After a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Google CEO Sundar Pichai in the US, it has been announced that Google intends to establish its global fintech operation centre in GIFT City, Gujarat. Pichai reaffirmed Google's commitment to investing in India through the $10 billion India Digitisation Fund. Prime Minister Modi's visit to the US, from June 21 to June 24, included meetings with several prominent CEOs, such as Satya Nadella from Microsoft, Tim Cook from Apple, Sam Altman from OpenAI, and Lisa Su from AMD, among others. The Indian-origin CEO expressed his enthusiasm for witnessing the remarkable progress achieved by the country, particularly in relation to the Digital India vision and the subsequent economic opportunities. He also praised Prime Minister Modi for his visionary approach to Digital India, which has served as a model for other nations.
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Pichai highlighted his previous meeting with the Prime Minister in December, during which they discussed Google's $10 billion investment in the India Digitisation Fund. He reiterated Google's commitment to continue investing through the fund, with a particular focus on companies specializing in artificial intelligence. As part of these initiatives, Google has launched a 100-language project and plans to introduce bots in additional Indian languages soon. Prime Minister Modi invited Google CEO Sundar Pichai to explore collaborations in artificial intelligence, fintech, cybersecurity, and mobile device manufacturing in India, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. They also discussed potential partnerships with Indian academic institutions for research, development, and skill enhancement. Google unveiled its intention in July 2020 to invest a substantial $10 billion in India over the next five to seven years, aiming to facilitate the widespread acceptance of digital services. Later, during Pichai's visit in December, he disclosed that a portion of the India Digitisation Fund would be specifically allocated to empower startups led by women. Google also engaged in partnerships with the Indian Institute of Science, including collecting speech data from 773 districts to improve language translation and search technology. Additionally, Google granted funds to establish India's first responsible artificial intelligence centre at IIT Madras and supported Wadhwani AI with the aim of leveraging technology for agricultural improvements.
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