New Delhi: India will use the upcoming AI Impact Summit to project its growing capabilities in artificial intelligence, semiconductors and deep-tech innovation, as it seeks to emerge as a trusted global partner in the AI and electronics supply chain, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.
The summit will focus on three core objectives—economic impact, accessibility for India and the Global South, and safety—highlighting how AI applications and models can improve productivity and create multiplier effects across the economy, Vaishnaw said. He added that India is working to build not just AI models, but an end-to-end AI stack that is scalable, affordable and governed by appropriate safety guardrails.
Drawing parallels with India’s digital public infrastructure such as UPI, the minister said the world is watching whether India can replicate a similar model for AI—one that enables mass adoption while remaining cost-effective. Global technology leaders and investors are expected to participate in the summit, alongside announcements related to India’s AI models and ecosystem, he said.
Vaishnaw also outlined India’s long-term semiconductor strategy, saying the country is prioritising manufacturing in the 28–90 nanometre range, which accounts for nearly three-fourths of global chip demand across sectors such as automobiles, EVs, telecom, defence and consumer electronics. India aims to achieve 7 nm technology by 2030 and 3 nm by 2032, working with industry partners including IBM, he said.
The minister said four indigenous semiconductor units will begin high-tech chip production within the year, strengthening India’s position as a reliable supply-chain partner. He expressed confidence that India could emerge among the top four or five semiconductor nations globally, backed by its talent pool, design capabilities and growing electronics market.
On AI development, Vaishnaw said nearly 95% of workloads can be handled by smaller, efficient models, and that India is building a bouquet of around a dozen focused sovereign AI models designed to run on limited GPU infrastructure at low cost. These models, he said, are critical to ensuring resilience if access to global AI resources is disrupted. �
The government, he added, is already acting as a demand generator for AI by funding applications in sectors such as healthcare, agriculture and weather forecasting, while also pushing industry collaboration and large-scale skilling to prepare the workforce for an AI-driven transformation.