12 Indian companies developing foundation models using 38,000 GPUs at ₹65/hour

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, hosted a set of Pre-Summit events for the upcoming India-AI Impact Summit 2026 at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 in New Delhi.

These events mark a pivotal step in the journey toward the India–AI Impact Summit 2026, scheduled to be held on 19-20 February 2026, at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. 

In the inaugural address, Secretary MeitY, S. Krishnan added: “We have adopted innovative means by learning from the experiences of others to build viable projects and products that will truly make a difference for us. In partnership with the private sector, accessible to the public sector -- ensuring a level-playing field for all providers, is both innovative and frugal.

"It ensures that with the least amount of resources we are able to ensure availability for all. A number of international agencies have also found our approach very appealing, to build a model which can be used for the rest of the global South.”

The pre-summit events brought together leaders from government, industry, academia, and global institutions to explore how AI can drive inclusive, safe, and sustainable growth across the digital and telecom ecosystem.

The discussions reflected India’s vision of leveraging AI for societal good, economic resilience, and inclusive growth, aligning with the upcoming Summit’s theme - “From Action to Impact.” Participants explored India’s growing AI ecosystem, advances under the IndiaAI Mission, and opportunities for partnerships that democratize AI access and innovation.

Four high-level panels were held as part of the Pre-Summit, focusing on key dimensions of India’s AI roadmap:

AI in Telecom for Social and Economic Impact – explored how AI can transform telecom infrastructure, connectivity, and service delivery to benefit citizens and businesses.
Building Trustworthy AI in Telecom – discussed frameworks and collaborations to ensure safe, transparent, and people-centric AI adoption.
Building India’s AI Workforce Advantage – examined strategies to develop an inclusive and future-ready AI talent ecosystem.
AI for Inclusive Growth and Social Empowerment – highlighted how AI-driven innovation can advance equity and social good.

Delivering his opening address, Additional Secretary, MeitY, CEO - IndiaAI and DG-NIC, Abhishek Singh, said: “The Government’s IndiaAI Mission, approved last year, is addressing key gaps by enabling affordable compute, creating a national data platform, supporting foundation models, advancing AI skilling, and ensuring safe and trustworthy AI.

"Today, with 38,000 GPUs available at just ₹65 per hour, and 12 companies developing foundation models, we envision to launch an Indian Large Language Model (LLM)by year-end, reducing dependence on foreign systems.”

Adding to the vision, COO, IndiaAI Mission, Scientist G - MeitY, Kavita Bhatia, said: “As AI has deeply embedded itself across these systems from spectrum management, predictive maintenance, customer engagement, to fraud detection, the question comes down to how the network can be made trustworthy. That becomes very critical.

"AI in telecom holds immense potential. It can ensure reliable connectivity in rural areas, enhance resilience against network disruptions, and power new services across various sectors, including financial inclusion.”

The pre-summit events saw participation from senior government officials and industry leaders, including representatives from Reliance Jio, TCS, Tanla Platforms, BharatGPT-Corover.ai, AWS, AMD, C-Dot, BITS Pilani, Google, Airtel, Netweb Technologies, UNESCO, Truminds Software Systems, Microsoft among others.

The MeitY Pavilion at IMC was also awarded Best Exhibitor – Government, recognizing its engaging showcase of India’s AI journey and the upcoming India–AI Impact Summit 2026.

The India - AI Impact Summit 2026 will convene global leaders to advance the responsible design, development, and deployment of AI, guided by the sutras of People, Planet, and Progress.

The Summit’s seven thematic “Chakras” - Human Capital, Inclusion for Social Empowerment, Safe and Trusted AI, Resilience, Innovation & Efficiency, Science, and AI for Economic Growth & Social Good -- reflect India’s comprehensive vision of AI as a force for equitable and sustainable progress.