The $500 billion Stargate Project, a brainchild of OpenAI, Softbank, Oracle, and others, presents a golden opportunity for India to accelerate its AI ambitions by deepening partnerships with the US, industry experts said on Wednesday.
This can be achieved by leveraging India’s role in the Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) agreement between the two nations and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF)—co-developing cutting-edge technologies and scaling its domestic capabilities.
“Proactive diplomacy, leveraging India’s role in iCET and IPEF, strategic investments, and collaborative approaches will be key to ensuring that India not only benefits from the global advancements in AI but also establishes itself as a formidable player in the international AI landscape,” said Ashok Chandak, President of the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA).
While the primary objective of the Stargate Project is to solidify the US’ leadership in the AI ecosystem, it also offers opportunities for India to leverage.
Major companies supporting this initiative—such as Nvidia, Arm, Microsoft, Softbank, Oracle, and OpenAI—already have a significant presence in India and actively utilize Indian talent.
“This offers Indian professionals opportunities to contribute to this monumental project, helping them enhance their expertise in cutting-edge AI technologies,” Chandak added.
There is cautious optimism that the US administration might consider industry feedback during the 120-day review period and adopt a more relaxed stance on AI export controls, especially toward India and other strategic partners.
According to Dr. Ajai Chowdhry, founder of HCL and chairman of the National Quantum Mission, this initiative shows serious intent by the US to maintain strong control over AI, in addition to dominating the ownership of large language models (LLMs).
“For strategic autonomy, we must create our own AI doctrine and start controlling our own data strongly. Also, we must develop domestic hardware for data centers, as it will be increasingly difficult to control our data otherwise,” Chowdhry emphasized.
The government and the industry must work together to create a fresh strategy for AI, he added.
India launched the IndiaAI Mission last year to enhance AI-related developments in the country. The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved an allocation of over Rs 10,300 crore for the IndiaAI Mission, marking a significant step toward bolstering the AI ecosystem in the country.
According to the government, nearly 8.6 lakh candidates have enrolled in the IndiaAI ‘Future Skills’ initiative, developed in collaboration with industry partners, to provide training aligned with the latest requirements.
(Inputs from IANS)