Feb 19, 2026 - Technology
India AI summit sees bevy of U.S. deals
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Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
This week's AI summit in India has become a showcase for U.S. tech companies announcing deals in the region.
Why it matters: The summit began as a global forum focused on AI safety. Now it's a venue for governments to strike deals with major AI companies, most of them U.S.-based.
Driving the news: Several deals have already been announced.
- OpenAI debuted a new sovereign AI program for India that starts with a partnership with Tata Group, and the ChatGPT maker also said it is partnering with leading Indian universities.
- Nvidia said that it is working with regional service providers to expand India's AI infrastructure, while also highlighting its partnerships with Indian manufacturers. It's also partnering with VCs that invest in the country to boost the amount of capital available to Indian startups.
- Google DeepMind announced a partnership with Indian government agencies to advance AI-driven science and education efforts. Meanwhile parent company Alphabet is investing in fiber optic cables to connect India with the U.S. and elsewhere.
Zoom out: One viral moment from the summit signifies the increasing competition between their AI labs.
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei did not hold hands on stage at the India AI Impact summit.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi prompted a line of executives to raise hands together on stage.
- Altman and Amodei were the only two in the line to refuse, instead raising separate fists, rebuffing the chance to hold hands.
Between the lines: This continues the shift toward business and away from a focus on safety that began at last year's summit in Paris.
- "From summit to summit, we've seen dwindling focus on concrete deliverables — and no care for ensuring deliverables build on one another, with meaningful progress over time," Alexandra Reeves Givens, head of the Center for Democracy & Technology, told Axios.
- Givens, who also attended the events in Bletchley Park and Paris said that the organizers of the India event included more voices, but added "voices alone aren't enough."
- "Hosts need to ensure these Summits aren't simply trade shows, but instead offer actionable steps for meaningful progress with real accountability," she said.
Editor's note: This story was updated with additional reporting.
