India's Consul General in Shanghai, Pratik Mathur, has positioned the forthcoming AI Impact Summit 2026 as a landmark declaration of the nation's strategic ambitions in artificial intelligence. In an op-ed published in Caixin Global, a prominent Chinese media outlet, Mathur asserts that the summit transcends mere technological exhibition.

It signals India's transition from AI adopter to a formidable global system-builder, capable of constructing expansive, dependable ecosystems that fuse computing power, data resources, talent pools, regulatory frameworks, and practical deployment.

Mathur contends that the forthcoming era of the global AI competition will hinge less on isolated laboratory innovations and more on nations' abilities to orchestrate comprehensive AI infrastructures. 

He highlights how India, through its IndiaAI Mission—endorsed by the cabinet with a substantial allocation exceeding 103 billion rupees over five years—has engineered a holistic approach. Unlike narrower national strategies centred on research grants or trials, this initiative encompasses the entire spectrum: compute infrastructure, datasets, foundational models, skill development, entrepreneurial support, and governance mechanisms.

A pivotal accomplishment of the IndiaAI Mission, according to Mathur, lies in bolstering the country's AI computing prowess via a nationwide GPU network. This democratises access, preventing dominance by a handful of corporate giants and laying the groundwork for hosting a summit of international stature. Complementing this is AIKosh, a centralised platform aggregating over 5,500 datasets and 251 AI models spanning 20 sectors, from agriculture and healthcare to public administration and climate resilience.

Mathur emphasises India's thrust into sovereign foundational models, underscoring a commitment to autonomy in critical technologies. He contrasts this with Eastern China's prowess in hardware manufacturing, automation, and industrial AI applications within global supply chains. India's model, he argues, uniquely embeds AI within digital public infrastructure, enabling deployment at unprecedented scales—not for thousands, but for hundreds of millions of users in everyday services.

The AI Impact Summit, scheduled from 16 to 20 February 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, will concretely manifest this end-to-end capability. It promises to unveil India's integrated architecture, from raw compute and data repositories to deployable models, applications, and a robust workforce pipeline. Mathur envisions it as a platform for global partners, including those from China's Yangtze River Delta, to witness a cohesive national AI framework in action.

Structured around three foundational pillars—People, Planet, and Progress—the event will delve into employment skilling, energy-efficient AI practices, and avenues for economic and social advancement. Seven thematic working groups, jointly led by voices from the Global North and South, will deliver actionable outputs such as proposals for AI Commons, verifiable AI tools, collaborative compute resources, and sector-tailored compendiums of use cases.

Attendees can anticipate explorations of AI's transformative effects across professions and industries, alongside insights into emerging skill demands amid shifting job landscapes. The summit facilitates matchmaking for startups with investors and partners, while spotlighting AI's role in empowering farmers, small enterprises, and service providers. Critical discussions will cover AI safety, governance, ethical deployment, data safeguards, and India's pursuit of indigenous models for strategic domains.

Central to the proceedings is the AI Impact Expo, which will feature hands-on demonstrations of AI applications in healthcare, agriculture, education, climate mitigation, energy optimisation, and accessibility enhancements.

These exhibits aim to demystify AI for citizens, illustrating its potential to resolve tangible challenges and elevate public service delivery. National skilling efforts, exemplified by the "Yuva AI for All" programme—a complimentary course fostering AI literacy among students and professionals—will also take centre stage.

Mathur concludes that true global AI leadership in the coming decade will accrue to nations excelling in scalable deployment, responsible oversight, and seamless economic integration. The AI Impact Summit 2026, he posits, firmly plants India in this vanguard, judged not by rhetoric but by demonstrable prowess in system-building.

Based On ANI Report