused, outcome-oriented results aligned with national priorities. The Summit is advancing practical AI deployment, policy coherence, and institutional coordination to ensure effective implementation across government and industry. It is strengthening governance and regulatory frameworks, assessing regional preparedness for AI-led industrial growth, and accelerating skill development and workforce transition.”