From Satya Nadella to Lip-Bu Tan: Top tech CEOs meet PM Modi, back India's AI, semiconductor mission

In a pivotal meeting in New Delhi, leading figures from top technology firms convened with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss substantial investments aimed at enhancing India's artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and semiconductor initiatives. Among those present were Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Intel's Lip-Bu Tan, and Cognizant's Ravi Kumar. Following the discussions, Nadella revealed an unprecedented commitment of $17.5 billion from Microsoft to India, marking the company's largest investment in Asia to date. Modi took to social media to express optimism about India's role in the global AI landscape, stating, "Had a very productive discussion with Mr. Satya Nadella. Happy to see India being the place where Microsoft will make its largest-ever investment in Asia. The youth of India will harness this opportunity to innovate and leverage the power of AI for a better planet." Intel's CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, shared insights from their discussions, highlighting the extensive topics covered, particularly regarding technology and computing potential in India. He commended Modi for establishing a robust semiconductor policy and reaffirmed Intel's commitment to supporting the India Semiconductor Mission. Tan expressed his enthusiasm on social media about the meeting, signaling Intel's intention to deepen its investments in India's semiconductor ecosystem. Earlier in the day, Intel signed a memorandum of understanding with Tata Group, facilitating the manufacturing and assembly of Intel-designed products at Tata Electronics' upcoming facilities. This partnership aims to localize significant aspects of Intel's supply chain, thereby fostering India's ambition to become a global semiconductor hub and meeting the growing local demand. Cognizant's Ravi Kumar also shared the inspiring nature of his discussions with Modi, which focused on accelerating AI adoption and advancing skills development to enhance productivity. Kumar reiterated Cognizant's ongoing commitment to India and outlined the company's plans for expansion into emerging cities to support equitable growth and talent development. Microsoft's remarkable $17.5 billion investment is set to bolster India's cloud and AI infrastructure over the next four years, building on an earlier commitment of $3 billion announced this year, which is on track to be fully utilized by the end of 2026.