India To Host First Global South-Led AI Summit In Feb 2026

(MENAFN- KNN India) New Delhi, Sep 19 (KNN) The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) unveiled the logo and flagship initiatives of the India-AI Impact Summit 2026, marking the first time the event will be hosted by a Global South nation.

The summit will be held on February 19–20, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

Guided by the principles of People, Planet, and Progress, the summit will frame discussions across seven thematic 'Chakras' - Human Capital, Inclusion, Safe & Trusted AI, Resilience, Science, Democratising AI Resources, and Social Good.

The themes underscore how artificial intelligence can be harnessed to drive impact for citizens, communities, and the planet.

Highlighting progress under the IndiaAI Mission, Vaishnaw noted that GPU capacity had grown to 38,000 units, well above the initial target of 10,000.

He also announced that 570 Data Labs will be set up nationwide to support students and researchers, with 30 labs launched as part of the first wave in collaboration with NIELIT and Intel.

The summit will showcase a range of initiatives, beginning with AI Pitch Fest (UDAAN), which will highlight startups fr0m India's Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, with special emphasis on women and differently-abled leaders.

It will also host Global Innovation Challenges, inviting AI-driven solutions to address public challenges across diverse sectors.

A Research Symposium is planned as a one-day forum bringing together researchers fr0m India, the Global South, and other parts of the world.

In addition, the AI Expo will feature more than 300 exhibitors fr0m India and 30 other countries, spread across 10 thematic pavilions.

A major announcement under the IndiaAI Foundation Models pillar included the launch of eight projects selected fr0m over 500 proposals.

These initiatives will develop indigenous AI models tailored to India's needs, covering multilingual applications, healthcare, agriculture, governance, material sciences, and scientific discovery.

Other measures unveiled include new foundational courses on data annotation and curation, and the expansion of the IndiaAI Fellowship Programme to support 13,500 scholars across undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels.

The summit is expected to draw participation fr0m heads of state, global policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders, reinforcing India's role in shaping an inclusive AI future.

(KNN Bureau)

MENAFN19092025000155011030ID1110085658