Archive · 23 Jan 2026
India's AI Power Debate at Davos
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, India's IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had a debate with a moderator named Ian Bremmer.
Bremmer said India was a 'second-tier' AI power, but Vaishnaw disagreed.
He said India is actually third in the world for AI preparedness, according to a study by Stanford University.
Vaishnaw explained that India is focusing on making AI that is useful in real life, not just big and expensive models.
He also talked about how India is training many people in AI and has a lot of powerful computers for AI research.
The IMF's chief also said that India is a major force in developing AI and that the moderator's comment was just a small mistake.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw disputed Ian Bremmer's description of India as a 'second-tier' AI power at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Vaishnaw cited Stanford University rankings, placing India third globally in AI preparedness and second in AI talent.
India's AI strategy focuses on economically sustainable, real-world deployment rather than just building large models.
Over 38,000 GPUs have been empanelled in a shared national compute facility, subsidized for access by students, researchers, and startups.
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva clarified that the IMF admires India's AI development and considers it a major force in AI.
- Who
- Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and moderator Ian Bremmer
- What
- Debate on India's AI capabilities and ranking
- When
- During the World Economic Forum in Davos
- Where
- Davos, Switzerland
- Why
- To discuss India's AI strategy and global ranking
- Event
- World Economic Forum in Davos
- Minister
- Ashwini Vaishnaw
- Moderator
- Ian Bremmer
- Stanford Ranking
- India ranked 3rd in AI preparedness
- AI Strategy
- Focus on economically sustainable, real-world deployment
- AI Talent
- India ranked 2nd in AI talent
- GPUs
- 38,000 GPUs empanelled in a shared national compute facility
- AI Skilling Programme
- Aims to train 10 million people
